NZism interview – ‘fluxcore’ Part 2

GC: Anything else you’d like to add about your community or game culture in general for other gamers out there?

F: On the whole, the fighting game community is friendly and very open to helping new members, although it could be said that we’re at times a bit too passionate. We often get new members saying they are surprised by how welcoming we are, and I think a lot of that stems from the root of fighting games: the arcades. We’re used to having to go out into town and play against people face-to-face, so there’s a level of social interaction that doesn’t necessarily exist in a lot of other gaming communities. Also I think both NZism and the fighting game community in general have a fairly high median member age, lots of us are in our late 20s and early 30s and so have a bit more life under our belts than many competitive gamers. I’m sure we’re all also disappointed by how much bigger other competitive gaming communities are, and therefore want to help newbies as much as possible!

Fluxcore's Arcade goodness...

To all NZ competitive gaming scenes: keep it up! I know it’s really hard sometimes, but we definitely have some talent kicking around, and even if it’s only really plausible to play against the Aussies we need to keep people interested and competing (so we don’t lose everyone to all those damn MMOs!)

To anyone who plays a competitive game: get involved in the community, if there is one. You can meet some really great people, and just like any other competitive activity, the best way to improve is to find good opponents. If you’re serious about the game and there isn’t a community, consider starting one! As NZism shows, it IS possible to do if you’re passionate enough! Shoutouts to the NZFortress community, and everyone at NZism who isn’t currently playing World of Warcraft instead of fighting games!

NZism website – http://nzism.alphaism.com