What takes more skill, FPS or fighting games?

[Haiku's Knife]

It seems that FPS and fighting games have the most visible and largest competitive communities from my perception and as such, I started to wonder which genre actually requires a greater amount of skill to reach a high level if such a think can even be objectively deduced.

I think I veer more towards fighting games, because all FPS games have relatively transferable skills. If you get your mechanical accuracy up in CS, that will also apply if you start playing COD; all that's left is to learn the nuances of each game. Fighting games on the other hand feel like they have not only more mechanical skills to master, but also require more memory and processing, like memorizing and knowing when to perform combos and understanding every character that is in a particular game and how they match up against yours. You could probably spend 100 hours in an FPS and reach a fairly proficient level. A 100 hours in a fighting game probably just means you're relatively proficient with only a single character.

Your onions?

[potato]

fighting games due to having to memorize all them combos

[Fake]

MOBA. . . .

[Jonathan Sensei]

I'm at the age where both genres take too much skill to master.

[𝘈nethe ♡]

the poster has a blank slate..
i cannot make sense of who you are :(

but fighting games tbh

[Haiku's Knife]

Originally posted by Equinox:

To me, fighting games are the hardest, then FPS comes as a close second. Fighting games look so simple, and at the same time, I have to react properly in every situation, memorise and repeat combos until I start performing them without thinking, distance myself properly, learn the fighters' skillsets and probably many other things I'm missing.

I agree. Fighting games are almost an academic affair; it's like having to be both "booksmart" and "streetsmart".

[Uncle Sam]

Fighting games due having to memorize combos, i-frames, attack & block hit boxes + have good reflexes, etc.

[Pierce Dalton]

Fighting games, no doubt. Luck plays a huge role in fps games, it's all about who sees who first. And if your aim isn't terrible, that's a kill.

In addition to that, mastering a fighting game requires knowing all the moves that can be used against you, by all characters. That's a lot for your brain lol.

[Haiku's Knife]

Also, there was something else that made me think of this thread, too. PC players always chided console players for being "casual", but traditionally, PC was the domain of FPS games and fighting games were and still are the domain of consoles. I think by that virtue alone, consoles aren't more "casual".

[Placenta Salad]

You can't really compare the two due to differing variables. A lot of first person shooter games are not typically played 1v1 like you would in a fighting game, so communication and compatibility between teammates is a huge factor to being able to win, and it is its own skillset that a lot of people just don't have: an ability to communicate, not blame their teammates for a loss, staying vocally calm, etc.

I think fighting games often demand a higher level of precise timing, memorization of complex inputs and there's usually more mind games, but FPS games need more spatial awareness, aim precision, and tactical decision-making in a dynamic environment. You need map knowledge and positioning, which weapons and equipment are ideal for X, Y, and Z, etc. People will bring up a mastery of multiple characters (no one-trick ponies) for fighting games but shooter games often have multiple weapons and gear that you need to familiarize yourself with as well. Rainbow Six: Siege, for example, can get really complex with its many characters and loadouts.

I have over 3k hours in Street Fighter 5 alone and also over 3k hours in Counter-Strike 2 alone. This doesn't include accumulative experience over the years between many other shooter games and fighting games.

An experienced player of fighting games can actually 'git gud' at any fighting game just like an experienced player in shooter games can 'git gud' at any shooter game. This was never any issue for me at least when it came to fighting games. But somebody who plays a game like Street Fighter professionally won't really be a top 500 player in a shooter game, at least not immediately, and vice versa. Both genres of game require different types of skillsets where training yourself for one will cause you to lack in what is needed for the other.

Both genres have demanding skill requirements and high ceilings. Fighting games maybe more so, but still, you need dedication and practice for both genres nonetheless.

[Haiku's Knife]

Originally posted by Placenta Salad:

You can't really compare the two due to differing variables. A lot of first person shooter games are not typically played 1v1 like you would in a fighting game, so communication and compatibility between teammates is a huge factor to being able to win, and it is its own skillset that a lot of people just don't have: an ability to communicate, not blame their teammates for a loss, staying vocally calm, etc.

I actually really like this observation and agree with it. I think FPS games do require social skills and awareness. There's an EQ aspect to it.

I think fighting games often demand a higher level of precise timing, memorization of complex inputs and there's usually more mind games, but FPS games need more spatial awareness, aim precision, and tactical decision-making in a dynamic environment. You need map knowledge and positioning, which weapons and equipment are ideal for X, Y, and Z, etc. People will bring up a mastery of multiple characters (no one-trick ponies) for fighting games but shooter games often have multiple weapons and gear that you need to familiarize yourself with as well. Rainbow Six: Siege, for example, can get really complex with its many characters and loadouts.

