Are Fighting Games Becoming Less Social?

[Robert_J_King]

The Internet is becoming more and more like an alternate reality, with people having online personas.

This is painfully true:

The combination fighting games and the anonymity of the internet creates an atmosphere where that person feels they could say and do whatever they please, things that they would never dream of doing in any real life setting. Win or lose, a conversation in the aftermath of a match is summed up in this accompanying picture. It also covers a good number of forum interaction.

 

[Loves]

This is painfully true:

The combination fighting games and the anonymity of the internet creates an atmosphere where that person feels they could say and do whatever they please, things that they would never dream of doing in any real life setting. Win or lose, a conversation in the aftermath of a match is summed up in this accompanying picture. It also covers a good number of forum interaction.
View attachment 36287

I agree, call him a faggot.

 

[Koiyuki]

I would say it's redefining what it means to be social, as did the transition from snail mail, to phone communication, to cell phones, to what we have now. With current tech, we can fulfill our social and practical needs without ever needing to leave our comfort zone, thus making us ask, "Why should I talk to someone face to face, when I can do the same thing over IMs/txting/facebook/etc?" A friend I spoke to about this even said, "Nobody calls anyone anymore, they txt each other". It's all a matter of changing norms, and overtime, people will figure out how to blend the different into a coherent whole, and lead balanced lives. As we need to understand how to communicate online, so must we remember what it means to communicate offline