Despite what a “certain someone” might say, the gaming space is NOT in a good place right now. There are all sorts of layoffs going on; games aren’t doing as well as they arguably should be, and so on. When it comes to times like these, it’s important that we look for the “little things” to make us happy. One such “little thing” might be the videos made by Masahiro Sakurai. His insights into gaming are fascinating, but they can also be deeply personal and speak to his personality as a gamer and developer. His most recent video highlighted that with a rather personal story that resonated with him over the years.
As he revealed, he used to go to gaming arcades in Japan where fighting game systems would be positioned so that opponents couldn’t see one another. One time, Sakurai was doing great at a particular fighting game, and when a new opponent came, he straight-up destroyed them. You know, like a boss does. However, when he wondered why they were so easy to beat, he looked around the system to find himself looking at a young couple; where one of them was playing and was clearly an amateur.
The young Masahiro Sakurai was greatly distressed by this, as he felt he might have ruined not only the date they were likely on but also the experience of the game itself. So, when the other half of the couple tried to play the game, he went easy on them.
Why does this matter to gaming today? As Sakurai noted, there are some games that require certain skill levels to play, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be more “welcoming” to new players who are trying it out. Yes, we know that’s nearly impossible with some communities, especially rather competitive FPS communities, but the intent is still there.
When you’re playing with friends, it’s okay to go all out on one another when it’s warranted, because you want to see who is the best among you. However, when you have a new friend who isn’t a gamer, beating them down endlessly might turn them off to the gaming experience.
That goes double when you’re playing with someone you’ve never met before, and they’re just trying to see how the game is.
The world could use a lot of kindness right now, so why not nurture a young gamer to help them see the wonder of video games as a whole…versus showing them the “git gud” style of gaming life?
