Tolkeen
/wrists
The Courteous Competitor: The Gentleman's Guide to Competitive Mortal Kombat
(Be happy I changed the text font to Times, it was the same as the title before)
With the increasing popularity of Mortal Kombat's tournament scene, and the influx of new talent I thought that it was my duty to try to create a guide that would lead players down a path of friendliness and respect. Not everyone wants to be respected, and if that is your wish, then so be it. However, if you do choose to read and follow (at least in part) this guide, then I and the entire community thank you for not being a total douche-bag.
Tournament Etiquette:
Although many tournaments are “grass-roots” in nature, it is important for the development of MK as an “E-Sport”, that they strive to be as professional as possible. It is our responsibility as competitors to help it achieve that goal, so that we may have a long future as MK players.
Register Early: To date, tournaments have been courteous enough to make it possible for entrants to register at the door, this however leads to many set backs in the tournament schedule. It is better for all attendants if every competitor registers early, not to mention most tournaments will give you a reduced rate if you register early online. Another possible benefit to registering early, is that the Tournament Organizer (TO) will have more time to potentially seed the brackets, placing you further away from the people you play every week, and potentially helping you make your way to the championship match.
Be Punctual: Just registering early is not always enough, many times (especially if you are a well known player) Tournament organizers will wait minutes, and sometimes hours, in order to get a hold of all of the competitors. If you are a player with notoriety, please show up early as a sign of respect for the other competitors so that the tournament can begin on time. If you are not a well known player, then show up early so you are not disqualified, thus wasting your investment.
Another important reason to show up early, is that you will get more time to warm up on the actual tournament setup, and get better acquainted with the tournament setting. Although most tournaments run on ps3 and an Asus monitor, if the supply is not large enough you may be forced to play on a different type of setup. It is important for you that you get as much practice as possible, so that you reduce the variables working against you, and so that you can also get a look at your competition.
Respect Your Opponent: Like many sports, every competitor has a different set of routines and superstitions that they adhere to, when competing in a tournament. Although it is important that we do not interfere with those routines, there are a few unwritten (until now) competitor rules that should be followed. Before a match, it is customary to introduce yourself, and offer your opponent good luck. Although this is not always required, it is mandatory (for any socially functioning member of the human race) to respond if your opponent initiates these sentiments. After the exchange, you are free to put yourself into "the zone".
After the completion of each match (if the “no blood” code was not entered) you have the opportunity to “Finish” your opponent. It is entirely up to you as an individual, whether or not you will take this opportunity. Both fatalities and babalities are acceptable as they were earned through skill. However, Tea-bagging is a direct sign of disrespect, as is quickly exiting to the character select screen before your opponent has a chance to celebrate their victory with any sort of finisher.
After the set, emotions can be running high. If you were the victor you are free to celebrate your win, however, it is a sign of respect to shake your opponents hand before you celebrate. And it is important that you keep the celebration brief, as you could not only instigate an altercation, but you could also delay the next set of matches.
If you lose, it is important that you respect your opponents win, with the shaking of hands, and by not storming off like a child. Some people will not show you the respect you deserve during or after a match, but it is important as a gentleman to be a good role model for up and coming players.
Although there is much that could be added to this guide, I will go over the final section now, and possibly fill in some of the middle area later. This final section is the most important section.
Respectful Hype vs Disrespectful Drama
Mortal Kombat is and has always been a very loud and boisterous game, and as such, many of it's players are the same way. Add that to the fact that internet gaming has encouraged “online warriors” to be disrespectful of all opponents, and you are left with the video game communities that we have today. Many of the more vocal MK players, like to refer to MK as the “WWE”/”WCW”/”Wrestling” of the fighting game community, that being said it is important that we separate “Hype” from “Drama”. Although many people may have differing opinions on what separates the two, I will do my best to describe a middle ground, so that we as gentleman can respectfully hype up our games community, and its events.
Callouts and Challenges: Since MK is such a competitive game, with so many strong players, there will always be a struggle for respect as a player. In order to obtain that respect, many people feel that they have to call-out other top players, in an attempt to prove that they are just as good, if not better. I personally believe that challenges are important to the spectator part of “E-Sports”, but it is not necessary to insult your opponent while doing so.
