Editing Fighting game (section)

=== Emergent gameplay elements ===
==== Turtling and zoning ====
{{further|Turtling (gameplay)}}
Especially in 2D, zoning is defensive play that focuses on using relatively risk-free attacks to keep the opposing player away. The object is to force an opponent to take significant risks to approach the zoning player's character, or to stall out the in-game timer, which causes the player with more health (typically the one doing the zoning) to win. The effectiveness of the latter strategy varies from game to game, based on the effectiveness of zoning tools as well as the length of the in-game timer and the rewards characters can receive for successfully landing a hit when countering zoning.

====Rushdown====
{{further|Rush (video games)}}
The opposite of [[Turtling (gameplay)|turtling]], rushdown refers to a number of specific aggressive strategies, philosophies, and play styles across all fighting games. The general goal of a rushdown play style is to overwhelm the opponent and force costly mistakes, either by using fast, confusing setups or by taking advantage of an impatient opponent as they are forced to play defense for prolonged periods of time. Rushdown players often favor attacking opponents in the corner of a stage or as they get up from a knockdown; both situations severely limit the options of the opponent and often allow the attacking player to force high-risk guessing scenarios.

==== Spacing and footsies ====
Spacing is the act of positioning a character at a range where their attacks and movement tools carry the lowest risk and the highest reward. The concept is somewhat akin to that of [[Footwork (martial arts)|footwork]] in martial arts. The desired position for play varies based on what tools are available to the character each player is currently using. As a result of this, a concept called "footsies" has emerged, frequently defined as players jockeying for position and using low-commitment moves at distances where neither character has a particular advantage.<ref>{{cite web |last=infil |date=May 18, 2021 |title=Footsies |url=https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Footsies |access-date=July 19, 2022 |website=Fighting Game Glossary}}</ref>

==== Pressure ====
Depending on the game, character, and move used, a player may be rewarded for a decisive blow with a strong positional advantage, strong enough that the rewarded player can minimize the number of viable moves available to the other player. Doing so, and then taking advantage of the opponent's limited options, is called pressure. Common forms of pressure include making a player guess whether they should block high or low, or keeping the opposing player trapped in the corner and punishing any attempts to escape.