Street Fighter has an active tournament scene since 1991, with players from around that era still being active today.
Japan had tournaments with thousands of participants, for example in 1998 when Street Fighter Alpha 3 came out.. there was a National Tournament in Japan with 10,000 players. Daigo Umehara won it.. you know, the guy who still beasts even today in SF4..
..and i'm only mentioning Street Fighter
it's pretty sad to see almost no recognition for arcade culture and for a big scene of fighting game players. they didn't use to have the sponsors or big shot organisations behind them, but they had the spirit and DIY attitude that are far more healthy for a scene's long term survival.
cerb0z
