eSports - Not gaining comparitive traction / Too corporate?

I used to believe in the 'eSport dream' where getting paid to play games would be the best job in the world. But then I got older and got sick and tired of the cheats and disgusting attitudes in the game where people just could not be civil anymore. In fact, I would go as far as to say competitive multilayer gaming used to be quite civil from 1999-2003, but after that it started toff gain a bit more traction and the explosion of cheats/exploits began to grow.

I never considered myself pro, as I never got paid to play, but I did win a few prizes over the years. But for me personally, I ducked out of the scene as soon it became unpleasant to play in a civilised way - there was a growing level of immaturity and selfishness that I decided I would rather not be part of. And so ultimately, what I am trying to say, is until that changes I don't think it will change my opinion or other people's perception of the competitive gaming scene.
 
Saw a fair bit of nastiness back in the 1999-2003 period and the cheats really ramped up when CS started to develop a more organised competitive scene - but there wasn't the real vitriol/toxicity and so on that isn't that uncommon today :S cheating really escalated during COD4/MW2 prime where at times 60% of the players on a server would almost certainly be using ESP/Wallhacks at the very least.

I'll never forget the first ever punkbuster ban wave in quake 3 though lol - several people who were quite popular in the competitive community I played in I'd been adamant were cheating but they'd got a lot of people defending them - boom gone all in one go.
 
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Shamikebab said:
Plenty of casting studios have sponsors, either general ones for the studio or individual ones for certain tournaments. And no they aren't in an office. If it's an online tournament they'll be in their studio, if it's a LAN tournament then they're generally in the arena/gaming area.
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My point wasn't whether it was called an 'office' or a 'stuido' or any other form of hair splitting. My point was the need esports has to justify itself as a 'sport' which I highlighted with a single example of commentators wearing headsets.
 
Shamikebab said:
except gaming is nothing like wrestling. Esports is aimed at gamers, gamers use nicknames. Who do you think they should be appealing to exactly?
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remember to get bigger they need more money which will come from companies who promote the games / events.

this is where names need to be right and why some prolific people have been talking about it recently.

names can be very important.
 
Rroff said:
Saw a fair bit of nastiness back in the 1999-2003 period and the cheats really ramped up when CS started to develop a more organised competitive scene - but there wasn't the real vitriol/toxicity and so on that isn't that uncommon today :S cheating really escalated during COD4/MW2 prime where at times 60% of the players on a server would almost certainly be using ESP/Wallhacks at the very least.

I'll never forget the first ever punkbuster ban wave in quake 3 though lol - several people who were quite popular in the competitive community I played in I'd been adamant were cheating but they'd got a lot of people defending them - boom gone all in one go.
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The problem is, cheating in 1999-2003 was quite obvious despite how much more prevalent it became when cheats started to become more available. If someone was aimboting or wall hacking it was rather obvious. But as soon as competitive multilayer gaming started to grow, cheating evolved further. People started to turn to cheating to win by any means possible. Players starting to toggle wall hacking/esp in competitive matches to have an edge but not appear too obvious. Then when anticheats started getting good, players then turned to private cheats that could bypass the anticheat software. This created a great level of distrust and paranoia I felt in the community, and someone who you might know could also be secretly cheating secretly right under your nose either within your own team or your opponents'. This for me is where it started becoming toxic and no longer enjoyable.

I think it also shows the extent to which cheating has grown as a whole in more recent years as well, where you have more known pro players who have been caught cheating for periods, in the need to keep the 'edge' over their opponents - not exactly a good message to send to the community.
 
Whats the point in using real names ? eSports is the benchmark for all things cringe and the only people who watch it or take it seriously (in western society at least) are hardcore gamers and i doubt they care one bit about people using real names. Using real names isn't going to suddenly legitimise esports to the average person.
 
brings real identity to the players you idolize and a closer link to them without any risk for business.

money is the key to whether esport titles suceed.
 
~>Dg<~ said:
remember to get bigger they need more money which will come from companies who promote the games / events.

this is where names need to be right and why some prolific people have been talking about it recently.

names can be very important.
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They need more money? TI7 just had an almost $21m dollar prize pool. I'm sure that was really hampered by the fact they didn't use their real names.
 
Gimpymoo said:
/RANT.

It does however seem that the majority of those playing games have ZERO interest in watching/following competitive gaming.
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Yeah and tbh I'm not sure why this surprises you?

Those of us who are into gaming as our primary hobby, like the medium because it's interactive, in a way that watching a movie or reading a book isn't.

So why do you think more gamers would be interested in passively watching people play games? Or should be, in your opinion...

As much as I *love* gaming, the only time I watch other people playing is the (very) occasional speed-run, or a really, really old game I missed (and cba emulating), or to pick up tips/strategy when I'm stuck.

eSports is a massive turn-off for me. But with the new generation of kids growing up watching PewDiePie and others, perhaps you'll get your wish in the not-too-distant future. There are as many young kids these days watching people play games on YT as actually play the games themselves. But I think they're weirdos :p
 
spoffle said:
No to them all.
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If you're claiming horse racing isn't a sport based on your earlier definition about there being a lack of physical exertion, then I'm guessing you've never ridden a horse.

Similarly, driving a car might not sound physically strenuous, but I imagine being able to do a race of 70 laps or so, at incredible speeds sharing a track with x amount of other similarly competitive racers, is not something for the faint of heart.

Back on topic, I have never been interested in competitive gaming personally, so the eSports thing isn't for me. Would much rather play a computer game and enjoy it, rather than watch.

Also, I hate the effect that the "competitive" culture has on games. It seems that many FPS games strive to cater to the "pro gamer", who want a completely level playing field in order that the only measure of competitiveness is individual skill. Which often means over simplified game mechanics at the expense of authenticity and immersion. If you prefer that, good on you, but its not for me.

Also, the earlier points about the behavior of some of these players...I abhor that culture of egotistic, arrogant ******s to whom the only thing that matters is their KDR.
 
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DONOHUE07 said:
This...maybe it's because I'm now in my 30's, but this whole Esports thing just seems ridiculous too me
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See, i'm in my 30s but i do enjoy watching the big name events for MOBA and strategy games (Blizzcon for Starcraft, The International for DOTA2), mainly because these people play at a level I would never be interested in trying to achieve, but some of the tactics (item order, build order) are interesting to watch and try to emulate. Very similar to watching chess games/other competitive board games.
I have never been able to watch an FPS though.. i find those absolutely tedious.. tried with CS, tried reading about it in the Quake/Fatal1ty days (wonder what happened to that guy). Loved to play them.. but could never get into watching them.
 
Got rich and retired on all the hardware he put his moniker on:)

In truth I'm replying to this to agree with conscript in part. 'over simplified game mechanics at the expense of authenticity and immersion'. 'I abhor that culture of egotistic, arrogant ******s to whom the only thing that matters is their KDR'

Pretty much why I don't bother with online games/fps these days. Maybe an age thing, remembering the days where non of that existed.

Something did make me wonder on the topic of e'sports though. A podcast I listen to, it got a mention esports in the world of VR. Actual physical exertion... even now you could do that with a lot of sports games in VR. Boxing games, table tennis off the top of the head. I currently play pinball in VR, it requires exactly the same skillset as playing a physical machine. I go to tourneys where we lug 20 odd machines to a location. As much as that is a social thing, the 'e' version is no different in terms of the ability you need.
 
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