Keep it about “I”: If you are going to challenge another player, the focus of the call out (be it interview or in text) should be yourself. “I know I'm good, and I think that I can beat ______” is a great way to build interest in the fight, without building animosity. The spectators, now understand that you are a challenger, and that you are challenging another good player, and their interpretation of how the match will play out, is now left to them. If you word it this way... “_____ sucks, $____ I'll body them, 5-0, I'm da besss...” then you have achieved your call-out, but you have also insulted your opponent. Whether or not you could beat them in that match is irrelevant, as you have potentially created a personal rift between the two of you. Which means, that like the Hatfield's and McCoy's (or the bloods and crip's if you prefer) you allow for bad blood to build on bad blood, until someone crosses a line, and we lose all spectator respect for the game. I will also quote (or paraphrase) Bill “Tom Brady” Menoutis, “Loosing to a good player doesn't mean you suck”. The only thing that you personally can prove by winning a money match, or challenge. Is that you were the better player that set. No one can be the best forever, and if you step on people on the way up, then they'll be waiting with baseball bats when you come back down.
Rivalries: All sports have rivalries, and MK is no different. Every region has their own team, and sometimes sub teams within regions. Everyone wants (and deserves) respect for their team. As a fan of the NBA I see no problem with sports rivalries, as long as there is an understanding at the end of each tournament that we are all part of one large community. EC vs WC vs MW vs UK vs EU vs AUS vs Whoever is not the same thing as Sunni's vs Shi'a, so let's please remember that this is a game and not a holy war. There have already been instances where people have said things that they have regretted, in the name of “Hype”. I would love for this game to continue on as a respected competitive game, but we must all work on our people skills for that to happen.
Don't Be A Couch Critic: There are thousands of people that play this game, not all will play competitively, not all have the dedication that a REO or a CDJR have, it is important for us to remember that some people will never be great at this game (I consider myself one of them). As respected, and often skilled, players of this game it is crucial that we encourage people to put themselves in a tournament setting, despite their skill level, as that will immediately increase our chances of surviving another year as a competitive game. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on other peoples play style, but it is not always your place to say things. And even if you are directly asked, there are positive ways to word criticisms, so that you're not crushing someones dreams (or coming off as an asshole). This applies mostly to streams, as it is really easy to place judgement on a player while watching them live, but it is impossible for you to know their entire back story, or their comfort level with the setup, with the tournament setting, or even with the game.
If you have made it this far, I appreciate you reading the “Gentleman's Guide to Competitive Mortal Kombat”. If you have any feedback, feel free to leave it in a comment, I will do my best to update this guide with any ideas or changes that are brought forward (assuming anyone cares). Long live MK. Thank you.
(Be happy I changed the text font to Times, it was the same as the title before)
With the increasing popularity of Mortal Kombat's tournament scene, and the influx of new talent I thought that it was my duty to try to create a guide that would lead players down a path of friendliness and respect. Not everyone wants to be respected, and if that is your wish, then so be it. However, if you do choose to read and follow (at least in part) this guide, then I and the entire community thank you for not being a total douche-bag.
Tournament Etiquette:
Although many tournaments are “grass-roots” in nature, it is important for the development of MK as an “E-Sport”, that they strive to be as professional as possible. It is our responsibility as competitors to help it achieve that goal, so that we may have a long future as MK players.
Register Early: To date, tournaments have been courteous enough to make it possible for entrants to register at the door, this however leads to many set backs in the tournament schedule. It is better for all attendants if every competitor registers early, not to mention most tournaments will give you a reduced rate if you register early online. Another possible benefit to registering early, is that the Tournament Organizer (TO) will have more time to potentially seed the brackets, placing you further away from the people you play every week, and potentially helping you make your way to the championship match.
Be Punctual: Just registering early is not always enough, many times (especially if you are a well known player) Tournament organizers will wait minutes, and sometimes hours, in order to get a hold of all of the competitors. If you are a player with notoriety, please show up early as a sign of respect for the other competitors so that the tournament can begin on time. If you are not a well known player, then show up early so you are not disqualified, thus wasting your investment.
Another important reason to show up early, is that you will get more time to warm up on the actual tournament setup, and get better acquainted with the tournament setting. Although most tournaments run on ps3 and an Asus monitor, if the supply is not large enough you may be forced to play on a different type of setup. It is important for you that you get as much practice as possible, so that you reduce the variables working against you, and so that you can also get a look at your competition.
Respect Your Opponent: Like many sports, every competitor has a different set of routines and superstitions that they adhere to, when competing in a tournament. Although it is important that we do not interfere with those routines, there are a few unwritten (until now) competitor rules that should be followed. Before a match, it is customary to introduce yourself, and offer your opponent good luck. Although this is not always required, it is mandatory (for any socially functioning member of the human race) to respond if your opponent initiates these sentiments. After the exchange, you are free to put yourself into "the zone".
