Quick Post and a Couple Thoughts After The 1st Week

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported and made this place a reality.  I know there was a ton of doubt surrounding the name Super Arcade and many believed this place would never again see the light of day.  Well, I guess I can finally say that they were wrong.  I fought with literally everything I had and this arcade is finally open.  With that being said though, the journey is just beginning. 

Running a regular on a daily basis is already a job in itself.  Maintaining machines, keeping the premises spotless, and generating traffic are all part of the equation.  Now on top of that, let's add being a tournament hotspot in California to the picture.  I have to keep in contact with various communities that support each particular game, contact their regular tournament organizers, and then work out a schedule that works for everyone in the area.  Yes, I said area because this is leading into my next point of conversation.

So there has been a lot of chatter on social media and in the local scene as to why certain days are chosen for certain tournaments.  I will go into some detail as to how this was all planned out and offer some logic and reasoning that were given into the decision to run certain games on certain days.  The one day most talked about currently is our Wednesday night SOB tournament series which features Street Fighter 5, Ultra Street Fighter 4, and Tekken 7.  Some players have voiced their concerns that another venue located halfway between Los Angeles and Tiajuana is currently running these same games and requested that we move our dates.  I will once again repeat the fact that it was brought to my attention that many players from the local area, which include Los Angeles and The San Fernando Valley, do not attend the other tournament outside of a very select few.  It was requested that we host a tourney to cater to these locals so they could compete on this day without having to pay high tournament venue fees, parking fees, and also drive over 90 minutes to reach their destination.  This is about convenience and accessibility, not about fighting over players.  With another option comes more choices for the players, which should be viewed as a good thing.  Our tournament thrived last week and people had fun.  The other tournament thrived as well and everyone can see for themselves that having 2 events on the same night can work and let's see how things go moving forward.  As I try to bring as many players to our events, I am sure other tournament organizers will also step their game up to do the same.  This competition will make for a better experience for the players and without the players, there is no event.  This also brings me to another point.

Tournaments.... are they for the players?  are they for the organizers? or are they for the viewers at home?  This is a tough question in that everyone has their own opinion.  But for me personally, I can only see that the players make the tournament.  If there are no players, there is obviously no tournament.  So satisfying the players should be the number one priority.  After the players side of things are handled, now you need make sure the tournament runs smoothly.  I usually see it to myself that brackets are made properly and players are ranked accordingly while also separating friends so you don't wind up driving an hour to play against your buddy in the 1st round.  Then I hand off the brackets to experienced bracket runners and they in turn choose matches for stream etc.  It's a process that looks very simple from the outside, but it takes some time to get things going right and can have some hiccups if people aren't familiar with how this stuff goes.  Now after this is all set, we have the stream to manage.  Here is where things gets pretty sticky...  You got a lot of people who just complain to hear their own voice and people who are never satisfied.  I am gonna set the record straight once and for all.  Streams at Super Arcade are not the priority of an event.  Streams are here as an addition to the tournaments to keep the players and fans happy obviously, but our direct attention is going to and always will be focused towards those in attendance.  Now don't get me wrong, Mike Watson loves himself a stream or two, but I just feel too many people are trying to do this part of the event for the money.  And if you focus too much attention on the stream, you are losing touch with your players and not giving them the attention they should be receiving when visiting your venue.  I do my best to make sure everyone feels at home, in a safe environment, and just trying to make sure everyone here has fun.  Street Fighter and other fighting games are competitive and I do know a little about that, but overall, games are about fun.  For some people winning is fun, for others watching might be fun, and to many, just being around the game and sharing the good times that games produce is fun.  As for me, seeing people have fun here is my joy, and this is why Super Arcade is here for you.

Thank you everyone and see you all here real soon.

With love,

Mike Watson

What Else? Now What Else?

     Up until now I have been very silent about many situations that have come about over the past 3 years.  But today, oh...... today is very special.  Today is the day that is breaking the camel's back.  This will not be a very nice post, nor will it be censored cause at this point I JUST DONT GIVE A FUCK!  I would like to think that I have kept a cool head regarding how things have gone and how things have turned out during these past 3 years.  I took a lot of heat from just about everyone while all I was doing was chasing my dream and passion for the arcade.  People from my immediate family, my closest friends, and of course who can forget all the online clowns.  But now, now I am fucking ridiculously furious.  Here's the scenario.

