i'm sorry but I just gotta ask this man!!!

It seems that Fighting games in general have been non-existant there were alot (well not a lot but a good batch)of fighters last gen and now there are like virtually NONE in this new gen.(well Virtua Fighter 5 Dead orAlive 4 this newTekken and Soul Calibur but that's like 4.)

so my question is why is the fighting genre getting so little attention?

Wow, there's been a lot of Fighting game threads on here lately...

I think because they're not as popular as they were in the 90's Don't get me work, I love fighting games, but now it's just down to the franchises that people love and want to see new games of (Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur, Tekken etc.)

Or it could be because people want to avoid the learning curve and avoid memorising long strings of combos...

I think one of the reasons why fighting games have faded from popularity is because there is a select few who became so good at it that those who are looking for casual play gets turned off by it.

I remember when the original Street Fighter II came out and there were crowds of people just waiting around to play it at every arcade, liquor store, or pizza place. I think at that time everyone was just trying to learn how to play and that's why it was so fun. But after awhile the crowds got smaller and smaller and the ones who stayed are the guys who became good at it....and I think one of the reasons for this shrinking crowd was because those guys who became good at it scared away the people that never improved or stayed a average player, even though the two groups played the same hours.

And after all these years and many versions later, the guys who stuck with it became masters at the game whereas the other people who gave up OR the newer people who gives these games a try might be turned off by it because maybe fighting games are very difficult to play. So many moves, combos, special moves, and guys who are so good that a casual player can't even hit them might have complicated this genre a bit. I think that's why fighters have become more of a niche that is narrowed down to a specific audience. I think that's why Virtua Fighter 5 isn't selling too well because maybe the casual player just don't want to take the time to learn how to play it. And even if a person dedicates himself to get good at it, there's no possible way that a person can beat a player who's been at it for many years, unless the newbie is a phenom, which doesn't happen everyday.

And one more reason why I think fighters are losing ground is because fighters are basically the best when you play with others. It was never a single player experience. You get the most out of it by fighting other players. And I think fighters over the years just created that impression that if you're not good at it then fighting games are not for you. I know I get that impression sometimes everytime someone better just beats the crap out of me at Third Strike or Tekken. Losing really does make you feel like a loser and slaps you in the face with a loud message that tells you that the genre is not for you. And it is at these moments that one can turn away and say, "I will never play this game again!" Why? Not because you hate the genre, but that pride is broken. And no one likes being a loser.

I still love fighters even though I get my butt whooped by better players. So I still play fighters...but I think I've been playing by myself more, which is not good if you want to get the most out of your fighting games. In other words, fighters are boring when you're playing alone. For example, I have many titles that I just pop in whenever I get in the mood. But for the most part, they are gathering dust because I spend more time on games that are a true single player experience. So that lasting value as a video game may convince casual players that fighting games aren't worth buying. A game like Virtua Fighter 5 is one of the best PS3 games for sure....but it may not be the best game for everybody, which is a shame.

I think fighting games have the most narrow core market among all the genres because it's mostly about the skills of a player. Also, it's one of those games where you would have to dedicate hours and hours just to get remotely good at it. I think it's these intimidating factors that turn people off to it, because fighters are about the joys and terrors of winning and losing, rather than just having fun as a video game. Anyone can get into a FPS, a RPG, a adventure game, a action game, etc., but not many can be good at fighters. I think that impression people get in knowing that they suck at a game might be the culprit why a lot get turned off by this, otherwise, cool genre of games. And like I said earlier, the time one has to invest just to learn how to be good with one player is daunting, especially when there are so many good players out there.

So in other words, these factors tell the casual player that fighters aren't worth it....I know, that sucks, but this is why I think fighters have faded from popularity over the years.

I think one of the reasons why fighting games have faded from popularity is because there is a select few who became so good at it that those who are looking for casual play gets turned off by it.

I remember when the original Street Fighter II came out and there were crowds of people just waiting around to play it at every arcade, liquor store, or pizza place. I think at that time everyone was just trying to learn how to play and that's why it was so fun. But after awhile the crowds got smaller and smaller and the ones who stayed are the guys who became good at it....and I think one of the reasons for this shrinking crowd was because those guys who became good at it scared away the people that never improved or stayed a average player, even though the two groups played the same hours.

And after all these years and many versions later, the guys who stuck with it became masters at the game whereas the other people who gave up OR the newer people who gives these games a try might be turned off by it because maybe fighting games are very difficult to play. So many moves, combos, special moves, and guys who are so good that a casual player can't even hit them might have complicated this genre a bit. I think that's why fighters have become more of a niche that is narrowed down to a specific audience. I think that's why Virtua Fighter 5 isn't selling too well because maybe the casual player just don't want to take the time to learn how to play it. And even if a person dedicates himself to get good at it, there's no possible way that a person can beat a player who's been at it for many years, unless the newbie is a phenom, which doesn't happen everyday.

And one more reason why I think fighters are losing ground is because fighters are basically the best when you play with others. It was never a single player experience. You get the most out of it by fighting other players. And I think fighters over the years just created that impression that if you're not good at it then fighting games are not for you. I know I get that impression sometimes everytime someone better just beats the crap out of me at Third Strike or Tekken. Losing really does make you feel like a loser and slaps you in the face with a loud message that tells you that the genre is not for you. And it is at these moments that one can turn away and say, "I will never play this game again!" Why? Not because you hate the genre, but that pride is broken. And no one likes being a loser.

I still love fighters even though I get my butt whooped by better players. So I still play fighters...but I think I've been playing by myself more, which is not good if you want to get the most out of your fighting games. In other words, fighters are boring when you're playing alone. For example, I have many titles that I just pop in whenever I get in the mood. But for the most part, they are gathering dust because I spend more time on games that are a true single player experience. So that lasting value as a video game may convince casual players that fighting games aren't worth buying. A game like Virtua Fighter 5 is one of the best PS3 games for sure....but it may not be the best game for everybody, which is a shame.

I think fighting games have the most narrow core market among all the genres because it's mostly about the skills of a player. Also, it's one of those games where you would have to dedicate hours and hours just to get remotely good at it. I think it's these intimidating factors that turn people off to it, because fighters are about the joys and terrors of winning and losing, rather than just having fun as a video game. Anyone can get into a FPS, a RPG, a adventure game, a action game, etc., but not many can be good at fighters. I think that impression people get in knowing that they suck at a game might be the culprit why a lot get turned off by this, otherwise, cool genre of games. And like I said earlier, the time one has to invest just to learn how to be good with one player is daunting, especially when there are so many good players out there.

So in other words, these factors tell the casual player that fighters aren't worth it....I know, that sucks, but this is why I think fighters have faded from popularity over the years.ASK_Story

QFT.

The other factor is that the genre has fallen completely into the hands of the hardcore players, and we have a tendency to keep things standardized so that our skills that we've built up over the years continue to mean something to this day. Casuals are calling for a mass-overhaul of the core fighting system in such traditional fighting series as Street Fighter, so that the hardcore gamers have to learn things from the ground up as do the casuals. This may work for a more casual overall genre, but fighting games are a major, rarely-noted genre in which the term "eSports" strongly applies. They are a legitimate form (probably even the most legitimate) of gaming competition. Changes like the ones being demanded by the casual would be akin to the NHLPA, in the 80s, saying "We can't play this game on ice, with pucks or sticks anymore. That Gretzky guy is killing us all! And we want a 20-degree uphill trip to each net from the blue lines!" They think it's okay to undermine the people who worked to develop their skills, rather than take accountability and develop their own.

Well Super Smash Bros Brawl is comming out soon.Narroo

There's a difference between that and a fighting game.

There's a difference between that and a fighting game.

DarkCatalyst

I must disagree. Smash Bros is a series where players select from a roster of characters and use their unique moves and stats to FIGHT eachother. If there's any other requirement I've ever heard of it. I would also argue that everything separating SSB games from more traditional fighting affairs actually makes it better than the others (cumulative damage points, radically varied stages, minute-to-learn-but-lifetime-to-master controls, etc.).

But back on-topic, I definitely agree with all the points in STORY's post. I only own a few fighting games myself, and it seems that whoever I play against is either some kind of electronic blackbelt who I can't land a single hit on, or a complete amateur who actually needs a briefing on the controls before I give them a quick and unfulfilling beat-down. There's very little middle-ground anymore, and most of the blame probably lies in the hardcore gamers' uncanny skill (and condescending attitudes) breeding a decrease in popularity, which in turn leads to a lack of demand and a subsequent lack of new games. Yes, the old franchise are still alive and kicking, (no pun intended) but I don't think anyone could imagine the introduction a brand new series in this day and age.

I must disagree. Smash Bros is a series where players select from a roster of characters and use their unique moves and stats to FIGHT eachother.creepy_mike

A genre is more than what you do. It's how you do it.

The fighting genre came into being when Street Fighter II came along because a distinction was needed to seperate Street Fighter II and its inevitable ilk (Virtua Fighter, Tekken, SNK's stuff...) from what everyone else was doing. "One-on-one competitive fighting game" was just too long-winded.

Basically, the term "fighting game" thus refers specifically to Street Fighter II's playstyle.