Community A Message From Tom Lee and Why You Should Make It Out to a Tournament

[iHajinShinobi]

One of the main reasons I can't go is because I'm a college student with a limited budget and no job, so I cannot make it out to tournaments. While I would, there needs to be something else that has yet to be addressed. There are people who start getting to know people by joining Facebook groups or forums like this, however, they will often run into individuals (and even top players) who will come at them in a negative way. Thus, that right there can also turn people away from wanting to go to tournaments in the first place. The FGC as a whole has a lot of growing up to do in order to get more people in.

Also, me personally, if I'm going to pay to go to an event and enter something, I'm going in with the mindset to win. I'm TOO competitive to just go to a tournament and not at least place in the Top 8. I understand that there are better players, but there are people like me who feel that they wasted money if they don't place where they want to. As you all can see, there are various reasons for why people do not want to or cannot go to tournaments, even if they have thought about it.

No one ever gets on someone else because "they're unable to attend", that has never been the issue (if they have been, then they're an asshole).

The issue has always been about the players that have the ability to go to something and choose not to. This is an issue because these kinds of players are those that do more bashing about other people more than anyone else.

It's an issue because they talk about supporting their community, but they dodge actual effort like bullets. And try to gain and receive recognition without having done a single thing to help community growth (or anything that really helps establish something for a scene or our community at all). You can't go off and try to talk about other players that have constantly gone out of their way to help the community grow, when you haven't and refuse to do anything beneficial (speaking generally).

Tom Lee's statements aren't geared towards those that do not have the ability (or luxury) to attend events, it's about those that have thought about it and he wants to encourage those players to do so. Everyone with a big competitive spirit will be playing to win, there can only be one winner. However everyone will also attend for other reasons, reasons other people have already listed.

I've always taken time out to meet new people, talk and even help them out with specifics with the game when I play someone. Making players feel comfortable can encourage them to want to go to another event.

 

[virtuaPAI]

I noticed that people are afraid to go to offline tournaments because they are not "tournament ready" or the "tournament type" as Kwiggle mentioned. It doesn't matter if you are tournament ready or if you are the tournament type, just come out and play. Meet new people, talk to them, go hang out with them. I learned that the more you talk to people, the less nervous you will be.

Also, food and hotel hi-jinks.

-The fact of the matter, all players had a beginning and where not "tournament ready" or the "tournament type". I had to force myself out there in the early days. There were no such thing as competitive DOA play 14 years ago lol. You can ask Mr. Wah, it was a brand new experience for all of us. We started off shy with no damn clue as to what to do...But look at the community now. You Could not tell now that Mr. Wah was once shy and timid, lol.

 

[Matt Ponton]

-The fact of the matter, all players had a beginning and where not "tournament ready" or the "tournament type". I had to force myself out there in the early days. There were no such thing as competitive DOA play 14 years ago lol. You can ask Mr. Wah, it was a brand new experience for all of us. We started off shy with no damn clue as to what to do...But look at the community now. You Could not tell now that Mr. Wah was once shy and timid, lol.

Man, remember NEC5? I showed up, played some 3.1 with Bill and y'all, got my butt kicked in our 10 man 3.1 tournament. I still remember Bill saying "Man, everyone wants to play my Hayate in DOA3!" "I'd like to fight your Leon..." "Alright man, no problem."

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DOA3 (16) - Tom Brady (Christie) vs. Smithy (Hayate)

 

[mpgeist]

If I could afford to go I would go, but living in Idaho Im looking at a big expense for not only travel but the time lost I could be making sales. I wish I could justify it but until I'm making a lot more than I am I can't. Sorry DOA community. I've met some cool people here that I'd love to meet in person even though i would get wrecked playing them.

Edit: If anything happens for DOA in Vegas for Evo I could probably make that, even if it's just side stuff.

 

[Desjah Rei]

This was a great read. I have to admit, despite going to tournaments for DOA, I have always had a great fear of being judged, mocked, and humiliated for my play. I was just no match for plenty there, but they didn't mock me at all. Instead, they gave me advice on different options to use, study frames, study the characters to learn their strings..I neglected ALL of it. Every last damn thing, and now I'm owning up to it and asking those for more matches to learn more about what I fail to do, in contrast to what I should, and my options.

Meeting those offline is an experience you just cannot replace, even if you don't have the time, or money at the time. If you really want to do so, create a little savings account specifically for it, and never touch it. I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world, yet I haven't been utilizing all the information at my disposal, nor remotely asking the people surrounding for advice, over shitty pride for nothing. It changed a lot for me, as for others, I don't know, I just figured I'd share a bit and make a little suggestion.

