by kast » Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:55 am
by Tilliam » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:04 am
by kast » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:41 am
by Tilliam » Wed Jul 21, 2010 2:19 pm
by kast » Wed Jul 21, 2010 2:21 pm
by kast » Fri Jul 23, 2010 11:59 am
In August, you’ll be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest winning pro gamer in the world.
Games aren’t really recognized around the world, so to be in a book that I’ve read since I was a child, and to gain recognition from others outside the gaming world makes me very happy.
How does it feel to be called a pro gamer?
It doesn’t feel any different from when I was playing games before I was a pro gamer.
How many times have you been asked for your autograph?
About a hundred times or so now. I usually just write my name, although I do that in America. It’s a bit embarrassing to do that in Japan so I don’t want to do it. (laughs)
How do you feel about being called “The Beast” overseas?
I guess it came from that infamous 3rd Strike video with Justin, people just started calling me that through their own volition. I don’t understand why though.
What was the reason behind your winning Evolution 2010?
The other players were practicing with their sub-characters as well as main characters, whereas I was concentrating on a single, all-purpose character. I wouldn’t have any regrets if I had say, used another character and had lost. Also, I analyzed the characters that the strong players were using, and started to play against those characters to prepare myself.
How often do you go overseas for tournaments?
Last year I went to America, England, France, Taiwan, Kuwait and Switzerland. This year I was invited to events in England, Australia, France and America.
Other than your winnings through games, what do you do for a living?
I’m working as a helper at a senior citizen’s nursing home. I usually work there about five days a week. My parents are both in the field of medicine so they had no objections to this kind of work.
Tell us about your first experience with games.
Way back, I really loved Shogi and arm wrestling, I guess you can say that I just love competing against other people. I saw my first game around 20 years ago. There was a game at my local video store that had awesome graphics and really cool moving characters, and I couldn’t resist. Once I started middle school, I’d go to arcades in Tokyo and Akihabara, and learned about mannerisms and how to conduct myself with others. My attitude became stronger (ed. note: more likely arrogant/boastful, but I’m doing a literal translation for this one) when I became better at games, but the older people around me would tell me to be conduct myself properly, and I started to take that into account.
How did your parents feel about you playing games?
They didn’t say a whole lot about it. My father really loves martial arts, and he apparently gave up trying to become a martial artist. Perhaps he thought that he could pass on what he wanted to do on to me, in other words, martial arts. Perhaps if I had started playing something other than fighting games, he might have complained more.
When you were a student how often did you play games?
When I was coming home from school, I’d play almost every day, usually from 4 in the afternoon until midnight when the arcade closed.
What game did you get most involved with?
During the official Capcom vs. SNK 2 series of tournaments, where I won three championships straight, I was severely stressed out. No matter what I ate I was out of it, and when I talked to my parents, they said “you’re probably very stressed right now”. Mentally, I wasn’t having fun at the time. I was practicing seriously with all my might. However, these days my mental state is about 10% serious when I’m attending tournaments. If I play too seriously, then I’m unable to read my opponent’s moves.
Other than practicing, is there anything else from your life that helps you during tournaments?
Tactics in games that I have discovered myself, and watching TV documentaries, like those that talk about how certain animals hunt their pray certainly help me with my way of playing. I believe that I have a limit to how much I can do by myself. You can learn solutions from those who are thought of to be weaker than you, so I think everyone’s opinion is really valuable.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve gained from fighting games?
If I compared now to 10 years ago, when I was playing the most, the criticism against games was really severe, but I didn’t care if people didn’t recognize me so long as I believed that I knew what I was doing. So playing games has taught me that you have to do what you want to do.
What’s the match that left the most impression on you?
People often talk about the 3rd Strike match that I had at Evo, but I was not very satisfied with that match personally. That match was only in the semi-finals, and I only got to the semis. However I do feel that match was more interesting than the finals.
What did you feel during that 3rd Strike match?
I didn’t believe that my opponent felt he was in a favorable position at the time. And I couldn’t hear anyone in the venue because I was concentrating so much, so I was able to predict the next move and execute.
What do you want to do from now?
To get more people interested in fighting games and get them excited about it, it’s up to me to carry that mantle. In the past I wouldn’t have liked doing that, but if no one is interested in fighters, then the genre will die, and everything that we have done up until now would be pointless. This is why I feel that I have to lead the charge, and I feel that I’m the only one who has the ability to do so.
Your “I have no weaknesses” statement after you won the Street Fighter Zero 3 tournament has become legendary even on the net.
Yeah, I was still young at the time and a lot of things have been inferred about that (laughs). Also, I met with some celebrities at the tournament, and I thought “these guys know nothing about games”. At the tournament, the other good players’ play was a “7″ and I was playing at “10″, so the others’ play wasn’t enough, which left me unsatisfied. I felt like I had to stir things up then
by kast » Sat Jul 24, 2010 4:48 pm
by kast » Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:03 pm
by Lupinum » Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:22 pm
by kast » Sun Jul 25, 2010 4:22 pm
by draegleth » Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:21 am
by kast » Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:08 pm
...As I climb the battle.net ladders (Rank 1 Gold Ladder 1v1 as of this morning!), I find myself being honestly surprised by the way my Street Fighter game is re-shaping itself. Both consciously and sub-consciously, I'm playing differently. As a result of my penchant to analyze my performance post-match in Starcraft, I've found myself taking that same process more seriously in Street Fighter, encouraged by the progress those steps have helped me make in the former. I am playing a different type of defense and a different type of offense. My overall game is becoming safer, though I find myself taking more risks, as well. It happens that those risks are calculated risks. ...
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest
