The Man Who Used Fighting Games to Escape Homelessness
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- These days, Ryan Hart is known as one of the greatest fighting game players to ever come out of Europe.
But his path to the top was not easy. It was paved with loneliness and adversity - as a teenager, Ryan Hart was homeless, hungry, and alone on the streets of London.
Starved for both food and human connection, Hart found that fighting games were weren’t just games, they were his deliverance from a desperate time.
Written by: Alina Sotula (@ASotula)
Edited by : Connor Dunn (ConnorDunn_)
Hosted by: Daniel Rosen (@Daniel_Rosen)
Footage courtesy of:
pastebin.com/p...
Music used under license from Associated Production Music LLC (”APM”).
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To the guy that sneaked Hart so that he could eat breakfast I give my respect to you good sir
Yeah what a kind soul
This is what really stuck on me.
God Bless that guy
😮
Salute
He's also won more tournaments than rip has entered.
It still burns
LMAO
lmfaooo
He's forgotten more things about fighting games than rip will ever learn xD
Too soon, too soon.....
Ryan’s story feels like Ryu; homeless but travel around the world to practice and become one of the best fighters in history. Full respect ✊ to this guy!
My thoughts exactly, he's walked down the path of a world warrior.
Ryu has a best friend who's willing to give him anything he wants, this guy is had to do it alone.
nujevad40 Ryu never asks for anything :/
He had tht friend tht sneaked him inside his dads restaurant so he can eat
ryan wasnt homeless
Ryan Hart is probably the only person in this world who can rightfully wear a T-shirt that says "I've won more tournaments than you'll ever enter"
And look at all them trophies 🏆😳
I legit thought his name was "Reinhardt" before you spell his name there
*Rip cringes somewhere in a corner*
@SK so what? He can also wear a shirt that say, “I’ve wasted my whole life playing games and have no other skills that are useful”. Ryan is a complete failure.
@@pelhamrechtsanwalt2416 there is some truth to what you say. However, at least he took action and did something despite his circumstances.
While playing KOF with Ryan nearly everyday between the 1997-2000 at Wonder Park arcade in Piccadilly, didn't know what he was going through...
Glad to see him turned the corner, all the best!
Wow thats awesome, ive been to Piccadilly a couple of times. ✌
OG gamers, you guys paved the way...thank you
Worst map on codmw
@@rudeondude21 bruh what?
@@hentaisailor5951 Piccadilly, lol
Ryan introduced us to the Fighting Game community back in 2011. Only reason we wanted to be involved was because he was such a nice guy and made the whole competition scene feel less intimidating.
An absolute legend and a wonderful person. Thank you for making this.
- K&M
Hart was an inspiration for me when I saw one of his videos playing kof98
Literally started from the bottom now he's here
@@MEILNIETCERAFT and you think a homeless broke kid had an opportunity?
Bruh i'm making a joke
@@MEILNIETCERAFT its a Drake line
@@MEILNIETCERAFT very very true but again those opportunity can come to you after you work hard for something
U hi
Fun fact: He called himself The Prodigal Son after an old martial arts movie whose main character always believed he was an amazing fighter not knowing his father was paying all of his opponents to lose. He was winning a lot at the time and wanted to give it a modest spin
His story should be a movie
I saw it many years ago.
I actually thought he was called The Prodigal Son because he left for Japan and then returned to the UK. Good info to know though. Thank you.
Yes i know this too to show he is modest and humble. But truthfully ryan is not really humble lol i did know him personally, he is a nice guy but when it comes to playing games he is not humble. He gets angry when he loses and actually talks a lot of angry shit literally saying you are shit. If you look at his youtube channel he never posts a video where he loses so that says something about him. You should be humble when you win or lose
@@ninjaninja9954 usually most competitive players are the worst loser. That's why they grind hard because they hate losing
I'm not a world beater but after a life of physical and sexual abuse,i found solice in the arcades in north wales from an early age,7-8 onwards. At the age of 14 i was homeless and spent 2 and a half years on the streets in a part of wales that was dominated by arcades and it was somewhere to be warm and i had a passion for games and always had have simply because it was an escape. At 17 i got my 1st job,in an arcade,the perfect job,got myself a flat,some clothes and some regular food. Gaming and games in general have been the core of my life for a very long time and i can't stress enough how much this industry does for the world. I understand addiction etc but more than anything i understand how much escapism games have for people under duress or in need os a social life they can't get in real life. I'm now 44 and a gamer and i am proud.
Play on, fellow gamer, play on!
Thank you for your story, big up to North Wales, its the one of the most beautiful places in the world
Cool story bro
I hope u play csgo
I too understand your pain. I was born with glass bones and paper skin. Every morning I break my legs, and every afternoon I break my arms. At night, I lie awake in agony until my heart attacks put me to sleep.
The whole video just gives me such a rush of euphoria, loved Ryan Hart ever since he played back in the day on street fighter, amazing video. Thank you for uploading this
Shoot I remember when he was playing Tekken in the mid 2000's
I’m wondering how badly he crushed his local scene after his training in Japan
Post trip. Arcade is packed and full. Ryan enters. You hear the sounds of cabinets shutting off and people grabbing their quarters and running.
On the interview with BornFree he gave some anecdotes on what it was like for him to return to his local scene. For reference, before Japan he was on top but there was a number of people who could give him a good challenge, upon his return though, the gap had widened too much for him to find sufficient challenge even from the best.
there is a full inter view Hart basically the 2 month training in Japan turn him into a European God here it is th-cam.com/video/mdxtcvgRGSs/w-d-xo.html
Amagys that’s sick af
@@Amagys I mean as cool as that is, it must have been somewhat tragic. He had no more peaks to climb ya know?
Remember guys, no matter how good you're there's always an old asian shopkeeper better than you.
Hahaha hahaha hahaha 😂😂😂
LOL such a crazy anecdote. The visuals during that section also helped XD
😔 and there's always a butt trying to grab everybody's attention... & Facts About butts, they're *one in every group.* 😊 😁
That was like an scene from an anime
*you are
“I’ve won more tournaments than you’ve entered” now has a different meaning for me now 😢
Damn... you're right. It may be a meme... But it was how he tooth and clawed his way out of poverty.
I love a uplifting story! Way way to much negativity in this current world
Jason Smith “an” “too”
@@knightmarecx2069 pooper
Kyouma Hououin I do, excuse me for simply being smarter and correcting people so that they don’t make mistakes, you didn’t see me calling the person stupid did you? It’s an honest mistake that I simply want them to learn from
@@knightmarecx2069 lol being smart hahaha the most write in slang
@@knightmarecx2069 never apologize for being the smartestvin the room-
He was alone, hungry, poor and broken. He could have been anything negative but he chose to be a L E G E N D
R E S P E C T
and thank you to you guys for bringing out legends....
Dawg!!!! Say that shit!!!!
Loved Ryan hart ever since I saw him teach a beginner in tekken.
Nino?
Too bad that at the end was staged
Ryan "Prodigal Son" Hart
What a real comeback story! And his story is still ongoing! A class act and prominent piece of the FGC.
It's raining on my face I'm not crying 😭
I swear it's raining...
He got iy from fucking muustang from fma lol
Good because the rain is hiding my tears
Vegeta_Looking_At_Sky.gif
hes a great guy
Being an older Tekken player, I'm familiar with Ryan Hart. But I had no idea what he went through in life. I have a newfound admiration for him now.
I always enjoy playing with him back in early to mid 2k when i was active in tekken 5 and soul calibur 2. I got better on tekken because of him. Thanks ryan for the lesson and the experience 👊
As someone who's had the pleasure of working with Ryan from time to time, on LLL and WW, I really want to stress that his drive and work ethic are insane. Ryan was always so solid. There was a lot of this that was news to me, but you can tell that the man practically oozes character.
This man is a legend, he was homeless with almost no cash and become a fighting game legend
*Came for the title*
stayed for the positivity
Inspiring, so much toxicity in the world that it is really heartwarming to see someone contributing back to the community despite his success!
I didn't know any of this, but I wanted to say I met him last year at EGX and he was lovely and happy to talk. Very respectful and polite to my cosplayer girlfriend too. Just a fundamentally good guy and a legend in the scene.
GhostSamurai yeah
Who says cosplayer gf?
Makes me feel motivated that I have all these resources to improve and win tourneys and this guy managed to do it while homeless.
I definitely have no excuses.
Woah
What anime is your picture from?
right. Now turno on your console and forget the rest
StoryTellerVA The Gentleman welcome to the nhk im p sure
@@zoggere4226 Is this The manga? or The romance?
The feeling when you keep getting better at something, Is the best feeling in the world...
Shoutout to his friend making him breakfast! What a legend.
He stay humble even though he went through so much .. not even taking pride on his winnings on gaming this man played with his heart and soul
Wow, I've always looked up to Hart but I had no idea what he's been through. Absolutely humbling.
