Justin Wong, currently ranked the number 1 player in numerous Street Fighter tournaments, will be creating a series of comprehensive gaming clinics for GameStop and its customers. Wong, sometimes known as Jwong in fighting circles, holds more titles for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) than any other competitor, eight of which are from the Marvel vs. Capcom series.
Selling the idea of this workshop should not be hard either, as Wong currently holds the world record for longest continuous fighting game winning streak at 300 games. GameStop states, “As we continue to evolve in the esports space, we are always looking to identify the right partnerships to help support and grow our esports ecosystem – and Justin Wong fits the bill perfectly. This partnership allows us to engage with gamers who are looking to improve their gaming skills and it doesn’t get any better than aligning ourselves with a legend like Justin Wong.”
Wong, in turn, will develop 45-minute clinics and a series of shorter instructional videos that can help amateur players improve on their fundamentals in their favorite fighting games. The clinic will cover games like Mortal Kombat 11, Tekken 7, and Street Fighter 5.
For the unfamiliar, there is the bonus of hearing an expert discuss the basic components of a game and how they view them. Although fighting games release new characters, appear different through graphic overhauls, or add entirely new mechanics into the mix, there are a basic set of fundamental skills to master.
“Footsies,” for example, is a term used to describe mechanics of spacing, hit confirm and whiff punishment. All of these are key to achieve victory. An expert like Wong, for instance, could be restricted to one attack and would likely still defeat an amateur player, simply because they don't necessarily understand these fundamentals.
One can often determine the skill level of a player simply by watching how they move. If their entire game plan is to spam a long-string combo, they might only succeed against other amateurs but lose to any players who have a fundamental understanding of the footsies range and opportunities of their character and that of their opponent.
This also means that the lessons learned in these clinics can transcend the games of today. Mortal Kombat 11, Tekken 7, and Street Fighter 5 may only be around for about five years before the next games in the series release, but the fundamentals stay the same.
Wong has always been a contender among the very best, and even in EVO 2004, many will recall his match against Daigo. This is considered one of the most well-known and technically difficult comebacks in the history of the game where with bit a sliver of health, Daigo parried and entire super move and launched a counter of his own to win.
If one has the opportunity to take this kind of clinic, they should jump right in learn everything they can!