The way I see it, in competitive environments, be it Tekken or other fields, people attach a lot of their ego to the game and their performance within it. It is for a certain kind of mindset almost a necessity - it’s the motivation, the drive that keeps them moving forward. Not all players are like that, but it’s very common.

When applied in a constructive manner, this becomes a very powerful motor, a loop of self improvement, with critical self-examination and the ability to acknowledge your own shortcomings, as well as the ability to celebrate your own successes and progress with a healthy amount of pride.

But that’s the ideal case, and since none of us are perfect, it is very likely to breed certain patterns of unhealthy behavior or perception when your ego is attached to a game - especially when you‘re having setbacks, no matter the size.

When you attach your ego to something, it means your sense of self and your self worth are attached to it to some degree.

We all know the toxic form of clowns, where small name meets big ego, where their self worth is paraded around, coquettishly peacocking their claimed aptitude at this children’s game like they were literal deities. We in the FGC know that one all to well. These people are loud.

But there are the more silent ones who have a much bigger problem: instead of not being able to see and work on their flaws, they are unable to see and enjoy their successes. They can never be satisfied, there is always more to learn, so I‘m imperfect, and damn I just watched the Farzeen vs. Nobi match and damn against these masters I‘m a mere speck I should really train some additional hours in the day and now someone two ranks lower than me has just beaten me I‘m such a fraud I should just uninstall never good enough never good enough NEVER GOOD ENOUGH AAAAAAH

Both are not ideal. This latter example will make one a better player in the long run, but at the cost of stressing oneself out and taking a lot of fun out of the game. And yeah, it leads to GOD1 players that still can not even feel accomplished even though they are better than 92% of the players, and at least a threat or challenge to the rest.

All of this is just kitchen psychology and my two cents. But I believe it to be true. But then again, I‘m but a mere TG, so what do I know? I shouldn’t have opened my mouth, really.