STREET FIGHTER LOVE/RELATIONSHIPS

So throughout the period of time that I have been dating a professional SF4 player, there have been many ups and downs. Keno is a really talented player and I am not just saying that because he is my boyfriend. His friends love him and he earns respect from people on and off the arcade cabinet. I never really understood what a serious competitive gamer's life consisted of. Sure, me and him are all smiles when we are together at tournaments and events... but behind these smiles are experiences and arguments that have gone beyond many things. In the beginning, it was all fun and games. Keno and I always would go out and do things like eat dinner, or watch a movie; typical relationship stuff. Things were great and happy... then one day I decided "hey, since he is always at the arcade, why not go with him one day?" I went with him to Video 94 and I did not understand any of that. All of his friends did not get why he brought me along. At that point, I started to see what a big part of his life this game was. I never thought that Street Fighter 4 would become my scene. But these past few months I have come to be close to all his friends. Every one in the crowd has a different personality and they each offer me something special to add to my life. His friends have become my friends and I love them all a lot. So our relationship hit many bumps and cracks along the way. I began attending tournaments with him at Arcade Infinity... they were so long and draggish, I thought I would die at every single one. But for some wierd reason, I always found myself sitting right next to him when he would play at every tournament. I am so proud of the success that he has achieved, I thought it was so easy to play this game and be good... but little did I know. The reason for me to pick up the stick myself and start playing had a lot to do with an argument that Keno and I had. It was the best for us. At that point, the game had become such a problem in our relationship because he was always at the arcade and I felt like he put the game and the competition before me... so I decided to try and play. I started to play around two months ago and slowly but surely we became more compatible and attending the tournaments with him became a breeze for me. So street fighter has brought both positive and negative points to our relationship... but I am proud to say that we have become stronger and more understanding towards each others feelings because of the trials we have been through. The reason for this blog is because I have heard from many of his friends that they have had many relationships go down the drain because of the game. I have also heard girls complain about how horrible it is so have a man who just focuses on video games... but I have learned to love everything about him and appreciate his skills. Keno is pretty well known and he has nobody but himself to thank. So I hope this blog kind of opens the eyes of people who are having the same problems; and to the friends who are reading this, I hope you all understand me a little bit better. Thank you for reading.