Sometimes we can get caught up in telling people about the things we don't like and too often we don't talk about the good stuff they've done.

To try and recognize how far the fighting game scene has come recently, I thought it would be a good idea to look back at some of the great things that have happened, and give a little praise to those who made it happen.

Capcom

We've seen a number of new Street Fighter games from Capcom. Instead of being lame half-assed productions carrying the Street Fighter license, these were titles that offered great game play, improved graphics, and some excellent net code for gaming online. And they remade titles that fans love and charged a very reasonable $15 for them.

From offering free pizza and soda to individuals who wanted to come in and play Street Fighter IV before it was released on the home consoles, running a poll where the top characters were including in the game, to hosting tournaments around the world with prizes, they've really put themselves out there and created a lot of great events for the community — and didn't ask for anything in return.

Capcom has changed from being a company that basically only the media could reach, to now having two very prominent employees in Seth Killian and Christian Svensson who not only talk directly to the fans, but also answer questions about their games and give information to their community before they reveal it to some media outlets.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen Seth or Christian on the Capcom Unity boards way after their work hours, sometimes at 3 a.m., fielding questions and talking with fans about their games.

And I can assure you — putting in time on the Capcom Forums at 3 a.m. is not part of their job description. ;-)

The community

The fans themselves have created websites and tournaments to help keep the scene going strong. Sites like Shoryuken.com, iPlayWinner.com and FightersGeneration.com, among others, offer great depth to the community.

Not too long ago, it was the dream of several Street Fighter players to get the best players from the world together to compete against each other in a huge tournament with prizes. Through a lot of hard work, that dream became a reality and today we have the Evolution Fighting Game championships (Evo).

These kinds of things don't happen over night, and a lot of blood sweat and tears are shed to make tournaments and websites a reality.

Your part

So while you might not agree with everything that's said and done in the community, remember every now and again to give people a shout out for their efforts.

Most of the people in the fighting game community don't hear a lot of praise for what they do, so a little kudos goes a long way in making them feel appreciated.

So if you see MrWizard, Seth Killian, employees from Capcom or any other people who've helped make this a great scene over the years, go up and shake their hands and thank them for their hard work.

And if there's any great experience that stands out in your mind, please leave a comment on this story and say thanks to the people who helped make it happen.