electronic fighting game
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What is an electronic fighting game?
An electronic fighting game is a genre of electronic game based on competitive matches between characters controlled by players or the game itself. These games originated in Japanese video arcades and continue on home video consoles, especially in online matches.
The first three-dimensional fighting game was Mindscape, Inc.’s 4D Sports Boxing (1991). Sega’s arcade console Virtua Fighter (1993) is known for its realistic depiction of combat. Namco Limited’s Tekken (1994– ) has lasted through numerous sequels and been ported to most home video consoles. Tecmo, Inc.’s Dead or Alive (1996– ) introduced a system of countermoves.
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How do players compete in electronic fighting games?
Electronic fighting games are a genre of electronic games based on competitive matches between characters controlled by players or the game itself. These games originated in Japanese video arcades and continue on home video consoles, especially in online matches.
Competitors participate in tournaments using video game consoles or PCs. These tournaments attract millions of viewers online via platforms like YouTube or Twitch, cable and broadcast networks, or in person. Professional esports organizations have players who compete in different games. Some top players earn millions through prizes and sponsorships.
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What are some common features of electronic fighting games?
Electronic fighting games are a genre of electronic games based on competitive matches between characters controlled by players or the game itself. These games originated in Japanese arcades and have continued on home video consoles, especially in online matches.
The first fighting game to allow combat between two player-controlled characters was Sega Corporation’s Heavyweight Champ (1976). Later, Konami’s Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985) added a variety of punch and kick maneuvers, each activated by moving the joystick in a specific direction, as well as a "health bar" that indicated a player’s relative strength.
Sega's arcade console Virtua Fighter (1993) was noteworthy for its realistic depiction of combat, with various playable characters that specialized in different schools of martial arts.
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What are examples of popular electronic fighting games?
Electronic fighting games involve competitive matches between characters controlled by players or the game, often emphasizing either realism or fantasy elements. Originating in Japanese arcades, the genre has thrived on home video consoles, especially with online matches.
Examples of popular electronic fighting games include:
* Virtua Fighter, known for its realistic combat and diverse martial arts styles
* Tekken, a long-lasting series ported to many home consoles
* Dead or Alive, notable for its countermove systemThe rise of 16-bit home consoles like Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo allowed gamers to enjoy fighting games at home with arcade-quality graphics. Later, 32-bit consoles such as Sega Saturn and PlayStation set new graphic standards for the genre.
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How do special moves and combos work in these games?
In electronic fighting games, special moves and combos are activated through specific sequences of joystick movements and button presses. Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985) innovated directional joystick movements for varied maneuvers, while Street Fighter (1987) introduced more complex special moves. However, early 8-bit arcade consoles faced limitations due to underpowered chips and imprecise control sticks, hindering the execution of these precise sequences.
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How have electronic fighting games influenced competitive gaming and esports?
Electronic fighting games have significantly shaped competitive gaming and esports. Originating in Japanese arcades, the genre, which is based on competitive matches between characters, gained prominence through games like Virtua Fighter and Tekken. These titles revitalized arcades in the 1990s, with players honing their skills in local competitions, which eventually expanded to regional, national, and international levels.
The rise of esports can be traced to events like the Red Annihilation Quake tournament in 1997, which helped introduce modern esports. Today, fighting games such as Street Fighter and Dragon Ball FighterZ are mainstays in esports, contributing to its organized structure akin to traditional sports leagues.
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electronic fighting game, electronic game genre based on competitive matches between a player’s character and a character controlled by another player or the game. Such matches may strive for realism or include fantasy elements. The genre originated in Japanese video arcades and continues primarily on home video consoles, especially in online matches.
Arcade games
Two-dimensional fighting games
Eight-bit era
The first fighting game to allow combat between two player-controlled characters was Sega Corporation’s Heavyweight Champ (1976), a black-and-white 8-bit arcade console simulation in which two boxers are shown in profile, or two dimensions, with the players able to throw only high (head) or low (body) punches. The next step in the development of fighting games was Data East Corporation’s Karate Champ (1984), an arcade console that had a limited repertoire of punches and kicks. Konami’s Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985) added a variety of punch and kick maneuvers, each activated by moving the joystick in a specific direction—an innovation that would be greatly expanded by later games—as well as a “health bar” that indicated a player’s relative strength. Capcom Co., Ltd.’s Street Fighter (1987) introduced a more elaborate set of special moves, though all of these 8-bit arcade consoles suffered from underpowered computer chips and poor control sticks that made it difficult to execute the precise sequences needed for special combat moves.
Sixteen-bit era
The real breakthrough for this genre occurred with the introduction of Capcom’s 16-bit arcade game Street Fighter II (1991), which had vastly improved hardware that supported better graphics and special button-pushing combinations to perform elaborate combat moves. Another popular 16-bit fighter was Midway Manufacturing Company’s Mortal Kombat (1995), which used digitized images of real people and large quantities of realistic looking blood and gore. Both of these games developed a cult following and spawned film versions: Street Fighter (1994), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Mortal Kombat (1995), starring Christopher Lambert.
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Three-dimensional fighting games
Although the first three-dimensional fighting game, Mindscape, Inc.’s 4D Sports Boxing (1991), was actually released for various early personal computers, it had little impact on the development of the fighting genre. This honour goes to Sega’s arcade console Virtua Fighter (1993). Virtua Fighter was noteworthy for its realistic depiction of combat, with various playable characters that specialized in different schools of martial arts. Although Namco Limited’s Tekken (1994– ) came later, it has lasted through numerous sequels and been ported to most home video consoles. Another long-lasting series is Tecmo, Inc.’s Dead or Alive (1996– ), which is noteworthy for its introduction of a system of countermoves (and counters to counters, ad infinitum).
Together with electronic vehicle games, especially auto racing, these fighting games revitalized arcades in the 1990s. In particular, millions of players spent untold hours honing their skills against one another for local bragging rights. Such contests eventually led to regional, national, and international competitions.
Regulation
The level of blood and gore in the 16-bit arcade games and the emerging home console versions—including depictions of hearts being plucked out of chests and heads, along with their attached spines, being ripped out of bodies—led to political pressure for censorship, or at least parental warnings, in many communities around the world. In the United States, Sen. Joseph Lieberman led congressional investigations (1992–93) into video game violence and its purported effects on society. In response several organizations were created by industry leaders to establish a rating system. The Entertainment Software Rating Board’s advisory code for video and computer games was formally approved by the U.S. Congress in 1994. The code has been revised several times, both in terms of categories and in wording, though critics contend that code designations remain too arbitrary, with games containing similar levels of sex and violence often getting quite different ratings.
Home console games
Two reasons for the decline of arcades in the 1990s were the steep learning curve for newcomers to the fighting games and the increasing power of home video consoles. As the 16-bit home consoles, such as the Sega Genesis (1988) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES; 1990), arrived on the market, gamers found that they could play fighting games at home with graphics that rivaled those found in the arcades. And with the arrival of the 32-bit home consoles, such as the Sega Saturn (1994), Sony Corporation’s PlayStation (1994), and the Nintendo 64 (1996), it was the home console games that began setting the graphic standards for the fighting genre. Among the most important early home fighting games was Tekken 2 (1995), an arcade game that was ported to the PlayStation in 1996.
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While the graphics were improving for home systems, many players missed the competitive atmosphere found in arcades. Their concerns were addressed with the release of 64-bit consoles, such as the Sega Dreamcast (1998), PlayStation 2 (2000), and the Microsoft Corporation’s Xbox (2001). In particular, the Dreamcast included a modem for connecting players over the Internet, Microsoft launched Xbox Live (2001), an Internet-based subscription gaming service, and Sony responded in 2002 with a modem for the PlayStation 2.
The next generation of video consoles, the Xbox 360 (2005) and PlayStation 3 (2006), featured still greater integration of proprietary gaming networks and consoles. Although many of the most popular fighting games, such as Tekken and Mortal Kombat, are available in versions for both platforms, players cannot compete across these networks.