Extra Life Gaming Fundraiser for Children Miracle Network Hospitals

When I attended Too Many Games Convention over the summer, I remember being asked if I heard about Extra Life. They handed me a business card and said that it was a 24-hour game fundraising event for the benefit of sick children happening in October 2014. While I’ll admit my schedule has been very jam-packed since then, Extra Life has been brought up to me multiple times in the past few months. As an avid gamer and someone who’s donated and participated in a lot of charities/philanthropies over the years, I wanted to learn more about how I could help make a different in these children’s lives. Sponsored by kbmod.com, Reddit, Trion, Rooster Teeth, Playstation, and Twitch, Extra Life has captured the attention of many organizations over the world.

Interview with Matthew (Shock) Luongo of Kombat Network

-Photo credit: Chris Bahn of Put That Back. http://www.ptbpro.org/

Jemmillion: How long have you been playing fighting games?

Shock: The first fighting game I ever played, technically, was Karate Champ Vs Edition, which came out way back in 1984, but I will say I probably didn’t play it until 1985 or ’86. Some people in the community don’t think I’m OG. OG that. Karate Champ. TWO joysticks, per player. So in the most technical sense, pretty close to 30 years. I grew up around arcades or places with arcade games, like malls, casinos, diners, boardwalks, pizzerias, video stores, etc. I was always exposed to the newest games, therefore the advent of games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Although, I don’t remember seeing the original Street Fighter until many years later.

Interview with Carolyn “MamaDao” Dao of Macro Micro Gaming and Showdown eSports

Jemmillion: I’ve had the pleasure of getting to work with you for the past couple of months. You recently mentioned to me that you originally started Macro Micro Gaming for Starcraft 2 Tournaments, and that it was suggested to you to check out the Fighting Game Community after struggling with PC Internet issues. Can you tell us a little bit about your entrance into the FGC and what inspired you to play fighting games?

MamaDao: I didn’t know anyone at all, but decided to suck up my shyness and volunteer for NCR 2013. It was there that I met Kineda, John Choi, Crackfiend, and more.  That was my very first experience with a major tournament, but I did hang out in arcades growing up and even played the PC hack of BlazBlue in college. It took one and a half years in the scene to finally learn how to play Street Fighter and pick up Sakura. I chose her, because I loved playing her in Rival Schools and can relate to the kick ass tomboy personality. All this time, my advice to people who wanted to get better was “go compete.” I’m trying to lead by example and compete in the locals that I’m not hosting. Every Friday, I get wrecked at Versus in Milpitas, but I also learn so much. It’s the Hyperbolic Time Chamber [hehe, DBZ reference] of all competitive gaming.

Interview with Meter Burn’s Cujo_Kate and TheBlacktastic

-Photo Credit: Put That Back (http://www.ptbpro.org/) and Sai Evermore.

Jemmillion: When did you start playing fighting games?

Cujo_Kate: I was introduced to Street Fighter II WW and Primal Rage at a young age with my dad and grandfather in mall/bar arcades. I started playing Street Fighter competitively late spring of 2010. I wanted to go to EVO but could not call off work.

TheBlacktastic: Casually, I started way back in my childhood with Street Fighter II Turbo and Killer Instinct for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I dove into competitive fighting games when I stumbled across a matchmaking forum on SRK, found that people actually meet up to play and get better at fighting games, and fell in love with the community. I was a hardcore Guilty Gear fan, although not skilled at it. When it came to the newer games, I fell in love with Marvel vs. Capcom 3.