Anyone else seen this?
We all joke about it - the 12 year-olds that play on live, the old MP3 of that guy screaming in frustration at Counterstrike, stories of people in Korea that stab people over MMO arguments...
The arcades though at times really bring this home.
Once, in Akiba, I saw the ultimate gamer stereotype for this kind of player. He was about 16, though might have just looked younger, was American, and was a complete and utter arsehole.
He was playing Gundam Seed Destiny Renpou Vs Zahuto 2 Plus when I got there. It was quite early, so he was on the 2on2 machine on his own. I sat down on the cab opposite him, and proceeded to have a game.
He was, to be honest, pretty good. I haven't played the game much since the PS2 release, as it killed most of the arcade following, so I'm pretty rusty. Played three games, lost them all - though I didn't lose terribly - and he wasn't playing as a cheap character either.
I got up to leave, at which point, 2 Japanese blokes sat down at the machine to play him. I watched for a bit, and decided to join him on the other side. I sat down, put my credit in, only to recieve a clearly audible sigh, to which I was already thinking "**** you, its a 2v2 game, you don't own the ****ing arcade".
One of the Japanese guys was playing as a particularly cheap character. Anyway, we won the first game. Both of us played well. I got no reaction from him whatsoever. I don't speak too much Japanese, but even from the Japanese blokes I'm often paired with, I still get a "well done" or whatever. He didn't say anything - and turned slightly the other way so I wouldn't say anything to him.
So, we played the second game, against the same guys, and lost, marginally - to which he stood up and stormed away from the machine, before coming back like a minute later.
I mean for ****'s sake - was he FIVE??
Even when playing the best of the VF players in Akiba, there is always a mutual courtesy between everyone. No-one over-celebrates victory or brags in defeat, and certainly no-one has a tantrum. Sometimes when I go into arcades on 2on2 games, Japanese people don't immediately join me until I win at least one game - evidently people like this ****er are the reason why.
[/rant].
We all joke about it - the 12 year-olds that play on live, the old MP3 of that guy screaming in frustration at Counterstrike, stories of people in Korea that stab people over MMO arguments...
The arcades though at times really bring this home.
Once, in Akiba, I saw the ultimate gamer stereotype for this kind of player. He was about 16, though might have just looked younger, was American, and was a complete and utter arsehole.
He was playing Gundam Seed Destiny Renpou Vs Zahuto 2 Plus when I got there. It was quite early, so he was on the 2on2 machine on his own. I sat down on the cab opposite him, and proceeded to have a game.
He was, to be honest, pretty good. I haven't played the game much since the PS2 release, as it killed most of the arcade following, so I'm pretty rusty. Played three games, lost them all - though I didn't lose terribly - and he wasn't playing as a cheap character either.
I got up to leave, at which point, 2 Japanese blokes sat down at the machine to play him. I watched for a bit, and decided to join him on the other side. I sat down, put my credit in, only to recieve a clearly audible sigh, to which I was already thinking "**** you, its a 2v2 game, you don't own the ****ing arcade".
One of the Japanese guys was playing as a particularly cheap character. Anyway, we won the first game. Both of us played well. I got no reaction from him whatsoever. I don't speak too much Japanese, but even from the Japanese blokes I'm often paired with, I still get a "well done" or whatever. He didn't say anything - and turned slightly the other way so I wouldn't say anything to him.
So, we played the second game, against the same guys, and lost, marginally - to which he stood up and stormed away from the machine, before coming back like a minute later.
I mean for ****'s sake - was he FIVE??
Even when playing the best of the VF players in Akiba, there is always a mutual courtesy between everyone. No-one over-celebrates victory or brags in defeat, and certainly no-one has a tantrum. Sometimes when I go into arcades on 2on2 games, Japanese people don't immediately join me until I win at least one game - evidently people like this ****er are the reason why.
[/rant].
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