I half agree, but I think everything you mentioned is quicker and easier to master than the nuances of fighting games, but I'm speaking personally. I'm also a Siege player and while there is strategy involved, it's nothing too strenuous, imo.

Both genres have demanding skill requirements and high ceilings. Fighting games maybe more so, but still, you need dedication and practice for both genres nonetheless.

Yes and thank you for the nice post.

[Angel]

I'm going to be the dreaded fence sitter and say both are equally skilful competitive game styles. Both require coordination, positioning, timing and awareness of the environment.

Bonus points for players who are "flex" i.e. can play as different characters and styles as their kits are very different.

[Candyy]

After playing cs2 (previously called csgo as well when I started v:) I noticed is very hard...

As for fighting games, idk... I remember playing one of these games at one friends House and I remember just randomly pressing buttons, sometimes I won, sometimes I lost 🤷‍♀️

Honestly, after typing this (the previous texto), I cannot even compare both, becuase they are just different 🤷‍♀️

[Stranger]

FPS is mostly about using knowledge and your awareness to either avoid fighting game situations or set them up in such a way that you have an extreme advantage. Advantages such as sneaking up on someone, waiting for them in a doorway corner as they pass, or flashing and flanking to line up a headshot on your wooden meeple.

They're completely different skillsets, and most fps simply don't allow the counterplay that fighting games do. I can't tech someone's knife in CS2GO, for instance; all I can do is move away. If they're stabbing my head and I can't back up I'm dead; I can't move my head aside or press block or anything. Their knife might not even hit me but the hitboxes are so large for ranged shooting that it'll register. I lost the cat and mouse game, and this one dimensional fighting game is what resulted.

I think FPS tends to require more planning and situational awareness up front, but the execution can still be very lazy and you'll probably win anyway. Meanwhile in a fighting game even if you have no game sense or awareness you can still tech and execute your way out of most situations. The skillsets overlap as a person develops and starts to create gameplay loops that resemble eachother. A roman cancel to buy a few inches of screen space to execute a swap; letting someone get the drop on you so that their guard is down when you 180 noscope them. Etc.

[Haiku's Knife]

Originally posted by Stranger:

FPS is mostly about using knowledge and your awareness to either avoid fighting game situations or set them up in such a way that you have an extreme advantage. Advantages such as sneaking up on someone, waiting for them in a doorway corner as they pass, or flashing and flanking to line up a headshot on your wooden meeple.

They're completely different skillsets, and most fps simply don't allow the counterplay that fighting games do. I can't tech someone's knife in CS2GO, for instance; all I can do is move away. If they're stabbing my head and I can't back up I'm dead; I can't move my head aside or press block or anything. I lost the cat and mouse game, and this one dimensional fighting game is what resulted.

FPS has always been very situational to me. I mean, not that your brain isn't constantly on, but its activity has peaks and troughs. When you're inserting in Siege, you're scanning the environment and paying attention, but that's all you really have to be doing. Then, when you have to shoot, you shoot and that's all you're really doing. So, your brain is just focused generally focused on one activity at a time, as opposed to fighting games where your brain is in a constant state of high and varied activity. I wish we had studies of peoples' brains under scan while they're playing these respective genres. My theory is that fighting games overall would require more function.

[Pierce Dalton]

Originally posted by Haiku's Knife:

Originally posted by Stranger:

FPS is mostly about using knowledge and your awareness to either avoid fighting game situations or set them up in such a way that you have an extreme advantage. Advantages such as sneaking up on someone, waiting for them in a doorway corner as they pass, or flashing and flanking to line up a headshot on your wooden meeple.

They're completely different skillsets, and most fps simply don't allow the counterplay that fighting games do. I can't tech someone's knife in CS2GO, for instance; all I can do is move away. If they're stabbing my head and I can't back up I'm dead; I can't move my head aside or press block or anything. I lost the cat and mouse game, and this one dimensional fighting game is what resulted.

FPS has always been very situational to me. I mean, not that your brain isn't constantly on, but its activity has peaks and troughs. When you're inserting in Siege, you're scanning the environment and paying attention, but that's all you really have to be doing. Then, when you have to shoot, you shoot and that's all you're really doing. So, your brain is just focused generally focused on one activity at a time, as opposed to fighting games where your brain is in a constant state of high and varied activity. I wish we studies of peoples' brains under scan while they're playing these respective genres. My theory is that fighting games overall would require more function.

That's very true. In fighting games your brain is always at "full alert mode", there's no time to rest. On the other hand, fps games have their ups and downs, intense and calm moments.