Learn to Play Street Fighter for 50 Bucks an Hour

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Learn to Play Street Fighter for 50 Bucks an Hour


Gamers with more money than skills can now trade the former for the latter with paid lessons from top-ranked professional Super Street Fighter 4 [http://www.amazon.com/Super-Street-Fighter-IV-Playstation-3/dp/B002TDIEEK/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1281454655&sr=1-1] players on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

When I was a kid, I took piano lessons. It never went anywhere because I absolutely detested practicing (a work ethic that got me where I am today) but maybe I'd have been more amenable to the idea if the lessons were for something I actually enjoyed, like, say, videogames. But come on, who's going to pay for videogame lessons?

Maybe somebody, especially if the teachers are "top SSF4 players" Justin Wong, Mike Ross, Martin "Marn" Phan and Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez. The four are offering paid lessons at a rate of $40 to $50 per hour, primarily on Xbox Live (Gootecks is also available on PSN), and each with a focus on a particular set of characters: Wong offers lessons in "tournament level characters" Rufus, Abel, Balrog and Makato, Ross handles E. Honda, Ken and Blanka, Phan specializes in Dudley, C. Viper and Abel, and Gutierrez does Balrog, Guile and Rose.

According to the quickie FAQ on Skype [http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2010/aug/05/top-ssf4-players-offering-paid-lessons/] is the preferred method of communication between student and teacher, and lessons will focus on each player's individual needs and interests. "It is your responsibility to tell your instructor what you need help with or want to know more about," the FAQ says. "If you have videos from a recent match that you want feedback on, please mention that in your initial email."

Forking over cash for videogame lessons apparently isn't anything new, but what makes this noteworthy is the "high profile" of the tutors. Wong has been a fixture at the I Got Next [http://evo2k.com/].

It's an impressive faculty, but 50 bucks an hour to learn how to play a videogame? Call me old fashioned but I think I'd rather pay for a year of Xbox Live Gold and figure it out for myself.



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mattttherman3

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Dec 16, 2008
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I could honestly see myself paying for this at some point, I generally suck at fighting games, no matter which I play(except super smash bros, but that is different) especially online, in fact, out of the 30 matches I played in Soul Caliber 4 online, I won once, and that was barely, I sold that game after that.
 

PxDn Ninja

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Jan 30, 2008
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Part of me is excited that something like this can happen, but really if you want too fork over that much money for lessons on a fighting game, I would at least pick BlazBlue, or Soul Calibur over SFIV,
 

Et3rnalLegend64

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Jan 9, 2009
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I'd much rather have Xbox Live again or buy Blaz Blue and then get Xbox Live again. They don't even teach my characters. Akuma, Sakura, M. Bison (Dictator), and Gen are where it's at.
 

TimeLord

For the Emperor!
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Aug 15, 2008
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Or just mash random buttons,

Which is much more fun and costs significantly less!
 

Hippobatman

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Jun 18, 2008
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Hmm, I play Rufus, so maybe I could pay $50 to let Wong instruct me.

That would be hilarious, because then I could throw as much garbage I'd want at him. I'd certainly pay for that. [sub][sub]Yes, I'm part of the Wong-hate group..[/sub][/sub]
 

Anti-Robot Man

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Apr 5, 2010
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If someone has the talent and dedication to become a tournament player, and they think that this would help them then I think they should go for it (I love fighting games but will only ever be an average-to above average player). In my experience an hour with a great teacher can save you many hours of self directed study, this goes for anything, though great teachers are a rare thing.

I do find the preference for skype a little strange when XBL has game and party chat. You would of course need a top notch connection for this to be worthwhile given the precise nature of high level play.
 

JSDodd

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Jul 29, 2010
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If you have $50 but don't have a ton of time to learn the ins and outs of the characters i imagine this could be a pretty canny investment in terms of $:fun.

And people say economics isn't useful in real life situations :)
 

StriderShinryu

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Dec 8, 2009
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While I wouldn't pay for this myself, I can see the appeal of it. If you live out in the middle of nowhere and are pretty good but think you're just short of tournament level, one session might be worth it.

My issue is with the training systems available for something like this in game.. or the lack thereof. If you could sit next to the guy and go over things in practice mode it would likely work a heck of a lot better than trying to explain things over the phone via VS matches.

I can't see this helping a totally new player much though, no matter how much money they spend. Of course, the advertisement does pretty much say this by requiring the trainee to have specific characters and questions in mind before they start, and to even mention providing match footage for use as a teaching tool.
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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That seems a little much, why would someone want to do that? I mean, just get some friends around, a couple beers. Jobs a good one!
 

SageRuffin

M-f-ing Jedi Master
Dec 19, 2009
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None of them incites me to be even remotely re-interested in SSF4, so I'll pass. For all that, why not just release a separate DVD that includes character tips and strategies and what have you, like what Blazblue did last year for CT?
 

Conqueror Kenny

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Jan 14, 2008
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mattttherman3 said:
I could honestly see myself paying for this at some point, I generally suck at fighting games, no matter which I play(except super smash bros, but that is different) especially online, in fact, out of the 30 matches I played in Soul Caliber 4 online, I won once, and that was barely, I sold that game after that.
Honestly I don't think this is for people that really suck and have no idea what they are doing. (no offence intended)
I think it's intended to intermediate players that have a good understanding of the game but don't really know how they can further improve.

On another note if you want some help with fighting games, hit me up. I'll help you as best I can, for free!
PxDn Ninja said:
Part of me is excited that something like this can happen, but really if you want too fork over that much money for lessons on a fighting game, I would at least pick BlazBlue, or Soul Calibur over SFIV,
It's generally accepted in the fighting game community that if you can get a deep understanding of any Street fighter game, then you should only be a few hours from learning the core concepts of any other fighting game.
So really if you decode to get these lessons then it will help both your Soul Calibur and Blazblue game.
 

Tom Phoenix

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Mar 28, 2009
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The StarCraft community has had people doing stuff like this for a while now. The American progamer Geoff "INcontrol" Robinson started the trend by offering lessons, which eventually evolved into an entire organisation based on the concept called GosuCoaching [http://www.gosucoaching.com/].

While I personally wouldn't pay money for this, I can see the appeal. Some of these games are really hard to get very good at, so getting professional aid for such purpose certainly is helpful.
 

Funkiest Monkey

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Jul 10, 2010
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I love Street Fighter, but no way am I paying hard cash to become better at the game. What sort of fucking douchebag charges $50 an hour for videogame lessons?
 

Lust

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Mar 23, 2010
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I gotta be honest here.

When I saw the title of this article, I did a double whammy. $50 bucks. $50 bucks for professional training......................I'm at a loss of words. It's just that I would't have the money to do this. Nor would I want to.

Chapper said:
Hmm, I play Rufus, so maybe I could pay $50 to let Wong instruct me.

That would be hilarious, because then I could throw as much garbage I'd want at him. I'd certainly pay for that. [sub][sub]Yes, I'm part of the Wong-hate group..[/sub][/sub]
This made me chuckle. I almost had to restrain myself from posting that EVO video of him versus that Adon player.
 

fanklok

Legendary Table User
Jul 17, 2009
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I'll let you all in on a super secret method for winning every fighting game ever, no matter what.

Put on a blind fold a press as many buttons as fast as you can.