Overall, don't let fear get the better of you, be more accepting of others who truly and genuinely wish to assist you, and be more humble toward those who surround you. We'll all help one another, dammit.

 

[CatzDaLegit]

Who the hell is Tom Lee?

 

[Force_of_Nature]

Who the hell is Tom Lee?

-_-

^ This man is Tom Lee. The reason the DOA competitive scene gets any support from TN.

 

[CatzDaLegit]

That just raises even more questions. Okay cool I have a face with a name. That doesn't explain why he is 'the reason DOA competitive scene gets any support from TN.' I don't even know if that's accurate. Scene where? In America? How so? What did he do?

 

[Matt Ponton]

That just raises even more questions. Okay cool I have a face with a name. That doesn't explain why he is 'the reason DOA competitive scene gets any support from TN.' I don't even know if that's accurate. Scene where? In America? How so? What did he do?

Creative Director of Team NINJA. He's been with the game/company since DOA2 on Dreamcast.

 

[DoANoob]

I definitely would love to attend a tournament myself. After playing DOA5U for a good 1&1/2- 2 years(even though 5U was my 1st DOA game)my mindset of this game changed gradually. I hope to make it my goal to attend at least one tournament. Don't know when, but sometime in the future.

 

[synce]

Sounds fun and all, but there's a large investment that goes into going to an event. TN is clearly targeting younger people (18 and younger) with their sex appeal campaign, so the many people starting to enjoy the game have no means. The rest of us, however, have jobs, and it's not like we can just take off a random wednesday or thursday on a 1 or 2 month notice, drive half-way across our states (at the very least), make lodging, etc. Especially after investing in a ps4 (if we did). Let's not forget families or other hobbies we may have investments in (and what about kids in college?).

However, it is also necessary. Instead, we need to move more into the direction of trying to promote the game so that small local communities can develop. People have been going to Star Trek and Star Wars conventions for years, but that isn't making them any more popular or alive. This is the shape DoA is in right now. If you want your Cling-On dresses to catch on, you better be spreading out.

I think this sentence nails it. I don't think Tecmo as a whole cares about the FGC. If there's one thing that's consistent across their games today it's sex. Like just recently they announced classic Deception characters for the updated version of Darkside Princess, which was cool, but then they followed that up with an announcement you can now rip their clothes off (there was NONE of this garbage in the PS1 versions). Hyrule Warriors is also full of it, Fatal Frame 5, etc.

Don't get me wrong, Tom Lee seems like a cool guy, and there may even be a few people at TN who legitimately care about fighting games, but if they want the local scene to grow they need to rethink the boob mousepads and nurse DLC because a million people can buy DOA5 but good luck getting anyone to show up at a tourney if they bought it mainly for the waifus. If Tecmo cares about FGC stuff they will tell TN to put all their resources towards reinventing the gameplay and hopefully bringing new blood into the series. But I'm sure the easier, cheaper, and more profitable option is fetish DLC.

 

[Matt Ponton]

I think this sentence nails it. I don't think Tecmo as a whole cares about the FGC. If there's one thing that's consistent across their games today it's sex. Like just recently they announced classic Deception characters for the updated version of Darkside Princess, which was cool, but then they followed that up with an announcement you can now rip their clothes off (there was NONE of this garbage in the PS1 versions). Hyrule Warriors is also full of it, Fatal Frame 5, etc.

Don't get me wrong, Tom Lee seems like a cool guy, and there may even be a few people at TN who legitimately care about fighting games, but if they want the local scene to grow they need to rethink the boob mousepads and nurse DLC because a million people can buy DOA5 but good luck getting anyone to show up at a tourney if they bought it mainly for the waifus. If Tecmo cares about FGC stuff they will tell TN to put all their resources towards reinventing the gameplay and hopefully bringing new blood into the series. But I'm sure the easier, cheaper, and more profitable option is fetish DLC.

If you (in the general sense, not specifically) went to tournaments you'd know Tom cares about the FGC and DOA being promoted as a fighting game. Koei on the other hand...

 

[Kohlrak]

I think this sentence nails it. I don't think Tecmo as a whole cares about the FGC. If there's one thing that's consistent across their games today it's sex. Like just recently they announced classic Deception characters for the updated version of Darkside Princess, which was cool, but then they followed that up with an announcement you can now rip their clothes off (there was NONE of this garbage in the PS1 versions). Hyrule Warriors is also full of it, Fatal Frame 5, etc.

