​Fighting games like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat were everywhere in the 1990s. After their release, many other fighting games came out in order to capitalize on the hot genre. Most of these games are insignificant and unmemorable due to miscellaneous reasons (usually involving overall quality and failure to differentiate themselves from the fighting game pack). Others achieved their status in the annals of gaming history like Samurai Shodown and Killer Instinct (because one had swords and the other was crazy). Despite the variations in quality, almost every one of these games contained the following core elements. 

These are the five elements in every fighting game.

As games advance and developers learn how to implement different mechanics and gameplay concepts in them, the fighting game remains solely about fighting the other player. This rule is static amidst all of the updates gaming has had over the years. BlazBlue is about fighting your opposite player, just as is Street Fighter II. There is no option to run away or to negotiate a different strategy. The only thing to do in these games is to reduce your opponents health bar to zero; which brings me to number 2:

2: Fighting games have nothing to hide

In games like poker, players keep their cards to themselves; choosing not to show anything that will help their opponents. Fighting games, however, are like chess. Everything you see, your opponent sees. They see how much health you have and vice-versa. Other genres don't often share this distinction. For example, you don't know how much ammo your opponent has in Modern Warfare 2. You don't know who has a full nitro/boost meter in a racing game. In fighting games, it's an equal battleground demanding that players both know how to control themselves, as well as know how their opponent plays.

3: Fighting games have Character differentiation

Characters in fighting games give the game variety. If every character played (and looked) like Ryu in Street Fighter, the game wouldn't appeal to as many people as it does. Street Fighter II has immense strength in its diverse cast. Players have the long-armed Dhalsim or the bear-wrestling Zangeif. Soul Calibur players have the Bo Staff-equipped Killik or the nunchucking Maxi. Every player has their favorite and least favorite character; and no other genre features this broad character adoration from their whole fanbase. And, really, what differentiates the Arbiter from Master Chief? They use exactly the same weapons and play exactly the same way.

4: The aforementioned characters are (supposedly) balanced

If the characters don't play the same as each other, advantages occur against other characters depending on the scenario. In Street Fighter, Ryu can easy pummel Zangief with Hadoukens if they are both backed into separate corners. Fortunately, any good fighting game will give characters ways to overcome their disadvantages (although usually requiring a great deal of skill to pull off). Zangief can use his Banishing Flat special move to absorb the fireball. It's not easy to pull off, but it will make Ryu players realize that they shouldn't overuse their standard attack. As Professor Layton says: "Every puzzle has an answer". The statement proves true here.

5: Fighting Games have Gimmicks

In the hit Broadway musical Gypsy, there's a song in the second act sung by burlesque dancers singing to Gypsy Rose Lee about how she's "gotta get a gimmick"; she needs to create a niche exclusively to her. Fighting games use the same principle. It gives the game's core rule sets variety. Without it, everybody would only play Street Fighter II (not that that's a bad thing). Mortal Kombat had Fatalities. Soul Calibur had weapons. Marvel Vs. Capcom has air combos. BlazBlue has that crazy Drive-Attack button.

Now, there are exceptions to these rules. The second rule goes down the toilet in regards to the team customization in the Japanese Jump Ultimate Stars, the these rules still hold out in almost every popular fighting game. The secret sixth rule to this list is that a game is only good if it's being played, as no game exists if no one is playing it. Especially when talking about fighting games. Websites like iplaywinner and shoryuken keep the community going; culminating in the annual Evolution tournament (most-recently held in Las Vegas last month). They keep people playing the game, and it keeps the games exciting. You know, like Disneyland; but with punching.

Have another rule to add to the list? Have a disagreement? Leave a comment and talk to us. We're like gamer therapy.