Topic: eSports

[cim-pim-param]

How big is it?



honestly dont know where to create this topic...

[Zaffarious]

haha, esports makes it to rawk. what a proud day :D

I used to be part of the whole esports thing, miss it alot. played for some of the biggest teams in the world, got to travel around the world too. Some of the best times i ever had to be honest. the scene is massive in Korea and now America. MLG is coming to the Uk soon so should be interesting.

the main problem esports has is that for it to truley be a sport, the game has to be hard and challanging (Starcraft 2, Quake 3, CS, RTCW, Painkiller) but has to also be understandable to some degree by the normal person. I always think that a normal person will just watch an esport and be like "right well that guy is shooting that guy, cool he wins" without actually understanding the game and exactly how amazingly skilled these players are. Sc2 for example has a ridiculous skill ceiling that is mind boggling to be honest.

Basically its like watching a football match with the general public.

[cim-pim-param]

MLG is coming to the Uk soon so should be interesting.

Where did you heard that?

[AJ4Seven]

How big is it?

If Valve are interested in it(& the seem to be) it is only going to get bigger.

[Zaffarious]

Where did you heard that?

MLG offical press release.

[lfcshaunod]

Whats esports?

[AJ4Seven]

Whats esports?

"Electronic Sports".

[DanFromMars]

haha, esports makes it to rawk. what a proud day :D

I used to be part of the whole esports thing, miss it alot. played for some of the biggest teams in the world, got to travel around the world too. Some of the best times i ever had to be honest. the scene is massive in Korea and now America. MLG is coming to the Uk soon so should be interesting.

the main problem esports has is that for it to truley be a sport, the game has to be hard and challanging (Starcraft 2, Quake 3, CS, RTCW, Painkiller) but has to also be understandable to some degree by the normal person. I always think that a normal person will just watch an esport and be like "right well that guy is shooting that guy, cool he wins" without actually understanding the game and exactly how amazingly skilled these players are. Sc2 for example has a ridiculous skill ceiling that is mind boggling to be honest.

Basically its like watching a football match with the general public.

Part of the problem to make esports competitive and taken seriously is also a balancing issue. esports generally run on a principle of equal balance from either side. If one side has an unfair advantage, foul play is whinged and geek tears are shed.

[Kochevnik]

So it's a video game thing?  Wasn't there some American "professional gaming" thing that started a few years ago?  Has it been a success?

I honestly can't imagine paying money to watch other people play video games, no matter how difficult the "skill ceiling" is.

[AJ4Seven]

So it's a video game thing?  Wasn't there some American "professional gaming" thing that started a few years ago?  Has it been a success?

I honestly can't imagine paying money to watch other people play video games, no matter how difficult the "skill ceiling" is.

That's a fair viewpoint(neither would I) but people have said similar things to me about the money I have spent watching sport over the years.

It is still pretty small in the States, but is pretty big in Korea(you can buy DVD compilations of the best players etc) as they reguarly draw big crowds.

[cim-pim-param]

THis is old, but a good watch http://www.wipido.com/video/465

[AJ4Seven]

THis is old, but a good watch http://www.wipido.com/video/465

This is my favourite moment;  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7cW2nMf1gk , but unless you have played SFIII you won't really understand the crowd reaction.

[mbroon]

So it's a video game thing?  Wasn't there some American "professional gaming" thing that started a few years ago?  Has it been a success?

I honestly can't imagine paying money to watch other people play video games, no matter how difficult the "skill ceiling" is.

I don't know about America, but in Korea - where I know even Swedish people go to play video games professionaly - the best players can earn $100,000+/year in salary alone. Add to that prize money, bonuses, sponsor contracts, TV money etc. and their annual income can potentially reach millions.

[Baraka]

ah I still remember my dota days ;-). fun times.

my favourite was still mechwarrior league play (not pro, too small a community) had lots of fun .

I do watch a lot of SC2 matches though, seeing the pro's play is quite mind boggling at times how fucking good they are.

[hesbighesred]

Sc2 for example has a ridiculous skill ceiling that is mind boggling to be honest.

Yep. Played it a few times, found it much more enjoyable to watch than play for precisely that reason. It's like when you first try and hit the bull on a dartboard, or play snooker, you actually realise how fucking hard those games are. It has to be said it's also fun to watch, and the commentary's generally very good.

Nice one on the OP!

Related to football - wasn't Holden of Bolton an ex-Counterstrike: Source pro?

[hesbighesred]

I honestly can't imagine paying money to watch other people play video games, no matter how difficult the "skill ceiling" is.

Fair enough, but lets be honest here - whatever you're into sports wise, it's no more or less stupid than watching people hit hard balls with a stick, or kicking around a glorified balloon, or swimming from end to end, or running very fast, or smacking a frozen English Muffin around the ice with a stick in a Jason mask etc etc etc

[cim-pim-param]

Anyone tuning in to watch dreamhack summer?

