Kickstarter of the Week: FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community

Our Kickstarter of the Week, once again, isn’t a video game. Instead, it’s a new documentary project entitled FGC: Rise of the Fighting Game Community. This project, started by Esteban Martinez of Hold Back to Block, will take an in-depth look at the culture of competitive fighting games. This community, who calls themselves the FGC to purposefully differentiate themselves from e-sports and the rest of the pro gaming community, has its own traditions, social rules in-jokes and more. What looks to outsiders as just a bunch of people slamming buttons on an arcade stick is actually an intricate society based around skill and respect.

The documentary project will aim to answer the question, “What is the FGC?” It will tackle the history of the FGC, starting in arcades around Street Fighter II cabinets, as well as the perception of the FGC by gamers, the media, and the public at-large. It will follow prominent players as they take their journey from weekly local tournaments, to monthly major events, to the main stage at EVO in Las Vegas, Nevada. These players put in an incredible amount of work and spend a considerable amount of money just for a chance to play with the best.

The goal is to film the 2014 EVO season from start to finish, starting in January. Martinez will conduct interviews with several well-known fighting game faces, and not just players. Streamers, commentators, sponsors, game developers, combo video makers, stick makers, tournament organizers, and even fans will be interviewed. After EVO 2014 finishes, the film will be made into a rough cut and will be submitted to film festivals such as Slamdance, SXSW, and Sundance. The film will see its official release about a year later in June 2015.

At time of writing, the project almost halfway to their goal of $9,000 for travel and shooting expenses. Donation rewards include things such as DVD and Blu-Ray copies, your name in the credits, and an opportunity to be in the video and showcase your community. The campaign currently has 9 days left to go, so if you are interested in the community that is the FGC, head on over to the official Kickstarter page and get to donating.