This week, Player vs Plot covers an unusual source of compelling video game storytelling: fighting games! How does a competitive arcade game tell a story when the player experience is always different? How does a match between two players fit into the game's "canon" plot? And how much storytelling can you get in with just animation, endings and win quotes, anyway? We tackle all of these questions using Street Fighter II as a case study!

Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter at @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website, http://playervsplot.com!

Time Stamps

• 0:00:00 Our relationships with the arcade
• 0:17:00 Fighting games before Street Fighter
• 0:21:00 Plot of the original Street Fighter, what is a Street Fighter?
• 0:38:25 Street Fighter II, context of release
• 0:44:00 Sources of canon in Street Fighter
• 0:46:12 The player's narrative in Street Fighter II
• 1:22:22 Chun Li
• 1:40:00 Guile
• 1:45:10 Blanka
• 1:46:32 Zangief
• 1:48:24 Honda
• 1:48:55 Dhalsim 
• 1:54:30 Ken 
• 1:57:55 Ryu