BAIT x Street Fighter

"Street Fighter" was probably the first arcade game that I ever played, and has been a part of my life in one way or another ever since.  I remember saving my snack money so that I could stop by the convenience store on the way home from school and play some Street Fighter with my friends.  I've owned various iterations of the game over the years and I'm currently refining my button mashing skills with the latest Street Fighter x Tekken game.

I only recently discovered that there is a fighting game community (yes, there is an actual community of people who eat, breathe, and sleep fighting games), and when I heard that Ono-san, the producer of Street Fighter, would be at an art show hosted by pop culture store BAIT, I had to go meet him.

Super Saturday

People often ask me, "What do you do for fun in Los Angeles?"

I always have trouble coming up with a descriptive answer because there isn't a set group of things that I constantly do to entertain myself.  I usually end up giving a vague answer like, "I dunno.  I like to go out and do stuff; enjoy the city."

25 Years Of Fireballs And Dragon Punches

It's hard to believe that the Street Fighter videogame franchise has been around for 25 years.  As long as you didn't grow up in a small village on the outskirts of the world, then you've at least heard of the legendary fighting game series, if not allowed it to have a major impact on your life.  When I was a little boy, I would ride my bike to my friend's house after school to cram in as many rounds of Super Street Fighter 2 on the SNES as possible before having to go home and do my homework.  It's been a part of my life ever since.

The iam8bit gallery is celebrating 25 years of Street Fighter with a group art exhibition and pop-up shop in their 4,500 square foot space in Echo Park.  For anyone who has ever played the game, I highly recommend going to view the art and maybe purchase something for that bare wall at home.  The show is open now until August 19th, 2012 with artwork costing anywhere from $25 to $1,500+.  Check iam8bit's website for gallery hours.