Played at the "Ironman" event held by NeoEmpire. He had a close call with my random Elena and gave me a "phew!" expression after the match. Still means a lot to this day. A class act and great person.
Dear mr Hart,
I met you at Red fight district 2015 (you where in my pools ;)) and I respected you as a player and looked up to your skill! Having heard your backstory and history I respect you as a human being, enduring such hardship and loneliness as a teenager you are an inspiration for anyone who wants to listen and a true fighter at Hart! Your perceverance in videogames and life is so strong its infexious to everyone is what we as fightinggame enthousiast can relate to, don't give up even when its to hard to handle and learn from your mistakes so you can do better next time. Thank you for all you have done and keep inspiring
I feel this 100%.. I’m going through homelessness now in the US. Gives me hope.
Never give up! You got this!!!
You got this man stay strong email me if u need anything man
Hang in there!
I'm trying.. but at the moment in Ohio, it's gotten really cold and wet over night. Idk what to do anymore
@@B.I.D. hey man is there any way for you to come to Colorado i could help with a place to stay and a job man i really wish there was a way for us to communicate
ny heart goes out to Ryan's and his family.
8 million hearts
Ryan my Homeboy. Good to see you still going strong. We played TTT and T3 together. Back then I was Thunderfist from Germany.
MrLyramion LEGEND🐐💯
One of those moments to remind you, you never know someone's story until they tell you. Never be judgmental about someone whose made it somewhere in life, you never know how hard it was for them before they made it. Always respected Ryan Hart, but even more so now. So inspiring and uplifting.
"I've won more tournaments than you've ever entered"
Got the trophy china cabinet to back it up 😎
Daigo “I’ve never lost, not once”
before coming back from retirement
after 20 years of retirement
this
th-cam.com/video/lPp8i2_oNjE/w-d-xo.html
@IshaPls you think he’s better than rip? You’re delusional! Rip is way more successful. If you want to say that Ryan is better at tekken, then fine, but that’s all he has. Rip will always be a successful as a streamer and commentator, but Ryan hart will be forgotten. Ryan hart has nothing in life. He’s a complete loser. If Ryan disappeared from the face of the earth, no one would care. The tekken community may remember him for a little, but his name will quickly be forgotten by even us
Pelham Rechtsanwalt ok no one cares about rip’s business stuff, ryan’s still an objectively better player.
@@SIyMarbo ummm think again th-cam.com/video/Gum4QrHTFEw/w-d-xo.html
@@pelhamrechtsanwalt2416 He's commentator a event organiser a coach , he's so much more than Rip
"I've won more tournaments than you'll ever enter." - Ryan Hart to RIP. This will forever be the most ALPHA gamer quote ever.
Finally a story about Hart. The man is a legend.
OfThe Earth th-cam.com/video/mdxtcvgRGSs/w-d-xo.html I first heard his story from this interview. There’s a good collection of FGC interviews here
I frowned upon seeing the near 20m mark. Figured I'd just watch a few mins and, before I realized, I was near finish :) Top quality content, boys, one of your best so far.
I have even more respect for this man
"You can't beat a REAL fighter"... I cried right there... Thank you for helping me appreciate these personalities :)
I will admit that this hit close to home for me. Ryan is a highly respectable man, and in many ways, VERY lucky. The streets are mean, they always have been... and being a teen/20-something, down on your luck, in the middle of a sprawling city... it's alot.
Yet, it does make a person stronger. Not a good way to go about it, and it does destroy (to the point of killing) others whom can't make it but it makes you stronger indeed. And Ryan has a mental fortitude that is scary. I got to say, this story makes me a fan of him.
Also something that this highlights is something that I think is important. Games as a social space, which the arcades were at it's core. I honestly think that one of the bigger reasons that arcades died has little to do with the games and EVERYTHING to do with the people...
@Daniel_Rosen, @ASotula
One good work. Two, I wonder if you guys ever investigated that... the social spaces for games. I feel that it might be important to let others know how important it is to have a social space for games, because they are dying I feel.
Its like where the main character is lvl 100, then the sequel comes in and he's back to lvl1 again
Wow . Didn’t know this. I have even more respect for him
A pioneer of the FGC nothing but respect for him.
We ‘knew’ him back in the day as he used to come to Goodge St arcade to play Tekken and SF and also we used to bump into each other at Vegas. Had no idea what he was going through during this time, he was always a bit reserved and a loner, he came and played and then left. While I did take some games off him back when Tekken was young, it was clear he was a genius at almost every fighting game and he would always rack up the wins. Glad that he has found his path!
