In a crowded, dimly lit arcade in downtown Lahore, 16 of the finest Tekken players in the world are battling it out for $3,500 and the title of champion.

On screen, their avatars throw punches and roundhouse kicks with exaggerated sound effects. But in person, the atmosphere is friendly – between rounds, the contestants clap each other on the back, offer tips on mastering the video game, and analyze matches on a flatscreen TV.

Players from America, Japan, and South Korea have historically dominated the Tekken franchise, launched in 1996 and now in its eighth iteration. The emergence of Pakistan – with its chronic electricity outages and economic insecurity – came as a surprise to the global Tekken community.

Why We Wrote This

A retro video game has become an unlikely source of national

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