‘Tekken 3:’ A Plate of Wisdom with a Side of These Hands

I’ve always had a poetic relationship to fighting games in spite of me not being about that life. The wonderful world of these hands comes with lessons on handling anxiety. Over the course of the pandemic, I’ve come to enjoy fighting games even though I once hated them. It made me reflect on decisiveness, persistence, and acceptance, specifically Tekken 3.  What does growth with crashes and reboots look like? Persistent Fists

The first anxiety attack I can remember was in the 5th grade. I hated doing homework as a kid, so I learned how to calculate my grades where I would get enough “As” where my parents wouldn’t become suspicious or try to push me to try harder. There were many variables to take into account, participation, test scores, extra credit, class assignments, and of course homework. I first learned about variables and their effects by playing Tekken 3 with my brother. Timing, combos, and power levels in a faced paced game requires you to be quick on your toes. Growing up my brother tormented me in Tekken. After about 19 losses, I’d be devastated. By loss 20, I’d be pissed off and go on to win a five-game winning streak. To which I would be pleased, and then put the game down so that I don’t get too greedy and lose again. I learned my best lesson on persistence looking at my brother’s ruthlessness. Fighting games were tiring. First of all, my brother is nine years older than me, I was out here like eight years old trying to figure out what series of button mas…