Not going to lie. When Ryan had that new challenger in that store in Japan, I thought the host was going to say it was Daigo, not the shopkeeper.
This ain't anime lmao
The Hollanesian top 10 anome moment
To be fair... That old man probably played Daigo at some point. He went 2-3. Barely losing xD
The old guy likely trained Daigo.
Top 10 legend for sure if not Top 5. His diverse knowledge on different fighting games plus his vocal skills simply amazes me. He is definitely one of a kind.
Props to the people who helps him.
Everyone has struggles. Puts your life in perspective hearing what other people have been through. From one human to another hope you're all doing alright.
I absolutely love seeing people who overcome such adversity and rise to become one of the greatest
Awesome video, thank you! ☺️
it really speaks to his character that instead of going oh everyone needs to suffer like i have. he realizes how much that sucks and wants to make it a more positive experience for everyone.
Man, I had no idea. When I saw Ryan, I thought he came from a well off family and he himself was an honor roll student. I already liked this man since the first time I heard him speak. I am so disappointed that we live in a world where he had to endure homelessness and hunger. It's not right. I am glad he made it through. Bless the people who helped him.
Motivating as hell, I've dealt with homelessness personally to a lesser extent, seeing people get out of it is one thing, seeing them get out of it doing something they love is a whole other beast. Very uplifting.
Put some respect on this man goddammit he's a legend!
I feel like these stories are extremely rare. It takes a genuinely strong and adaptable and resiliant person to go through all of that and result in wanting to share loving experiences and all that instead of despair and vengeance. 10/10
That story is one of a kind.
Thanks for sharing
Much respect to that dude
One of the most articulate and smart guys in the fgc. His insight goes beyond understanding games, as he plays so many different fighting games, but also understanding people. Usually the smartest guy in the room.
I have nothing but respect for this guy.
Cheers
I fight for a better world. No one can ever go through such a situation like that again.
What an incredible story. I really respect that his response to it now is, "No-one should need to suffer like I did in order to grow like I did", as opposed to the frustratingly common, "I suffered, so only those who suffer too deserve to get what I have."
Something that jumps out at me is how homelessness differs from place to place. I'm originally from South Africa, and the idea of being able to travel, or even just have something fun to do, while homeless is basically unknown to that country. This is not at all meant to discredit his experience at all; I just think it's interesting. "Geography is destiny", as Adam Ragusea likes to say.
Anyway, I don't read manga, but I might read a manga about this story.
Man i feel for what we had to go through in life , i dont understand why god lets these things happen to good people . im so happy hes in a much better place in life . wish you nothing but the best ryan
Seen this before, but I don't mind to watch it again.
Same
Just started watching this channel. Never heard of this guy but he seems so genuine. You can definitely tell he has lived the life he described. The world needs more people like him.
Mad respect to the man. A very inspiring story.
Holy cow I never knew Ryan Hart was homeless. What an FGC legend. The amount of love and strength that takes it crazy
What kind of person dislikes this video? Great guy, great story.
Glad channels like theScroe esports exist. Didn't follow FGC every and wasn't aware of this legend. Thank you for sharing stories like these. It gives me hope and makes my day where everything is negative and feels hopeless.
One of my favorite videos you guys have produced and that means a lot. You guys are one of my favorite channels.
Having Ryan around the UK scene growing up, I had no idea he was from Croydon, like me, and no idea he was homeless, but there was always some crazy energy about him, like every single match counted. And because he was always crowded by masses of people, it's almost impossible to assume he was alone. I think it all makes sense now, what a respectable guy.
Absolute beast of a player and a good guy, big respect to him
I've had the chance and the honor to meet him in Greece last September in person (his phone has a selfie with us 2 together!) and I gotta say I have never in my life met a more lively, uplifting, nice and happy person than Ryan. He is such a delight to talk to and discuss with. I never knew his story and how he became what he became up until now and it's truly inspiring to see him do today all these things that he back then thought was the stuff of dreams. Super inspirational person, I hope I get to see him again one day.
It's not "Ryan Hart is known as one of the greatest fighting game players to ever come out of Europe", it's "Ryan Hart is one of the greatest fighting game players ever"
This
*Goat*
Nah
@Tony Montana Dude ain't even gonna respond to you.
Yes dealing with loneliness is the worst thing ever. Im happy im able to go back home and be with family.
This Guy should do a TedTalk.
Seriously tho- it's amazing!!
Right? I have seen my fair share of shitty TED talks, but this top material. The world is full of interesting people.
