Game Talk

Why fighting games still struggle to bring new players in

I tried to get into Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 this year and I want to write down why it's hard, because I think it's not only 'git gud'.

First, the vocabulary. Frame data, plus on block, okizeme, it's like a new language. Second, online ranked puts you against people who already know it, so you lose 15 times and learn nothing. Third, the tutorials teach you buttons but not how to think in a match.

The modern control scheme in SF6 helped me a lot, honestly. But I think the genre needs more 'why' and less 'press this'. Curious what made it click for people who did get in.