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[Column] General: Shining a Beacon on PvP
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
PvP is gaining momentum in "mainstream" society as more and more gamers take part. In a new column at MMORPG, we take a look at possible ways to get some broadcast channel coverage of our favorite eSports. Check it out before heading to the comments to share your ideas.
There’s nothing quite like sitting smack dab in the middle of a live event. During BlizzCon in 2010 and 2011, I sat in the midst of thousands of roaring fans watching the Starcraft and Warcraft tournaments. I remember feeling as though the convention center itself might shake from our clapping and cheering. The crowds were relentless! People kept shouting, moving in and out of their seats, popping in and out of my periphery. I could see the projection screens and flashing cameras, and heard the tangle of high and low voices. The fans were cumbersome. Between the gasping, the sudden boos and cheers, and the ardent clapping, it felt equally as epic as the SuperBowl or any UFC match. But when comparing mainstream televised sports with e-sports, I couldn’t help but be bothered by how many people are still unfamiliar with these incredible events—the events of pro-gaming.
Read more Genese Davis: Shining a Beacon on PvP.
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Comments
Arena PvP, "e-Sport PvP", and "Instanced PvP" is everything that is wrong with PvP in my opinion.
Ultimately, if rewards were removed from Battlegrounds, Arenas, and Warzones, nobody would play them. Why? Because the concept of playing the same small instance over and over again is ******* boring.
I want to get lost in my MMORPG. I want to live out my avatar for a short while. Structured PvP is just too artificial. There is no element of surprise and it's just not fun (redundant).
Deep World PvP is the future and I want to see more of that - World PvP done right.
I've done the "e-sport" thing via FPS. I made a lot of money and won a lot of prizes. In fact, I used some of my winnings to purchase my wife (girlfriend at the time) a nice diamond engagement ring.
"e-sports" work for FPS. While virtual gaming is a joke to being with, FPS does offer entertainment due to watching the twitch, reflex, and accuracy of a live player. In my day (quit in 2008), hordes of people would just sit behind me during my 1v1's via Unreal Tournament.
Where is the excitement in WoW's e-sports? "Oh! Look how fast he can click tab!". I know that it requires a lot of team coordination, but it's just not exciting to watch.
MMO ESPORTS is DUMB.
If there is any pro gaming, it will take off via console.
What name did you go by via Quake II? Do you play Quake Live? If so, let me know. We can play some
Mmo pvp should embrace its mmoishness e.g. eve, daoc.
"PvP is gaining momentum in "mainstream" society as more and more gamers take part."
Alright, I'm going to stop you right there. PvP has always been mainstream, and what has separated mmo's from mainstream gaming was, at least for a time, a level of sophistication and maturity. It's mmo's that have become more mainstream, and players who don't care about the finer points of mmo enjoyment have come in with their expectation to compete in e-peen waving contests in instanced maps, capturing flags and teabagging each other. Yes, mmos have had a long history of conflict. To call both such conflicts and e-sports PvP is to call an apple an orange.
Your enthusiasm is nice, but it's unrealistic to expect e-sports to compete with the spectacles of football or UFC.
1 - you wouldn't go to a venue to watch e-sports live. I mean, you might, but you might as well watch it on your computer, streamed over the internet, in the privacy of your own room - because there's nothing exciting about watching a live person click a mouse punch keys and stare at a screen. You want the game view and the gamer's perspective - so just watch it on your own screen.
2 - I agree with KingofHartz: watching someone who has dedicated their life to winning a virtual game seems less inspirational then someone who's dedicated their life to some kind of physical achievement or competition. Take someone like Michael Phelps wth superior strength and power in swimming, his intense training and daily regiment of diet and exercise, and the amazing record breaking feats he's accomplished. It's awe-inspiring! 99% of people think "I could never do that." On the other hand, you have fatty McCheetos over here, with the best Counter Strike ranking in the world and a $2,000 mouse, and record-breaking twitch reflexes, honed from hardcore CS gaming over the past 15 years. Seems less impressive, but that's just my opinion - and probably the stereotype you're try to fight tbh.