Don't get me wrong, Tom Lee seems like a cool guy, and there may even be a few people at TN who legitimately care about fighting games, but if they want the local scene to grow they need to rethink the boob mousepads and nurse DLC because a million people can buy DOA5 but good luck getting anyone to show up at a tourney if they bought it mainly for the waifus. If Tecmo cares about FGC stuff they will tell TN to put all their resources towards reinventing the gameplay and hopefully bringing new blood into the series. But I'm sure the easier, cheaper, and more profitable option is fetish DLC.

I hope i don't derail the thread it too much with this, but it really is the case. And they're shooting themselves in the foot, because alot of western parents are going to be like, "wait, this is what you want? I work 8 hours a day (or more), and the one thing you ask me for is a collectors edition of a game (which is more expensive) where the extra stuff is a booby mouse pad of a child, a pinup poster, and it looks like a porno. Where did we go wrong with you to even want things like this?" So they really ended up targeting a group that's even less likely to get what they want, instead of focusing on a group that can get what it wants.

EDIT:

If you (in the general sense, not specifically) went to tournaments you'd know Tom cares about the FGC and DOA being promoted as a fighting game. Koei on the other hand...

I also know lots of programmers who believe in optimizing code, but the company believes more in quantity than quality, so buggy and slow code is what makes the release, with no hope of update patches to fix more than issues.

 

[iHajinShinobi]

Who the hell is Tom Lee?

lol, Marc.

 

[DestructionBomb]

Who the hell is Tom Lee?

This is by far the best post I've seen today lol.

 

[Goarmagon]

I am not really in the strongest fiscal position but unless I get shot or go to the hospital for terminal cancer or some shit I will be at Final Round competing and I will try to take the few guys we have here with me.

First of all, it's really not just about whether you can compete or "win" at offline tourneys, especially at the majors. Because the truth of the matter is majority of players will not be able to beat champs like Kristian, Matt or any of our top fighters offline. That's not meant to be insulting or mean to anyone. That's just reality, plain & simple. And people need to understand that.

I strongly disagree with that statement. If you play someone long enough and you make yourself aware of what they are doing then you will eventually figure out how to beat them if you have it on your mind to do so. These guys are human just like you and not to take away their achievements but they are bound but the same limits of the game that I am.

 

[Chisa]

Don't worry. I'm sure I'll drag you over to France/UK at some point.

They've got some stuff going on there.

But dear that sounds like a plan! I wonder if France have happy hippos too..

I'm aware there's some life in France, yes. My worry with France is that the tournament main language is naturally french. They should try to make it to thing in UK since then mostly Europeans can go to there. Most of us speaks English too but not french. I can see spending time with other players can be hard if people don't speak the same language. Also UK is in perfect place if you look at the player map.

 

[PhoenixVFIRE]

I just wanna point out that a lot of people have social issues and even if you tell them that being "humiliated, judged, etc..." will never happen, it really does not matter at all whatsoever. It's a mental thing that doesn't change from being reassured something won't happen because even when you do decide to get the courage to face people and even if they turn out really amazing, you still feel it and it's super uncomfortable.

Social anxiety is very real and doesn't change because you're reassured something won't happen. I personally feel like this, it's not super bad like many others have it, but it's still something I face sometimes. On top of that, I have zero means of actually getting to a tournament anyway due to life situations and limitations currently.

 

[Kohlrak]

I just wanna point out that a lot of people have social issues and even if you tell them that being "humiliated, judged, etc..." will never happen, it really does not matter at all whatsoever. It's a mental thing that doesn't change from being reassured something won't happen because even when you do decide to get the courage to face people and even if they turn out really amazing, you still feel it and it's super uncomfortable.

Social anxiety is very real and doesn't change because you're reassured something won't happen. I personally feel like this, it's not super bad like many others have it, but it's still something I face sometimes. On top of that, I have zero means of actually getting to a tournament anyway due to life situations and limitations currently.

This surely is true of alot of people. And the sexuality level of DoA doesn't help, because they also gotta deal with the social anxiety regarding the people around them judging them for going a long distance to play a video game, let alone THAT game.

 

[tokiopewpew]

My excuse for not attempting in tournaments is simple: there's no tournaments in Europe. I'm sure there's plenty of others who would want to but they can't because they don't live in USA.

Republic of Fighters Winter Session in Paris is just this weekend. They host multiple events every year which where both streamed live and uploaded here later, so yeah, there are tournaments in Europe for sure.