Wow, I’ve known ryan hart for about 10 years, I’ve seen him at tournaments and never thought he would have such a eye watering story, but now I know why he was such a inspiring person. He’s background story really has a meaning to me. God bless
Man I seen you once or twice back in the days in Croydon in inShop, playing kof with Kevin, you done well for yourself man, Respect!
I had no idea he went through such a terrible time. I am glad he got trough it.
the legendary ryan hart. im still remembering those lightning fast wavedash mishima since tekken tag 1 days! this guy is on par (if not better) with those korean gods. also this video is top notch. fighting game is the side topics. is more about real life! congrats to the thescore esports team on this video!
Marvelous and very heartfelt story. This man was a "hungry " fighter! Oh You will be roughed up bad by this man in a bout for sure!!!
Next up: the man who used fighting games to get into homelessness, DSP
😂
🤣🤣
I'm dying bruh
Fuuuuuck that's brutal hahahaha
sorry, can someone explain?
I want to be there for you man. And you have had that outlet since the early 90's. I watched you. And I rooted for you always. You didn't grab the bull by the horns. Many people prior to you and after did just that. Don't cry foul. Cry because you were the best, and people like me looked at you as the best. You couldn't keep up. And that's ok. Life turns. Don't blame. Adapt. And that is what makes us unique. Fighting games is an adaptive process and a culture. I still hear your name and will dive straight it as a fan. You always will be the eu great.
i know him just from some interview on csgo event
what a story
MASSIVE and I mean it, MASSIVE respect to this guy, to overcome so much for your dreams deserves nothing but respect
No one hates Ryan Hart . Im 24 and im still a fan to him .
Ryan is the embodiment of a hero. I'm very happy for him
He is a living legend
The guy who sneaks him food is a real superhero.
the epitome of “from zero to hero”
Minus the "just like that" part
Sadass to badass
I never heard of him but I’m happy he achieved so much success. He seems like an extremely humble and cool dude.
Mainstream media:
“i’m gonna pretend i haven’t seen anything”
F.B.I faxx
you forgot the period after the "I"
It's a shame that arcades are slowly dying but they will always be loved
To the person who stole his PlayStation. You deserve to step on a lego
Ik how he feels. I woke up one day at 13 and my mom and dad oded. And had to live on the streets for awhile until my friend offered me to stay with him. Ever since then now I got a wife a steady job and bought my on house. I'm 24 now and I'm perfectly happy.
The tournament is designed to exclude most players by narrowing it down to the best and then rewarding only that person. People who play video games their whole life and think they are going to do it for a living, and do not develop a real skill the market has a demand for, are in for a rude awakening and may actually become homeless themselves. I don't recommend people try making a career of playing video games. If you coincidentally become good enough without having to struggle, or already having nothing to lose then go for it I suppose, but don't suffer any more than you have to.
You gotta be a baddddddddd mother to win Those tourneys
huh. imo u dont become good enough at games to make a living for it "coincidentally" bruh
@@eclectikeclectik1405 Well, you'd be mistaken then. You see, most of our capabilities depend on our health and genetics. Whether someone is good at a game or not is not entirely based on their willingness to develop it as a skill. They must also have naturally fast reaction times, as the result of healthy and superior neuro biology. I realize people want to take pride in the hard work that they do to get good at something, but the average person discounts the fact that some people have better "hardware" than others.. so programming your "software" to solve the puzzles is... there's a lot more to it than that. It's an oversimplification to say that people should just "git gud" at ANYTHING. I can tell you to "git gud" at running, but unless you have a tall, long legged build biologically, you're probably not going to win.. ever.. that is if you plan to compete seriously.
Fighting games make uplifting stories and also makes people go from zero to hero and somebody in the long road.
If you liked this you will love Ryan's interview with BornFree. It's about an hour covering most of Ryan's life in fighting games.
Even if this is 1 year old and I do not know anything about Ryan hart I can relate to his situation by the tiniest piece in terms of personal problems.
With all this corona happening I lost my job and I went total lonely and my „friends“ seemed to loose respect on me more and more 2020 past.
I fell into a deep mental hole and locked myself in my room for days, weeks, months. It was very hard getting out of it and I still do have problems with it now after even getting a job etc. My friends didn‘t help me or try anything to cheer me up or get a job.
I got humbled in the probably hardest way I ever was in my life. But it got me into a very humble and fighting games loving person because I’ve met many new people and friend groups.
You’re very motivating Ryan. Even now and will ever be :)