Growing up on arcade mode
Lyndsey Beatty
Cry of War
Cry of War
As a young lass, I was an arcade fiend. Tales of my travels for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 tournaments filled the pages of Gaming Insurrection many moons ago. It was that powerful: I would take time to train and travel when I wasn't working on my journalism degree. And now, similarly in nature, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and my degree are relegated to the dustbin of time.
I don't miss either to be honest. I've since gone on to better things to occupy my time - other fighting games and a career in accounting. But I do miss the time ... somewhat. I miss being young and carefree, when bills didn't hit my dining table with frightening accuracy and all I had to do was go to school.
Twenty-five years ago, I was a 19-year-old fighting game enthusiast who loved Marvel and Street Fighter Alpha 3 who also wanted to meet guys. I rolled to Anderson, S.C., frequently - well before it became a stop on my journalism career tour. I drove a bunch of us in my first car - a 1995 champagne Saturn sedan - up to the long-gone Eastland Mall in Charlotte, N.C., to meet up with folks who became lifelong friends. I traveled around and tried to learn fighting games while also focusing on college studies. But then something changed: I grew up. Life got in the way, and I didn't have the inclination to keep going even though the fighting game community was also finally growing up and esports careers were starting to become a reality.
I'm not sad that I got out of the scene when I did; I'm sad I stayed out as long as I did. With the release of this latest Marvel collection, I found myself back in old habits. I can break down a match in most fighting games with the best (I watch Justin Wong's streams regularly and usually am spot on in identifying strategy), and I enjoy a wide range of fighting games popularly played now and defunct series alike. It's not the old days, but I do love the collection having everything in one place that I can enjoy at my leisure. And I suppose that's what getting older means in the world of Marvel fighting games. I can enjoy things on my own terms in my own time, just in a different setting.
Infinity.
Lyndsey Beatty is editor-in-chief of Gaming Insurrection. She can be reached by email at lyndseyb@gaminginsurrection.com
I don't miss either to be honest. I've since gone on to better things to occupy my time - other fighting games and a career in accounting. But I do miss the time ... somewhat. I miss being young and carefree, when bills didn't hit my dining table with frightening accuracy and all I had to do was go to school.
Twenty-five years ago, I was a 19-year-old fighting game enthusiast who loved Marvel and Street Fighter Alpha 3 who also wanted to meet guys. I rolled to Anderson, S.C., frequently - well before it became a stop on my journalism career tour. I drove a bunch of us in my first car - a 1995 champagne Saturn sedan - up to the long-gone Eastland Mall in Charlotte, N.C., to meet up with folks who became lifelong friends. I traveled around and tried to learn fighting games while also focusing on college studies. But then something changed: I grew up. Life got in the way, and I didn't have the inclination to keep going even though the fighting game community was also finally growing up and esports careers were starting to become a reality.
I'm not sad that I got out of the scene when I did; I'm sad I stayed out as long as I did. With the release of this latest Marvel collection, I found myself back in old habits. I can break down a match in most fighting games with the best (I watch Justin Wong's streams regularly and usually am spot on in identifying strategy), and I enjoy a wide range of fighting games popularly played now and defunct series alike. It's not the old days, but I do love the collection having everything in one place that I can enjoy at my leisure. And I suppose that's what getting older means in the world of Marvel fighting games. I can enjoy things on my own terms in my own time, just in a different setting.
Infinity.
Lyndsey Beatty is editor-in-chief of Gaming Insurrection. She can be reached by email at lyndseyb@gaminginsurrection.com