Are Fighting Games Decaying into Drama, Twitch Highlights, And Hype Reaction Videos? A discussion with  @RedLineFGC  . I have been actively involved with the fighting game scene (attending  locals, watching majors, etc) since 2012 and over the past ten years it  feels like there has definitely been a big shift in tone where the  passion for the games have cooled, despite there being more fighting  games being produced than ever, and the passion for the internet sub  culture, especially drama, has grown. I'm not an arcade purist or  anything like that, but I do think there is a balancing point in terms  of the type of content being made and the tone of the content. I would  argue that since the esports shift, the tone of the content has become  more generic, bland, and more geared towards filler and there also now  exists a thriving subculture of pure drama. Also the rate of turnover  between games has become so fast that it's essentially impossible to  keep up with as a fan, as a player, and as a video maker / youtuber. On  top of this, it is a bit of a shame the so many channels that I have  enjoyed over the years like Avoiding the Puddle and The Main Man SWE are  more on the side of stream highlights than making dedicated videos and  podcasts (especially ATP), but I also do understand why this shift has  occured. This all being said, keep in mind that I am much less invested  in what goes on with fighting games and am perfectly willing to now  retire to playing locals and less popular fighting games online :-) I am  interested to see what happens with Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, King of  Fighters, Guilty Gear, Dead or Alive, Virtua Fighter, and many other  upcoming fighting games, but I'm not holding my breath for a healthy  shift in quality and engagement around the games. You never know though!  Thanks so much to  @RedLineFGC  for being a guest on the episode and be sure to check out his "Tekken 7  - A Five Year Critique" video and subscribe to his channel! Link to his vid: https://youtu.be/OlcFHI9RYAs  Link to his recommended fighting game channels: Rubbish: https://www.youtube.com/c/HQRubbish Leon Massey: https://www.youtube.com/c/LeonMassey Gekko Squirrel: https://www.youtube.com/c/GekkoSquirrel ProxicOn: https://www.youtube.com/c/Proxic0n TheoryFighter: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheoryFighter