Dealing with Bullheadedness

[ELC1837]

I'll be honest, this is a rant venting aggravation built up while playing my sibling. I hope that I can garner some advice regarding this topic in case I run into the same problem in the tournament scene, but will understand if a mod locks/deletes this thread due to being too unrelated to Guilty Gear. Anyhow, my sibling is, layman's terms, a bullheaded scrub: she refuses to get better at any game, and even finds it in her power to ban various core elements of the game such as special moves. While I can cut her some slack with GG because she hasn't even touched the game until today (that, and I used to only use normals, so I'm familiar with them), but when she complains about me spamming knockdown normals in Mortal Kombat because I'm forbidden to use special moves, I can't help but be annoyed, (which somehow turns into smugness since she was smack-talking me). While the general consensus, from what I gather from other competitive games, is STFU OR GTFO, I feel that doesn't really help spread the sheer glory of the GG series. So, any tips on how to counteract the bullheaded-scrub mentality?

[milesokeefe]

She sounds like she just isn't as gung-ho about competitive games as you are. You'll prolly have better luck introducing the game to someone who's about as into competitive games as you are, or finding someone who already likes Guilty Gear. As it stands, there's a real possibility that your sister will react to your pressure & the increasing disparity in your respective skill levels by dropping fighting games altogether.

[Circuitous]

I've got the same problems here. My brother and friend (both available for gaming on a constant basis) have no interest whatsoever in learning how to play a fighting game. If I bother them enough they'll try a couple of rounds, but: Friend will pick a character at random each round and mash like fucking crazy until something happens. Combos never exceed three hits, and accidental bursts are par for the course. He refuses to so much as glance at the movelist - if he can't do it by randomly shaking his thumbs, he won't bother. Brother will play Ky, because he learned most of his moves back when we had Guilty Gear (y'know, the original). He'll do decently enough, but it takes a miracle to get him to play more than one match. Now, Friend has suggested that with a local tournament on the horizon he'd be willing to actually "try" and learn BlazBlue. However, when pressed to try a few rounds so he can pick a main and actually get started, he complains that there's no need to rush, and that he'll start a month or so before the tournament, because "that's how long it takes to get good at these games." I've given up, pretty much. Good thing there's online play.

[zdravkelja]

Because of that scrub mentality, I have no one to play GG with

[qwerty]

people need to have some kind of interest in order to actually want to get good at games. for some people, the interest is already there. for others, it takes some pushing. the vast majority of people however, are a lost cause. chances are, if your sister hasn't budged by now, she is of the third category.

[Blade]

For most people, fighting games aren't pick-up-and-play. You either want to learn for the sake of aesthetics (skill) or pride (competition). Sometimes a good teacher or example makes all the difference. I started playing way back when MK3 hit its zenith in arcades and Kabal was broken but a fan favorite. I used to simply enjoy watching players throw out complex combos and never knowing how they did them. Later on I was sad arcades were dying, but I found a magazine article about Guilty Gear and liked the art. I never was 'good' at old GG, but a rival of mine got me hooked on training in GGX. Of course, if fighting games were shown to people as something anyone could learn, you'd see more people play. The competition can scare people, and even decent players hit skill walls sometimes. Try showing what you can do with each character and let them decide if they'd like to learn.

[shezmu]

people need to have some kind of interest in order to actually want to get good at games.

for some people, the interest is already there. for others, it takes some pushing. the vast majority of people however, are a lost cause.

chances are, if your sister hasn't budged by now, she is of the third category.

I have to agree with you. If your sibling doesn't even like the game, then you got no chance of getting them to get good at GG, yet alone competitive. Also, not to make me out to be a pro or something, but I myself didn't start out wanting to be competitive at GG. However I did have a genuine interest in the game and somewhat through that I wanted to learn to get competitive at the game.

I say somewhat because my desire to get competitive came about more like "I love to cook, and I like money, so becoming a chef is beneficial to me" than "I want to be a chef".

[ELC1837]

@ milesokeefe: I'm not really gung-ho about it...I just enjoy using every aspect of a game's design, whether that's Pot's invincible backdashing or Zappa's "mamamamama" chant, to put up a good fight, win or lose. @ Circuitous: hehe friend sounds like my sister a lot. @ zdravkelja: I'm sure my friend would try it out: I think he's tried more fighters than I have, and they're mostly anime-style like Guilty Gear @ qwerty: The 3rd majority sounds a lot like my sister, though it would be nice to convince her that it's more than "use buttons, not combos" @ Blade: Good advice: I'll have to work on using dragon punches in an actual fight, but I can show her some of the more interesting aspects of the game. @ shezmu: It's not so much me wanting my sister and I to be competitive: it's that I want her to want to explore the various aspects of design that the game designer (Daisuke?) intentionally wanted to be explored. Though really, I'm just going to have to say she's a lost cause: between "it looks ancient (referring to 2D graphics)", "I can't stand anime!", and "wtf wrong with her tail lol", I think the charm just goes over her head.

