Virtua Fighter and the 2 Types of Fantasy Players

Fantasy Player 1

This kind of player likes the fighting game where the fantasy is all about doing moves and pulling off attacks and defenses that could never happen in real life. X-rays coming out of the eyes, being able to go beast mode, or turn into a devil and sprout wings and overwhelm your enemy with evil super powers. These kind of players like the idea of being able to disappear and re-appear else where on the stage, use their chi to project fireballs out of their hands or they imagine it would be cool to fight a panda bear or kangaroo, or turn into vampire and use the bite of death to defeat the other player. They even fancy the idea of being a robot that can take her head off and use it as a bomb to bring the other player's health bar down by 50%


Fantasy Player 2

This kind player fantasizes about being able to pull off fighting moves like the real Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Muay Thai, Jeet Kundo. Wing Chun, Baji Quan, Xingyi, Mantis, Kickboxer, and Jujitsu martial artists do. The rush of pulling off a set of authentically looking and feeling martial arts attacks is its own visceral kind of fantasy. This kind of fantasy involves pulling off moves like Donnie Yen in Flash Point and Ipman, Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi in Grand Master. Tony Jaa in the Protector, Jet Li in Once Upon a time in China , Bruce Lee in Return of the Dragon, Jackie Chan in Eagle Shadow Fist, or Gordon Liu in 36th Chamber

Both types of players are fantasizing about something they typically cannot do but wish they could do in real life. Sure some of us practice the martial arts and we know the $%!@ they do in the movies ain't real but to be able to pull off these sweet ass moves in a video game against an opponent is its own kind-a high.


Tekken, Street Fighter, MK these games appeal more to Fantasy Player 1 types. The more outrageous and over-the-top the fighting and attacks are the better the Fantasy Player 1 type likes the game. They live for the whirlwinds, explosions, flying characters, muscle-bound oversized macho brutes that can smash, and crush their opponents into oblivion. Its not about finesse for these players its all about brute-force bombastic, fuck-you-up combat where you're the last player standing. This kind of player may pick up Virtua Fighter or DOA from time to time just for change , but they would never make Virtua Fighter their main game.


Virtua Fighter, DOA these games appeal more to Fantasy Player 2 types. While this player also wants over the top martial arts, they want the attack and combat to have a look of authenticity. They want it to be at least quasi-realistic. They want the fighting and the presentation to be somewhat believable. These players tend not to enjoy Tekken and SF as much as they do Virtua Fighter. This type of player thinks Tekken, SF, Guilty Gear, MK etc are nice games to visit from time to time. But they would never make them their main fighting game.


Virtua Fighter has always been about the elegance of martial arts moves, the authenticity of attacks, the beauty of form. The exquisite colors. The legitimate stage designs. The bonafide martial arts styles. The balanced roster and the no nonsense fighting game mechanics and engine.

The sad reality is its probably not possible to make one game that both Fantasy Type 1 and Fantasy Type 2 players like. Sega, Seiji Aoki and RGG are going to have to choose

If the new Virtua Fighter reboot appeals to Fantasy Type 1 players they will push away Fantasy Type 2 players. And if the reboot appeals to Fantasy Type 2 players., it will likely push away Fantasy Type 1 players.

I hope Seiji Aoki and RGG realize that the smash hit SIFU, Absolver, and the UFC games represent a humongous audience that are for the most part Fantasy Type 2 players