The Story of Araiguma Battle
Our History
The story of Kids in the Hall
The Birth of UCKITH
Grassroots Community Run Fighting Game Local
In October of 2021 we had an idea to start meeting again more formally to play fighting games competitively .
The idea was FGC locals with emphasis on Community . Organically grown , not advertised or pushed. Keep it low key and see where it goes from there .
The Upstairs Hall
Upstairs Hallway of the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center
Kids In The Hall got the name because we actually started , in a Hallway ! We were actually presented with many different spaces , venue spaces where we could meet and play .
However , we didn’t want to take advantage . We wanted to introduce ourselves slowly , see if we made a good fit . We didn’t want to mooch space and were told , ” well , there is a space upstairs where some kids used to come and play video games ” so we said , yeah let’s check that out .
That space , was The Upstairs Hall .
The Idea
” An Underground FGC Hideout “
The organizers favorite things to do was go outside the door to the Hall and just listen to the sounds .
” It sounded like the arcade ” she had said .
” The buttons being hit , the sounds of the games , the hype . It was actually the spirit of the arcade without the wackness ”
And that’s exactly what it was .
” If we ever outgrow this space , I’ll rent a suite in this building , we’ll always have a place to play . “
The idea was a space where we could leave our setups , and come and go as we please , grind it out through all hours of the night .
A couple old couches and a coffee machine .
This idea quickly grew to include a bunch of cabs and a commercial coffee machine . A community funded arcade dedicated to fighting games and competitive arcade gaming .
“ You know. If anyone else told me about this , I would of been like yeah whatever . And just gone on about my day . But you ? Yeah . I could see you actually doing this “
– Serenative
Sights Set on a Dedicated Space
The Community Center’s Director was let known of our idea and that we were interested in renting a space . Since our presence was well received , we were met with a lot of excitement on becoming a tenant .
The problem was , tenants don’t leave often . So everything was rented out . But we were on the waiting list . After a couple weeks of waiting , a bit of a hunt was made , then a proposal .
The building HVAC was being updated . The old custodial room would make a great rental space . So we pitched the idea and the construction began along with the building HVAC project .
Below is a map of the 1B level along with Room 28 how it was when we found it , and how it is now .
The Network Test
The Night Before The Big Event !
The equipment was ordered , first batch of cabs arrived , our first Group-Buy was coming the next day which was a big event . Some traveling 6 hours to our big event GRILL-BALANCE .
What do we do to prepare ? A Network Test .
GRILL-BALANCE
Group Buy – Retro Game Convention – BBQ
Our first major event , planned around a Group-Buy and celebration to the firing up of Araiguma , a retro game convention BBQ turned to a staple event .
This was the proof of concept of what we were trying to do . Much of our culture today was formed during this event .
The Downstairs Hall
We had quickly outgrown The Upstairs Hall . Looking around the building , we had noticed another Hallway which was not only larger , but the temp was lower ( the AC was out at the time ! ) and it had a couch !
This space was seeing the vision one step further .
The Move
” What if we just ran it out of the house ” one of the organizers had said to another .
And that’s what we did . While waiting for the Downtown Space , we would just run it out of the house .
Up To No Good
Our monthly tournament Kids In The Hall – Up To No Good was born . Held at the UCIMC .
Weekly Stream
The idea was proposed during a heated 3rd Strike match . ” We should start streaming weekly casuals ” and the lightbulb just lit up . This is a great idea !
So we started doing exactly that !
Open-Mic Variety Show Style weekly broadcast giving everyone an opportunity to give commentary a shot , talk some shit , talk games or other things they love to the world .
Expansion of Space
Space had to expand with the growing player base and to support our competitive titles , the addition of the ” Head to Head Room” was made .
Dedicated 3rd Strike Side Steam
With the expansion of space and the growth of 3rd Strike , we had a lot of people who came to our Stream only for 3rd Strike . We were becoming a small hub for this game we love .
So we created a dedicated side stream for 3rd Strike during our Kids In The Hall Steams on our YouTube !
Additional Events !
We got there much sooner than expected ! The plan was for an out of house location and we could do more nights a week — The flames of passion burned hotter than ever , we had to get to it !
With the introduction of ‘ Good For Health – Bad For Education ‘ on Wednesday Nights ! A dedicated 3rd Strike grind night !
With more to follow !
Season Finale
The final event held at the original location ! The night before we start to tear it all down .
All day Pizza Potluck to celebrate the closing of this chapter and bringing it in for the next .
The Big Move !
The time had come ! We began the move to our first public location in Downtown Urbana .
The First Out Of House Location
With the move completed , we opened once again ! Our first public location , while still remaining out of public view . An address was posted , Google Business profiles and the arcade registered with the County .
The start of something even bigger than what we had done before .