After the completion of each match (if the “no blood” code was not entered) you have the opportunity to “Finish” your opponent. It is entirely up to you as an individual, whether or not you will take this opportunity. Both fatalities and babalities are acceptable as they were earned through skill. However, Tea-bagging is a direct sign of disrespect, as is quickly exiting to the character select screen before your opponent has a chance to celebrate their victory with any sort of finisher.
After the set, emotions can be running high. If you were the victor you are free to celebrate your win, however, it is a sign of respect to shake your opponents hand before you celebrate. And it is important that you keep the celebration brief, as you could not only instigate an altercation, but you could also delay the next set of matches.
If you lose, it is important that you respect your opponents win, with the shaking of hands, and by not storming off like a child. Some people will not show you the respect you deserve during or after a match, but it is important as a gentleman to be a good role model for up and coming players.
Although there is much that could be added to this guide, I will go over the final section now, and possibly fill in some of the middle area later. This final section is the most important section.
Respectful Hype vs Disrespectful Drama
Mortal Kombat is and has always been a very loud and boisterous game, and as such, many of it's players are the same way. Add that to the fact that internet gaming has encouraged “online warriors” to be disrespectful of all opponents, and you are left with the video game communities that we have today. Many of the more vocal MK players, like to refer to MK as the “WWE”/”WCW”/”Wrestling” of the fighting game community, that being said it is important that we separate “Hype” from “Drama”. Although many people may have differing opinions on what separates the two, I will do my best to describe a middle ground, so that we as gentleman can respectfully hype up our games community, and its events.
Callouts and Challenges: Since MK is such a competitive game, with so many strong players, there will always be a struggle for respect as a player. In order to obtain that respect, many people feel that they have to call-out other top players, in an attempt to prove that they are just as good, if not better. I personally believe that challenges are important to the spectator part of “E-Sports”, but it is not necessary to insult your opponent while doing so.
Keep it about “I”: If you are going to challenge another player, the focus of the call out (be it interview or in text) should be yourself. “I know I'm good, and I think that I can beat ______” is a great way to build interest in the fight, without building animosity. The spectators, now understand that you are a challenger, and that you are challenging another good player, and their interpretation of how the match will play out, is now left to them. If you word it this way... “_____ sucks, $____ I'll body them, 5-0, I'm da besss...” then you have achieved your call-out, but you have also insulted your opponent. Whether or not you could beat them in that match is irrelevant, as you have potentially created a personal rift between the two of you. Which means, that like the Hatfield's and McCoy's (or the bloods and crip's if you prefer) you allow for bad blood to build on bad blood, until someone crosses a line, and we lose all spectator respect for the game. I will also quote (or paraphrase) Bill “Tom Brady” Menoutis, “Loosing to a good player doesn't mean you suck”. The only thing that you personally can prove by winning a money match, or challenge. Is that you were the better player that set. No one can be the best forever, and if you step on people on the way up, then they'll be waiting with baseball bats when you come back down.
Rivalries: All sports have rivalries, and MK is no different. Every region has their own team, and sometimes sub teams within regions. Everyone wants (and deserves) respect for their team. As a fan of the NBA I see no problem with sports rivalries, as long as there is an understanding at the end of each tournament that we are all part of one large community. EC vs WC vs MW vs UK vs EU vs AUS vs Whoever is not the same thing as Sunni's vs Shi'a, so let's please remember that this is a game and not a holy war. There have already been instances where people have said things that they have regretted, in the name of “Hype”. I would love for this game to continue on as a respected competitive game, but we must all work on our people skills for that to happen.
Don't Be A Couch Critic: There are thousands of people that play this game, not all will play competitively, not all have the dedication that a REO or a CDJR have, it is important for us to remember that some people will never be great at this game (I consider myself one of them). As respected, and often skilled, players of this game it is crucial that we encourage people to put themselves in a tournament setting, despite their skill level, as that will immediately increase our chances of surviving another year as a competitive game. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on other peoples play style, but it is not always your place to say things. And even if you are directly asked, there are positive ways to word criticisms, so that you're not crushing someones dreams (or coming off as an asshole). This applies mostly to streams, as it is really easy to place judgement on a player while watching them live, but it is impossible for you to know their entire back story, or their comfort level with the setup, with the tournament setting, or even with the game.
If you have made it this far, I appreciate you reading the “Gentleman's Guide to Competitive Mortal Kombat”. If you have any feedback, feel free to leave it in a comment, I will do my best to update this guide with any ideas or changes that are brought forward (assuming anyone cares). Long live MK. Thank you.
