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WTF?! A Street Fighter tournament is taking place in Japan later this month that will have a unique rule: competitors who don't get enough sleep before proceedings begin will be penalized by losing points for every hour of shuteye they miss. The reason for all this strangeness is that the tournament is being held by a pharmaceutical company as part of its Active Sleep Project.
The aptly named Sleep Fighter tournament is being held by SS Pharmaceuticals. You don't often see pharmaceutical companies holding gaming events, but this one is a little different.
The tournament, which takes place on August 31, will see just four teams consisting of three players each battling each other in Street Fighter 6. The big difference in this tournament is that players are required to get at least six hours of sleep every day for the entire week before the tournament. That's 42 hours per person and 126 hours for an entire team.
For every hour that a team is below the 126-hour mark when the tournament begins, they will have 5 points deducted from their score. Players will measure their sleep time using a device provided by the tournament, so they can't just lie about how much sleep they've had – though they could be unsporting and make someone else wear it.
Teams that get more sleep will also receive an advantage; if there is a tie at the end of the three matches that each team plays, the one with the most total sleep hours can choose the details of the ExtraMatch tiebreaker.
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The Active Sleep Project is an initiative highlighting the importance of getting enough sleep. "Sleep is not just for getting rid of daily fatigue," states the Sleep Fighter website. "Because it gives our bodies and minds the power to challenge ourselves." Pro gamers, and hardcore gamers in general, tend to sacrifice sleep in favor of more hours in front of a screen, even though it can negatively impact their performance.
If you want to watch what will be a Street Fighter 6 tournament filled with presumably very awake and alert players, check out the Sleep Fighter website and the official X account.