On Wednesday nights in downtown Bangor, there are some serious brawls going on. These epic battles pit some pretty unique characters against one another, in an all-out fight for total domination. There may also be deep fried pickles and Pepsi.
The Maine Fighting Games Alliance has since August met once weekly in the upstairs room at Paddy Murphy’s Pub on Main Street, where ardent video gamers compete tournament-style against each other on multiple monitors set up around the room. The games? Most of the time, it’s classic fighting games Street Fighter IV and Super Smash Brothers, though Tekken and Mortal Kombat are also sometimes played. The atmosphere? One of good-natured, positive, inclusive fun.
“People that don’t play games don’t realize it, but there’s a ton of skill that goes into being really, really good at these games,” said Antonio Williams, a Bangor native and the founder of the Maine Fighting Games Alliance, who organizes the weekly game nights. “There’s a massive culture built up around it all over the world. And I’m trying to bring a little bit of that to Maine and to Bangor, specifically.”
Whether it’s Chun-Li against Ryu in Street Fighter or Link versus Fox in Super Smash Brothers, the game nights at Paddy’s have already developed a devoted following, with between 20 and 30 people showing up each week, sometimes more. Though novices are welcome to attend, the bracket-based tournaments held each week are not for beginners or “button smashers” as Williams calls them — there’s a lot of strategy that goes into being a really good fighting gamer.
“There are so many combos to learn, and so many ways to combine them, that it can take years to get really good,” said Williams. “And the last Street Fighter came out in 2009, so the really good gamers have had six years to perfect their skills.”
That said, all the gamers are highly anticipating the release of Street Fighter V, which is set to be released on Feb. 16, 2016.
“That will completely level the playing field,” said Williams. “It’ll be a whole new skill set to learn, and we’re definitely going to see a big change, fast. I’m so excited.”
The Evolution Championship Series (EVO, for short) is held each year in Las Vegas, and attracts tens of thousands of participants from all over the world, with champions taking home huge payouts from winning, often making gaming their full-time job. Williams, who has attended EVO, brings some of that competitive spirit back with him to Maine — and the camaraderie. Game nights at Paddy’s attracts a diverse crowd of different ages, backgrounds and genders.
“One of the most important things, to me, about doing this is that you get people that are often kind of shy, and kind of sidelined in their peer groups to come out and socialize,” said Williams. “You see kids that otherwise would just be sitting in their rooms. Now they have a place to hang out and make friends with people that are into what they’re into. It’s a big thing.”
The last MFGA game night at Paddy’s for 2015 will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 16. MFGA will take a few weeks off for the holidays, and then return on Jan. 6. Signups for each game night start at 8 p.m. and gaming begins at 8:30. It’s free to attend, though to play in tournaments the entry fee is $5. The MFGA hosts tournaments elsewhere, including events at the Bangor Comic & Toy Con in April, BanGOREfest in October, and other events to be announced. Join the MFGA Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/MFGABangor for more information.
