It's been a while since I wrote anything, but the advent of the League of Legends Season 3 World Championship prompted me to return to a topic that is very important to me. Gaming, and gamers are often ostracized by society. When I played World of Warcraft, family and friends didn't understand that when I committed to play with a group of people, I put that commitment above other events. Playing games professionally is also looked down upon, and if I mention that I'm planning on spending some time watching high-level games I get really confused looks.
Now, when I raided in WoW, it was for two hours, two times per week in a group of ten. I promised to be there, and to do a particular job, so that the nine other people could get their entertainment. If I wasn't going to be raiding, I might hang out with a couple friends, five or six at the upper end. If it was the other way around, I would hang out with my friends that I had promised that I would spend time with, and tell my guild-mates that I would have to play another time. Even hard-core raiders, who may spend up to eight hours a day for a five days straight (or more!) often clear their calendars in advance. However, they usually only have that burst of action once every few months, and it usually isn't that long. After that massive initial investment, they have a much smaller commitment. What it boils down to is that the other players are real people that gamers make promises and commitments too and treat them just as they do their friends that they have met in real life.
Professional gamers can make a living off of their chosen game. To get to that level, it takes enormous dedication, but through prizes and sponsorships, a player can pay their bills. Until recently, professional gaming was not viable. However, with the advent of live streaming, eSports has boomed and consequently, both prize pools and ad revenue have increased. Companies like Blizzard, Riot and Valve have massive incomes and can offer prize purses in the millions. They are able to host leagues that last several months with hundreds of games played culminating in a World Championship akin the World Series or the Superbowl. They average broadcast of the LCS (League Championship Series - the League of Legends tournament) has a bit over 100,000 viewers- about the same as a MLB game. In addition to the NA and EU Leagues, both China and Korea have their own tournament series, which pull in similar (or better numbers). eSports is a growing field, and consequently, the better players are able to support themselves.
Now, I have to admit that I'm one of those viewers of the League of Legends and Star Craft 2 when they're played professionally. In the past two days alone, I've seen easily 15 hours of League games. Now, this is an abnormal amount, with the World Championship going on, but during the average week, I could probably find about that much footage to watch at my leisure. Because of the nature of the product- streamed games, VoDs (Videos on Demand) are easily available and nearly always free. In addition to being able to easily see high quality and exciting games, I can learn from watching. I play League of Legends and Star Craft. When the commentators point out a particular strategy or short cut, I can take that knowledge and use it when I play the game.
Now, talking about watching games would usually lead me into a discussion about attention and how games are good for your brain, but I feel like I've written enough. I also initially wanted to talk about the accesibility of games, particularly eSports, but again, I ran out space. So I'll talk about the trash talking and incomprehensible language of games later.
No comments:
Post a Comment