3 - As for those garbage reality shows like The Ultimate Fighter and American Idol - they only exist to create more drama and hype for the real spectacle - the competition itself. They're cheap to produce, heavily staged, and work to polarize the audience. Furthermore, they almost always further the worst of stereotyps through editing! Ask yourself, is a reality show about Pro Gamers going to change society's opinion on the world of e-sports? If anything, I would expect it to be detrimental.
Professional gaming is doing fine, and increasing in popularity as younger generations trend toward online streaming services and international competitions gather more contestants.
I see a natural progression in the next 20-30 years and who knows, maybe Time Warner will offer their own e-sports channel someday, with commercials peddaling marijuana brands (just like beer and football). As far as this call to action, unneccessary. These things need time, not reform.
E-sports is like professional TV watching. It's a leisure activity, not a sport.
All in my humble opinion, of course.
Currently playing: GW2 (Maguuma), DAoC (Uthgard), & Aion
Waiting For / Watching: TUG, CU, Black Desert, Archeage,Wildstar, and ESO.
No bitchers.
I disagree. Those who are better at games are better because they put their time and energy into it. This is especially true in FPS. It took me years of hardcore playing to get to level I play at today. The problem is that if a person puts 4 hours per day in boxing training as opposed to playing some online shooter, the boxing person is much more respected. Pro gaming has and always will be a joke to most people.
I can see it now:
"The Teabag Bowl!"
Back in the day I was one of my city's top Starcraft 1 players but this was back in 2003-2004.. couldn't go pro because there was almost no support structure and I had to choose between being a pro-gamer and school in the end.
To anyone who says E-sports are not true sports: First try and beat a world class chess player then do the same with a world class starcraft 1 or starcraft 2 player, or try and beat a pro tennis player and then jump into a 1vs1 vs a World of Tanks pro gamer. You will quickly see just how close the sentiment of being outclassed is between cyber sports and real world sports and indeed the difference between the two is one of application and of perception but in the end these sportsmen train with the same intensity (part of the reason why I had to choose between pro-gaming and school is that the training schedual for a starcraft 1 pro gamer is around 8-9 hours of practice and honing his skills in terms of micromanagement and macromanagement which left ass all time for anything else).
Gave up sports when "dem bums" left Brooklyn. At times I wonder if folks are more concerned about their home team than their home planet. Meanwhile, now that gun control was defeated in congress perhaps more people will be motivated to get off their butts and vote the jerks out of office. 99% can accomplish a lot if they want to.. Yeah, I do play games, so many in fact I remain an "Isolit" throughout them all........
I'd say that MMOs are becoming less MMO and more a lobby for joining in Co-Op or a MOBA or something like that.. MMOs and eSports should have very little to do with each other. What the hell is the point of having a massive persistant online world, when you spend most of your time in a minigame that resets and has no effect on the world. Might as well be playing a MOBA or an FPS. Or if PvE is your bag you could be playing Diablo 3 or POE or whatever.
Its disgusting what has happened to MMOs in the last 10 years. The genre has changed into something that was done so much better by single or multi player games.
I have been a gamer since the mid 80s, I L O V E video games...but I wouldnt watch someone else playing a video game anymore than I would want to watch someone Golf...or cut grass.
Its boring. Sure, CHECKING OUT a new game via watching someone play it, thats fine...for a short period of time. And no, I will never call a pro-gamer an athelete and thus I will not call playing video games a sport.
I find the fact that "Professional Video Game Players" actually exist to be, well, ridiculous.
It is a niche marketing strategy at best and I believe the reason it wont go mainstream is because the game producers have found it only has limited benefits to the marketing of their products. In other words, it does not make much, if any, money.
I love video games, they are alot of fun but they are not sports. Sporting activities all have some benefit, playing video games for extended periods is actually very bad for a persons physical health, and probably their mental health as well.
Um, no thanks.
Sitting around watching someone click a button, even if they are really good at it, isn't particularly entertaining (to be fair, Golf isn't either but at least it's done outdoors in the fresh air).
If I'm interested in a particular video game...I can just play the game...not watch some other guy playing a game, even if I don't do it as well.
Baseball, Football, Hockey, etc.....at least involve physical activities that involve training and coordination accross alot of different areas....things that require full time dedication for an athelete....and frankly I think we make too much of them as it is.
I'd rather watch something a bit less trivial.