     I have been going through many inspections for the past 2 years, continuously complying with every little detail I am asked, and forking out all the money that is required to do all these things.  Everything from adding restrooms, changing out the ENTIRE electrical system, complying with all the handicap requirements from the lovely state of California.  You name it, I've done it.  So I was asked 2 weeks ago to repave the outside parking lot so it would be less than a 2 degree slope in order to fulfill the handicap parking requirements.  Done.  Then I was asked to make the backdoor handicap accessible and have a new glass door installed thats 42 inches with a 5 foot square concrete landing inside the shop to once again satisfy more handicap requirements.  No problem chief!  Done.

     So you might be asking now, why am I so angry after already being dicked around for so many years?  What would set me off finally to where I would basically go apeshit and just be completely furious over a situation?  Let me go ahead and explain it to you guys.  So here's how things work.  You call for an inspection appointment prior to the day and you have no idea what time you will be assigned.  You are asked to call in the next day at 8:30am to get a time block which can be anywhere from 8:30am until 12:30pm or from 10am till 3:30pm.  So I called last week on Wednesday and asked for a Tuesday appointment for a "Final Inspection."  I paid my electrician to be here along with my contractor so they could walk the inspector around and answer any questions that I might not have an answer for.  I figure I would try to be responsible and have everything in place so things would go smoothly......  Guess again.  I call at 8:30am today, they mention I have a time block from 8:30am till 12:30pm but I am first in line.  I am literally 2 minutes walking distance from city hall mind you, so I was basically left with no leeway on time and luckily I was headed that way already..  Regardless, I kindly tell the lady that I will be at my shop in about 10 minutes and I hope I don't miss my appointment.

     I arrived at roughly 8:40am and there was no one here in my parking lot.  So I look around to see if they left a note stating they had attempted to inspect but no one was here.  Nope, no note.....  So 11:45 rolls around and I called over to city hall once again and politely asked if I had possibly misheard the lady when she said I was first in line.  She replied "Nope.  You were first in line and the inspector left a note stating no one was there at her time of arrival......"  Oh really?  So I walked around the building one more time to look for a note, and BOOM!  There is it, folded in half, laying on the floor next to the front door.  Cool.  So I was wrong.  Fuck.  I was late.... my fault.  Of course it's my fault right?  This time..... Hell no!

     Ok, so brief timeout here.  Yes, I could've tried to arrive here at 8:30am, and yes I could've planned things out a little better, but guess what?  IT WOULDN'T HAVE MATTERED!  Why is that?  Cause the note says Date 2/13/18 and Time 8:15AM.......  8 Mother Fucking 15!!!  What in the holy fuck man.  Seriously?  So let me get this straight.  Please explain this to me like I'm full blown retard.  The city asks people to call them at 8:30am to receive their appointment schedule, but somehow they show up at 8:15 and expect someone here?  Uh........ NO?  As petty as this may seem, I am really just so sick of this shit right now.  I have literally done anything and everything to comply and this is just the cherry on top.  I picked up the note and walked over to the Building Division of Azusa to speak to the lady in person.  I kindly ask here if she can please contact the inspector and ask them if they would be able to return to the site to inspect today and this was a situation where I have been going through a lot for a couple years and would appreciate the help.  She tells me they can only have text communication and that she already texted the inspector and hopefully she will return by 2pm.  I then ask her if she noticed a flaw in their system where they ask the customer to call at 8:30am for a schedule yet they send out the inspector prior to that and expect people to just be there.  She said that it's quite normal for that particular inspector to arrive early but wait until 8:30 to show up.  Bullshit! Cause if that was the case, my note would not say 8:15.  I had to keep a real cool head about this but still get my point across.  It so tough dealing with people who literally give no fucks about you yet hold your life by a string.  Unfucking real that I am still dealing with little shit like this and can't even get an inspection to arrive properly.

end /rant

     More details to come.  Should be streaming later to discuss what happened and hopefully its good news.  But as of now, this city can seriously go eat a dick.  Pz.