Stages: Zangief

Note: the title should be read as a parody of David Bowie's "Changes" (i.e Staaa aages)

Today we begin a new series dedicated to the individual stages of each of the original 12 characters of Street Fighter II. Why? well its simple really, the subtitle of the game was "The World Warrior" and as such it sought to define each of the fighters according to characteristics found in their respective nations, the stages are defined in the same manner.

Thus each stage captures the zeitgeist of a particular nation, as seen through the eyes of Japanese and American developers, in the late 80's and early 90's. For many of us these were the first glimpses of foreign cultures afforded to us, for a while the character became synonymous with the country and the country with the particular stage.

Zangief is unique among the original characters simply because his country no longer exist. The bear-like wrestler is one of the most famous Soviets ever. The character was an obvious image of what America, if not the world, perceived the Soviet Union to be: a strong, hairy beast with the potential to literally pick up and annihilate any and all challengers, sure he might be a bit slow but it did not take much to anger him and once that happened he could really do some damage.

It is only fitting that the USSR stage is set in a power plant where many workers are present. After all the Soviet Union was an industrial powerhouse, the factories were state owned, everybody was guaranteed a (bad) job. Its also fitting that this socialist utopia was not portrayed as particularly productive, after all the workers arent working (they dont have that drive that capitalist workers have) and they're actually drinking, on the job!

The picture portrayed is clear: sure the worker is celebrated and technically owns the factories but look at them! fuckin lazy! and drunk! the scribbly words are scary, there are shoddy made fences and the one fire extinguisher in the entire country is just standing there, unattended in the middle of two men fighting. In such context how could Chernobyl have taken anybody by surprise.

There is also that huge hammer and sickle in the middle of the stage, yes the USSR was guilty of cultivating a strong sense of nationalism (as opposed to, you know, Marxism) and that such an emblem be omnipresent is not far from reality. That it was present in a video game machine in America, in such a centric place at the end of the cold war could only inspire American nationalism, the thought that we were, in fact, better than those drunkards, after all the U.S is all about freedom and there is NO SUCH THING in poor Zangief's stage. Not only that but what a fuckin sausage fest.

As the Soviet Union disappeared and more games appeared, Zangief's nationality changed to Russian, his stage remained a power plant but the workers, the emblem and the oppression were all gone and his characterization changed from an angry bear to a carefree, lovable oaf.

The contradictions between the USSR stage and those in the United States will only become more obvious as we look at the American stages, three in fact, all of which exclaim (loudly) the greatness that is the States, though almost twenty years later many would gladly take a steady job and some vodka.