[G1 Jockey 4(betfair)]

if people watch poker then why wouldnt they watch proffesionals playign games?

[HighSix]

I had no idea people even watched people playing games apart from in the same room! Are there celebrities in the video gaming world?

[cim-pim-param]

I had no idea people even watched people playing games apart from in the same room! Are there celebrities in the video gaming world?

Depends on a game really...

[Foster]

Used to be into all this when I was younger, went to a LAN in the BT convention centre next to the Echo Arena a few years ago, decent weekend. Hilarious seeing some of the people who think there it on Xbox Live though when you actually see what they are like in real life.

[Bob Loblaw]

Depends on a game really...

I'd say the odour in there was pleasant.

[lachesis]

Not really got into this. Had a brief look at the CAL/CPL in Counter Strike when I was younger. Luckily enough one of my mates was caretaker down in an infants school in Cardiff, so summer holidays, about 10-12 of us would set up the computers in their hall or classrooms and just live there for a few days.

Too old now to dedicate the time to any game as I did back then.

[USC19Babel]

Anyone tuning in to watch dreamhack summer?

I'll be watching the later stages of the Starcraft 2 matches. I play myself but am amateurish at best in skill; I do, however, watch a fair few matches played by Korean pros and, as others have mentioned, it's astonishing to see how good their multitasking and decision-making is at such high speeds.

[Team Sleep]

Anyone tuning in to watch dreamhack summer?

Will definitely catch at least some of the Starcraft 2.

This is my favourite moment;  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7cW2nMf1gk , but unless you have played SFIII you won't really understand the crowd reaction.

Love the crowd reaction! This SC2 clip from game 5 of Squirtle vs MVP in the recent GSL finals, where the crowd and commentators go mental, is great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLVMbOWRDmo

[RichardM]

Bigger than a lot of people realise. Certainly bigger in Scandinavia and Asia than over here, but there's a huge following in the UK none the less. I used to play CSS competitively, it's never reached the blistering heights it once experienced under the CGS but it's slowly and steadily getting back there, with more and more salaried teams at the top.


Certainly more interesting to watch than the bloody darts!

[Wilmo]

I used to be into games, but I just can't seem to stomach them much anymore - except the odd bit of co-op Halo or Deus Ex type games. They just seem so masturbatory, I'd spend a good few hours on a computer and when I got up after to continue with life, I wasn't enriched in the slightest. Sports help you stay in good shape and have a lot of underlying strategy to supplement this exercise. Running around in itself can do wonders for your mental condition.

I don't begrudge anyone who plays games professionally or enjoys spectating. If you can make money out of something you enjoy doing then more power to you, and if watching it is your thing then fair enough.

Somehow I just can't muster up any excitement or interest in something so irrelevant and detached from actual life. If I sound like an old fart btw, I'm only 22.

[HighSix]

What is the prize money like?

[RichardM]

What is the prize money like?

It varies with games. Some of the huge tournaments venture into 6 digit territory. Where as some tournaments offer less. I'd say the average for the game I play is £20-30,000. However it's one of the lower paid games. Starcraft for example, especially in asia pays a HELL of a lot more. I mean those guys are celebrities over there.

[cim-pim-param]

What is the prize money like?

Depends on event and the game. Seen event in America for one million dollars, but in Europe I'd say the average is like 10-20k euros for first place.

[Foster]

What is the prize money like?

I know someone on Xbox who won a European CoD event, was sent to USA to play in the MLG tournament. His team came third and got $25,000 each. Their accommodation and spends were paid for.

[HighSix]

^Thanks. Really had no idea it was on such a level.

[Bob Loblaw]

http://www.twitch.tv/

Seems to be a few live streams going on. Love how serious the commentary is.

[USC19Babel]

http://www.twitch.tv/

Seems to be a few live streams going on. Love how serious the commentary is.

Believe it or not—in Starcraft 2 at least—the commentators are actually in part one of the major draws for events, and are compensated far better than any of the players.

[KopiteWD]

Whats esports?

Sports for fat people

[USC19Babel]

Sports for fat people

Not sure if you're trying to wind people up or just ignorant

[cim-pim-param]

Only know one fat player..

[DanFromMars]

I watched Sc2 MLG last weekend, packed house tournament and millions of viewers online. Games were pretty exciting, which is why I probably spent 8 odd hours watching the steam over the weekend.

[G1 Jockey 4(betfair)]

wasnt elky (one of the world best poker players) a pro games player before the switch over?

think i read he used to train in the gym before events and still does now for poker.

[Ryba]

In my opinion Starcraft is the only game that can be entertaining for a neutral to watch. I don't play the game and can still watch it without being too bored. The MLG commentators do a good job of making the game exciting. All other games, especially "MOBA" games like Dota 2 and League of Legends, are very dull to watch unless you are actually big into the game as a player. Never did enjoy watching first-person shooters either.