Artists of Evo Las Vegas 2024: “Evo is the best place you can be for fighting games. It’s truly magical.”

At Evo Las Vegas 2024, competitors battled it out onstage with an excited audience looking on. Meanwhile, artists in the artist alley drew crowds with their vibrant posters, eye-catching stickers, charming keychains, functional mousepads, and more. Esports.gg had the opportunity to speak with talented artists Shoshin_Arts, A Cup of Felicity, and King Kuma about their experiences at Evo Las Vegas 2024 and their perspectives on the Fighting Game Community (FGC).

Evo Las Vegas artist alley features Shoshin_Arts

Daniel Stewart, better known as Shoshin_Arts, views the invitation to join Evo Las Vegas 2024 as a great privilege. He shared with esports.gg that this will be his first visit to Las Vegas, expressing his excitement about the city’s grandeur and noting that it marks his largest audience to date.

I had an impressive setup at the gaming convention with plenty of Street Fighter fan art adorning it. The reason for this was that I once competed in Street Fighter tournaments.

He has a rich background in creating art, having practiced it for an extended period before joining competitions. Previously, he represented St. Ambrose University as a collegiate athlete in the MCC team. During one of our tournaments, I came across another artist, and we engaged in a lengthy conversation about the game that lasted nearly two hours.

He went on, sharing how the change from a player to a committed artist was surprisingly smooth. “Someone provided the necessary encouragement for me to join the artist alley,” he explained.

A Cup of Felicity at Evo Las Vegas 2024

At a nearby table sat Felicity Julio, an ardent fan of the fighting game community (FGC), as she shared with esports.gg her enthusiasm for being a part of this vibrant scene. Her love for fighting games such as Super Smash Bros., among others, was sparked during her high school years and fueled her passion for drawing. Today, Felicity relishes the thrill and camaraderie of FGC tournaments, cherishing the lessons gleaned from every competition, win or lose.

The Team Fortress 2 artwork at esports.gg attracted them specifically. For A Cup of Felicity, reviving cherished gaming franchises for events is a rewarding experience, igniting joy and excitement among fans.

She primarily creates art for uncommon items such as keychains and stickers based on underrepresented topics like certain fighting games or discontinued merchandise, like that of Team Fortress 2. Her goal is to provide fans with joy by offering these unique collectibles.

It also means the world to her to table at an event as significant as Evo Las Vegas.

She expressed her heartfelt appreciation: “Being here with a table at this event is incredibly meaningful to me since my father used to help organize it. He managed to secure a table for me, and I’m deeply thankful for the large turnout. Evo is an exceptional place for fighting game enthusiasts – it’s nothing short of magical.”

King Kuma talks past and present FGC

At Esports.gg, Patrick Spurling, better known as King Kuma, was also interviewed. His merchandise table was filled with a variety of items, including mousepads showcasing Vash from Trigun Stampede, keychains themed around Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and posters depicting Street Fighter characters.

Since 2022, he has regularly participated in Evo events and appreciates the warm reception. In conversation with esports.gg, he expressed his fondness for Guilty Gear and TEKKEN. He further reminisced about the past when laundromats housed arcade games.

He discovered his love for fighting games during the early days when they were often found in laundromats in California. Games like Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom were common sights there. From that point on, he began drawing and attending conventions around 2010, all fueled by his passion for these fighting games.

King Kuma continued, revealing how the past and present are night and day thanks to esports.

“The difference between then and now is staggering. Before the rise of esports, fighting game tournaments were small-scale events held in hotels and ballrooms. The community was tight-knit and passionate, which I appreciate as it fostered a grassroots scene. However, the transformation is astounding – it’s almost like comparing night to day.”