Month: January 2016

After a successful crowdfunding campaign and years of work, FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community is finally ready for the public. Written, produced, and edited entirely by Hold Back to Block’s Esteban Martinez, this documentary focuses its camera on our community, the individuals that make it what it is, and more.

Interested parties have a couple of options available to them. First, buying the film outright will cost at least $9.99 (though you can give more if you’re generous), with rental copies available for $4. While the latter merely opens up a streaming version of the film, the full purchase comes with a handful of extended interviews as well as more convenient viewing options. Check out the official website for all the details.

If you’re still on the fence, we’ve provided some of our thoughts below the trailer.

For some time, it felt like fighting game documentaries were a dime a dozen. That’s not to say films like King of Chinatown or I Got Next weren’t compelling, but everyone seemed to have it in their heads that they had something new or exciting to say about our scene that hadn’t been said before.

Enter the newest contender, FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community. The cumulative product of Hold Back to Block’s excellent tournament work, this documentary promised to answer the question, “What is the FGC?” But did it succeed?

FGC is perhaps the most personal fighting game documentary we’ve seen thus far, thanks in part to Martinez’ experience with tournament interviews. Apart from retreading familiar (and sometimes tired) motifs, the film shines when zeroed in on competitor Steve “LordKnight” Barthelemy and East Coast Throwdown tournament organizers Joe “LI Joe” Ciaramelli and John “Sweet Johnny Cage” Gallagher.

Barthelemy’s importance to the overall narrative is also an important one, as it marks one of the few opportunities these documentaries have taken to shine a light on sub-communities outside of Street Fighter or Marvel. His story of transitioning from a low-key interest in the genre to competing in Smash and then moving to BlazBlue, Persona, and beyond offers us a different perspective that many similar films gloss over.

Their struggles and triumphs are relatable, not just in a memetic fashion but a personal one. Most of us have felt the pain of working towards a goal only to fall just short of achieving victory or the loss that comes with giving up a part of yourself to pursue new accomplishments. These are stories not only of the fighting game community, but their telling through the lens of our collected experience makes them that much more tangible.

Without a doubt, FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community is worthy of your time, whether you’re a casual fan or attended B3. While many of our readers probably don’t need to hear another story about how awesome Chinatown Fair was, the front-row seat this documentary provides to its subjects’ journeys is going to be hard to top.

Shoryuken was provided a screener of the film in order to give this review.