[Guilty Soul]

uh... how old are you guys?

[ELC1837]

Eh...I'm not going to answer that directly, but I'll guess at what you're getting at and say I grew up playing Genesis more, my sister grew up playing Playstation more.

[Jam-Kiske]

This is kind of my problem in a sense... My brother, a friend, and one of my cousins all play GG at a scrub-ish level. This is the same level I'm currently at. It's not a horrid level of skill in terms of casual play, but I'd like to try to get to a competitive level. I know that in order to do this I'd need to practice. However, I don't really know how I could really figure out how much I'm learning when I don't have the means of playing against anyone of a higher level.

[Digital Watches]

I think problem 1.0 is trying to get people into the game. Frankly, I've never seen one person get competitive at any game ever because someone convinced them to play it. If your sister's going to get into the game, she'll probably come to you, and if you want people to play against who will take it even semi-seriously, you should probably seek out people who already play. I assume you already know this, but I hear the Kentucky scene ain't bad.

[Kyle]

If they don't play guilty gear, are they really your family/friends?

[purify]

Girls don't play gg unless they were previously guys

[Digital Watches]

If they don't play guilty gear, are they really your family/friends?

Scientifically speaking, it depends on how hot they are.

Girls don't play gg unless they were previously guys

I see what you did there.

[danceljoy]

Girls don't play gg unless they were previously guys

I'm previously a guy....?

[shezmu]

I'm previously a guy....?

Yes, your parents really wanted a girl so they chopped your peepee off when you were a child.

[Ssuusshhii]

Yes, your parents really wanted a girl so they chopped your peepee off when you were a child.

[ShinsoBEAM]

I have a slightly different problem, is that me and my friends play everything when it first comes out for a while, normally how it works is my friends own me at any fighter we pick up, for at least a few hours normally a week, they get by, because IDK good instincts. After I stop getting my face beaten in aka learn what all the oppenents moves look like and can block I suddenly start winning, then next thing I know I got these sweet combos down, which do lots of damage, at this point I hear looking things up online is cheap...of course I come back with you look at walkthroughs in RPGs don't you, whats wrong with me reading up combos I really don't whore in training mode all day, I learn how to do it in fights. I have found what helps sometimes is trying to get them to learn how to pressure and move around the screen and block is far easier than trying to get them to learn combos, but do make sure that when they hit you they can do some easy damage. Also be thankful your sister hasn't ever pulled the your too good you can only throw clause out on you. *this helped me learn how to air throw decently in GGAC though.

[Guilty Soul]

Eh...I'm not going to answer that directly, but I'll guess at what you're getting at and say I grew up playing Genesis more, my sister grew up playing Playstation more.

lol good answer:yaaay:

I was pretty much the same but usually whenever I introduce GG to someone, they like it. My gf likes it but I gotta make her play more of it.

[danceljoy]

Yes, your parents really wanted a girl so they chopped your peepee off when you were a child.

I guess I gotta ask my parents about the truth

-

Aside from that, my sister who is 9 and my female cousin who's 13 loves GG because they find the female characters pretty.

[shezmu]

I guess I gotta ask my parents about the truth

-

Aside from that, my sister who is 9 and my female cousin who's 13 loves GG because they find the female characters pretty.

You might want to ask your parents about them to...

God, this is too retarded.

On topic, if GG has anything going for it, it's the character designs and music. Perhaps the TC could try getting some metal fans into the game? Just a quick and undeveloped thought.

[Jam-Kiske]

I remember my ex-boyfriend buying it and trying it out and seeming okay with the game. Dunno if he kept it up though... most of my friend's play somewhat casually upon request. Well nobody back at college... one guy played with me, I stomped him [whoops], and the rest of my friends were like: lol no we've never played that and you'll just stomp us.

[tokyobassist]

your sister is a scrub. thats cool that you went and attempted to make it fun but if she's being cocksmoker about it then i would've just went beast mode to end the bitching quick.

[Circuitous]

I managed to convince my friends to attend the ranbats coming up soon at AL. Apparently a (relatively) lighthearted sense of competition stirs something within them.