The Misconception of Combat

Though I found myself taking somewhat of a break from playing fighting games recently, as I've focused on my hobbies such as reading high literature and writing tragic fiction, the launch of Street Fighter VI has reignited the passion for virtual combat within me... As I played, I began to ruminate on the circumstances relating to fighting games... Particularly, non-fighting game players perspective on the genre, and the misconceptions that they hold regarding it. The first ever fighting game that I found myself invested in was Guilty Gear XRD Rev 2, an incredibly deep and engaging game, similar to many other titles in the franchise. I remember getting into it and trying the practice trials, and thinking to myself that such elaborate and complex combos were incredibly difficult... If even I, a vampiric prince blessed with imperceptibly fast reaction time and unparalleled rational thinking that would put experienced generals to shame experienced such a dilemma, then how could a casual player, with naught but a few scarce moments to play, ever possibly stand a chance? However, shortly afterwards, I realized an incredibly crucial, yet obvious truth regarding these games, that I'm sure many others came to realize themselves: Combos are far from the most important aspect of a fighting game. Fighting games aren't contests of physical skill, consisting of reaction time checks and combo executions... Rather, they are tests of knowledge! Understanding every move that your opponent can make, and expertly comparing them to your own, calculating the optimal moves to make in a given moment...! That's what fighting games are all about! A real fighting game is almost no different from chess in its complexity and strain on your mind... Once you've realized this, the physical aspects start to fall into place, and embed themselves in your muscle memory... Unfortunately, the majority of casual players have, understandably, not reached this conclusion yet... If only there were some way to make them understand en masse... Perhaps I shall take it upon myself to host a tournament in the castle, and rally our soldiers towards understanding another form of combat? Keheheh... Yes, you could say a violet light bulb has flicked to life above my head...