Think of the hardest game genre. For some people, it’s puzzle games. Others, rhythm games. While these are all hard games no doubt and require years of dedicated practice to master, I think that fighting games are the most difficult, with not even a single other genre even coming close to the level of commitment it requires. And while there’s a multitude of reasons why this is so and I could probably write an entire essay on the topic, I want to focus on an aspect of the game that is often overlooked by newer players: mind games.
First off, let me explain what intentionality is. When most people start playing a fighting game, it comes as no surprise that they’ll start mashing every button wildly. This makes sense. They don’t know how to play, so really, slamming every button is really the only option to make sure attacks are coming out. A strategy like this might work against another new player, but obviously it’s not the most rewarding feeling to win because you pressed a bunch of buttons randomly. After all, the satisfaction of winning comes from using your own skill to beat a tough opponent. So how does one get to the point of using skill it win? It’s a long and complicated journey to become decent at a game, but the very first step is this: actually learning what the buttons do, and when to use them. Once the player has mastered this, they’ve reached the point of intentionality. This is when the player knows what action they want to perform in the fight, and will press the right button accordingly. No more randomly smacking buttons. Now, does this mean the player has become decent. That would be a hard no. Knowing what you want to do and knowing what you should actually do are very different things. For example, maybe you want to hard kick a guy in the face, but maybe the better and more correct option would be to block the kick he’s about to land on you. Figuring out the best option in fighting requires studying the basic fundamentals of the game like spacing and punishing. Again, I could write a whole other post on these other fundamentals, but the most important one in my opinion would definitely be the mind games aspect.
A part of the reasons why new players get spanked so easily is because they develop habits. It’s important to mix up your game, but for a new player, if they see a strong move they like, chances are they’ll use it again and again. When a player develops habits, it’s easy for the other player to read them. Reading the other player is essential while fighting, and is part of what makes it intense. Not only are you occupied actually whacking each other, you’re also busy trying to figure them out, and predicting what they’ll do next. Reflexes and reacting to your opponent are important, but I’d argue that prediction and being able to tell what they’ll do next is more useful. Let’s say a player likes to throw fireballs. They do it again and again in the same pattern. If their opponent is any good, they’ll be able to pick up on this and react accordingly. The next time the player throws a fireball, the other player will be able to predict it, and jump over while smacking the opponent. Of course, not every habit is so easy to figure out, but that’s the fun of it. Noticing small tells and what the opponent likes to do in certain situations is gratifying. It’s sort of like poker. The problem is that new players aren’t likely to recognize their bad habits and will keep getting punished for what they’re doing, and they won’t understand why. Reading habits and eliminating your own is part of becoming a stronger player.
Once you’ve smacked a guy around enough times for his bad habits, there’s a chance he’ll learn and try to mix it up. This is all part of conditioning. They got a negative response from an action, so he’ll stop doing that action. Bringing back the example from earlier, after the player gets punished for spamming fireballs, maybe he’ll stop using them. This isn’t a bad thing by itself, but players tend to make the mistake of never using the move again. And when you’ve scared a player into not ever using one of their moves, you’ve pretty much already won.
There’s a lot more to say on the subject but I’m sure you’re not actually interested. To get good at a fighting, you actually have to want to get good. It’s not just going to happen. Obviously I’m not saying you have to master all these fundamentals as soon as you can. Learning is a gradual process, and the most demotivating part of learning fighting games is that you have to get spanked by better players literally hundreds of times before you can get better. Nobody likes to lose, but it’s part of the process, which is a big turn off for some people. Anyhow, the best way to learn is to play and slowly learn more about the fundamentals. You don’t start learning how to walk by running. And even if you have no interest in fighting games, you can still apply these fundamentals to other games. In chess, you want to figure out your opponent’s plan, in baseball, you want to figure out the next pitch, and in soccer, you want to predict where the ball will be kicked into the net.