Tell us your favourite Street Fighter gaming memory and you could win SF6

UPDATE 7TH JUNE: What. A. Thread. I've laughed, I've been watery-eyed, and I've been taken back to the carefree days of my childhood. To everyone who took part, thank you. Seriously, thank you.

It's taken me a long time to decide upon a winner because there are so many brilliant memories. I've said it before about the Zelda and Star Wars memories and I'll say it about the Street Fighter memories too: if anyone ever asks you why people play games, show them the comments here. They warm my nerdy heart.

There's something slightly different about the Street Fighter memories, though. I notice themes emerging from the memories of each game, and a big one here, which is fundamental to what the game is about, is competition - and with it, rivalries. There have been some spectacular stories about overcoming challenges and beating - or being beaten by - an incumbent champion. Shout out to MrE26 (search for their names and you'll find their comments), turbografx16, Faseli and Neuroniky in this regard. Neuroniky, I really felt for you!

Equally, though, there are stories about Street Fighter helping form bonds between people. DerShreckliche's 'cocky lad and the dad' story made me laugh, and sandman2k22's account of one final, epic match between friends was very nearly the winner here. AERO_HDT's story of two young kids on the wrong side of town, spending one unforgettable night playing Street Fighter 2 brought a tear to my eye. Much of it had to do with the way they signed the memory off by shouting out their fondly remembered friend; I saw many other people do this and it's beautiful.

I found JoilantArgus' story of repairing their relationship with their father via Street Fighter really touching, too. Likewise, KashV1's memory of gaming with their dad and now wanting to share games with their own family in the same way.

And oh how I've laughed! Humbug, your story had me in stitches. So did yours, gordon_woodbine - I can hear that northern accent even now.

There were some unexpected memories, too. I'd never thought Ken and Ryu kicking each other in mid-air could be a substitute for counting sheep but now, thanks to hkedik, I do. I especially loved JonnoHay's memory about learning an important lesson in graciousness - both in victory and defeat - one night at the hands of a patient player, too. It's a memory that would influence Jonno's life and even what they teach young people they work with now, too. "Sometimes, you just need to take an L and learn from it." Wise words indeed.

The winning memory also had an air of the unexpected about it. Weebleman, it gives me great pleasure to say you are our champion. Yours was, simply, an unforgettable tale. I did not expect that twist. Superb.

Here is the winning entry, tidied up a little, for your pleasure.

"A few years back I was in a retro arcade place enjoying a bit of streetfighter with my kid. Standing next to me was a random kid of about 8 years old. His family were on a machine next to us but he was just watching the brawls unfurl on my screen. He was asking questions about characters and what moves they can do and, being a parent myself, I was happy to answer.

"Once I lost, I put a few credits on and asked if he wanted to have a few rounds. He jumped at the chance and I planned to land a few hits but let him get the victory. I figured he'd take the sense of achievement away with him and he could ride that wave for the rest of his day.

"What happened next was the single most thorough whooping I have ever received on a Street Fighter game.

"The announcer had hardly finished the word 'Fight!' and he came at me with the the rage of a thousand winds.

"His fingers danced across the buttons like Michael Flatley in Riverdance. The other hand was working the stick like he was in Top Gun.

"I didn't land a single shot. Not. One.

"His dad leaned over and told me they come here a lot and he does this all the time. Turns out his family always plays the machine next to Street Fighter just to watch people's reactions.

"I got hustled. Big time. By a child."

ORIGINAL STORY 2ND JUNE: We've done Zelda, we've done Star Wars, and now we're doing Street Fighter. Tell us your best Street Fighter gaming memory and you could win a copy of Street Fighter 6 on your platform of choice.

It's really easy to take part. All you have to do is write your memory in the comments below, and then I'll go through them when I'm back in the office on Tuesday (6th June) and select a winner. I'll then contact the winner (keep an eye on your Eurogamer-linked email address, and the comments) and we'll take it from there. Simple!

As for what you should write: that's up to you! Look to those Zelda and Star Wars threads for inspiration, if you need it. If nothing else, they're a wonderful reminder of why people play games, not that you'll need reminding, I'm sure.

As it happens, I have a Street Fighter memory of my own - not one I'm particularly proud of but I'll share it because I've bloody mentioned it now.

I was a fresh-faced boy of around nine or 10 with the whole world ahead of me, but more importantly, I had a SNES at home. And on that SNES, I had a game called Street Fighter 2, which I know many of you will relate to. I even had a fancy transparent controller to play it with, which did cheaty things like autofire that made electrifying Blanka a doddle.

The problem was, I was, um, how do you say, tempestuous? And M. Bison, the big boss in Street Fighter 2 (in Europe), was an absolute bastard. If I close my eyes now, I can still see him jumping on my character's head and spinning around to flop onto me. Over and over he'd do this, all while smiling smugly, until I died. And oh how many times I died.

One day, I simply couldn't take the frustration any more. I died in the game and took all my frustration out on that transparent controller. I squeezed and I squeezed and the poor thing snapped in half. Of course, I then had a lot of explaining to do - and how do you tell a parent you did something like that? I sheepishly tried to tape the pad up but it was never the same.

I told you I wasn't particularly proud of it! But I digress. What's your Street Fighter memory?