People Are Watching a Pair of Goldfish Play ‘Street Fighter II’
Game-streaming site Twitch, which in the past year has become the go-to place for all sorts of gaming oddities, is currently hosting a live stream of the ongoing battle between Aquarius and his pal Robert the Bruce in a game of Street Fighter II.
Also, they are goldfish.
The “Fish Play Street Fighter” live stream is quickly becoming a sensation, with nearly 50,000 people tuning in to view the carnage.
Controllers, of course, don’t do too well when they’re submerged, and fish sadly (or luckily, for us) lack opposable thumbs. Instead, the producers rely on a motion-tracking camera pointed at the fishbowl. The tank is segmented into nine areas, each mapped to a controller’s inputs. As a fish swims through an area, the corresponding action occurs onscreen.
(Twitch)
Sound vaguely familiar? It should. The concept of watching fish play video games actually started a few weeks ago courtesy of the massively popular “Fish Plays Pokémon” live stream.
With Pokémon, the fish didn’t get much done (the players spent an inordinate amount of time wandering around their houses), but the Street Fighter matchup is faring much better.
Aquarius and Robert the Bruce have enjoyed a series of spirited battles over the past several days. Aquarius dominated Day One, winning 61 of the 99 matches. Robert the Bruce mounted a comeback on the 19th, though, taking 78 of the 154 games. By midday Wednesday, Robert was winning the majority of the bouts again.
They’re not slaves to the grind, however. The fish take a rest between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. Remember, folks, game responsibly.
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