One competitor’s view from one of the world’s biggest fighting-game tournaments

I felt like death.

It’s 9 a.m. in Sacramento, Calif., and it was way too early to be awake. I kept my eyes closed to the sun to keep my memories of sleep intact. My first night of the Northern California Regionals (NCR), one of the biggest fighting game tournaments in the country, was chock full of activity. In addition to driving up to Sacramento, I met up with friends from around the world and ate with whomever was available. With only four hours of sleep, the Starbucks drink in my hand was the most important thing in the world. I came here to compete, but I also wanted to find out what the tournament favorites had to say about preparation, mental mindsets, and the entire fighting game community’s growth.