Solving Problems With Frame Data

If there’s an overarching theme to the videos I make, it’s that I’m always trying to show that while fighting games have a reputation for being uniquely difficult, that reputation isn’t really fair. The Think, Don’t Mash! series focuses on how you can win (starting out, at least) without combos or even being able to do special moves. My main goal was to help people understand and enjoy fighting games, but I also wanted to prove a point: the execution barriers that non-fighting game players cite as barriers to entry usually aren’t what’s holding them back.  I think a lot of this is our fault. We, the fighting game community, haven’t always done a great job of explaining the genre to people not already invested in it. If anything, there’s a tendency to exaggerate how technical these games are, and one of the things people within and outside the community point to as evidence of this is frame data. Frame data is one of the biggest boogeymen out there, which seems completely bananas to me, given that the idea can be pretty easily understood in just a few minutes.  

The real reason I made this video was to shove outrun nonsense in everybody's face.

This video is me trying to put my money where my mouth is. I think frame data can be understood in around five minutes. I also think beyond just understanding what it is, it’s important to understand the real point: frame data is just a tool for problem-solving.