VistaBlade wrote:Shen-FN-Woo: I think that footsies are similar to "neutral game". In that they are basic gameplay fundamentals that the Fighting Game Community has labeled, in order to further convolute the terminology. I think what it boils down to is that they are trying to label a certain "state of mind" when they play, and it's stuff like this that makes it seem complex.
What I was getting at with that definition is, there is totally another word that could better fit that description, while also remaining intuitive to newcomers.
Learning the terminology for fighting games is another intimidating aspect because a lot of the terminology applies to only certain games or certain sets of games, and understanding it is helpful for high level play. Things like frame data, tech rolls, and option selects take time to really understand, but you are right in saying that most of this knowledge is not necessary. Plenty of players just play the game and don't care about the in depth aspects and end up doing fine.
I'm one of them I used to make top 5 in every GG tournament I went to. Had no idea what the crap an impossible dust was.