For those who have not used the internet in the recent years, E-Sports comprises the competitive play of video games. Other terms include competitive gaming, professional gaming and cybersports. Games that are played as electronic sports normally belong to the real-time strategy (RTS), fighting, first-person shooter (FPS), massively-multiplayer online (MMOG), and racing genres. They are played competitively at amateur, semi-professional and professional levels including in leagues and tournaments.
Do you believe E-Sports can be taken seriously by the general population of non-gamers? (in the sense of people who watch NFL are not football players)
Do you believe that a High School can have E-Sports teams that compete with other schools similar to Football, Soccer, or Hockey.
Basically essentially can you ever see E-Sports becoming almost as large as Sports?
I'n my opinion I see nothing wrong with E-sports being equivalent to Sports as they are quite similar in their simplest forms. However I don't see E-Sports becoming nearly as popular as Sports in the USA within the next 10 years.
I could see E-sports becoming as popular if not more so than regular sports, way in the fucking future.
[QUOTE=soulharvester;33652315]I could see E-sports becoming as popular if not more so than regular sports, way in the fucking future.[/QUOTE]
That's basically a given as our society develops more technology but what about within the next say 10 years? You can see people are passionate about it...
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3aDGqgEOb4[/media]
A pub in the UK devoted simply to Starcraft.
[editline]10th December 2011[/editline]
What the heck happened to media tags?
I can see it definitely getting as big, but for the general population, it's harder to get into. With most sports the objective is fairly simple, "put item 'a' in basket/goal" and "go from A to B". Though, with the most popular esport I know (starcraft 2) the objective is clear, but the gameplay is fairly complex with a lot of things to fully understand before one can enjoy watching it.
I started watching Starcraft 2 Pro a while back and I had no idea what was going on; later I bought the game and learnt most of the basic tactics, and now it's really fun to watch.
[QUOTE=MadPro119;33652328]That's basically a given as our society develops more technology but what about within the next say 10 years? You can see people are passionate about it...
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z3aDGqgEOb4[/media]
A pub in the UK devoted simply to Starcraft.
[editline]10th December 2011[/editline]
What the heck happened to media tags?[/QUOTE]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3aDGqgEOb4[/media]
Doesn't work if you leave in the feature=player_embedded&
A good video on E-Sports/Pro-Gaming: [url]http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/pro-gaming[/url]
Although in my opinion, its not very entertaining to watch people play video games. I don't see competitive gaming being taken seriously to the general public for quite awhile.
There is no reason a group of people cannot be as passionate about competitive gaming as someone else is about sports.
Even though now the level of interactivity we have so far goes so far as motion-control or something like the eye-toy or kinect; imagine with future innovations how passionate and immersed one may just get about their vidya gaems
Watching someone in E-sports are just as stupid as watching professional sports is. Why would I watch someone play baseball when I can easily do it myself and have a much more fun time?
The only exception is watching this
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSGW7CwD5GM[/media]
Games are always changing and innovating. I don't think many games will ever be able to handle a complete audience long enough for it to become something regular on your home television.
Some games like Starcraft last so long because most of the game mechanics will always stay the same.
In terms of idea, e-sports would be amazing as you don't need to build an entire stadium for each individual game or "sport." It would be cheaper and in the end a great alternative to regular sports. Then on the other hand, if every game becomes a competitive game there is no room for innovation and gaming as a whole will become dull and lifeless. Which is one of the reasons that I dislike watching sports. Everything is just the same.
Well I mean the only reason people don't play sports rather than watch it is because it requires organization. Yeah, video games can too but for the most part, if you wanna play Street Fighter, go online and play it. Want to play Counter Strike? Go join one of the tens of thousands of servers. Want Company of Heroes? Go right ahead.
If you're too good for casual players, have a bunch of friends. One of them is bound to do some 1v1 with you.
I don't take soccer seriously, and people who do don't take gaming seriously.
And i'm fine with that. I'd love to see some vidya tournaments on TV, though. You know, during those hours they fill with reruns or useless commentary on sports channels.
I don't see E-Sports becoming even nearly close to having the coverage and attention "real" sports have, though.
To be honest I've never understood how some people can take competitive gaming to the level of calling it an e-sport. Not that i have anything against it, i have the same opinion of most sports as well.
Although that's probably because i am not a competitive gamer in the slightest.
[QUOTE=latin_geek;33653087]
I don't see E-Sports becoming even nearly close to having the coverage and attention "real" sports have, though.[/QUOTE]
I don't really agree, if E-Sports make more money than real sports at the local pub as suggested in the video above, I wouldn't be surprised if it became as popular, this things tend to come down to money in the end.
[QUOTE=badgerborne;33653409]To be honest I've never understood how some people can take competitive gaming to the level of calling it an e-sport. Not that i have anything against it, i have the same opinion of most sports as well.
Although that's probably because i am not a competitive gamer in the slightest.
I don't really agree, if E-Sports make more money than real sports at the local pub as suggested in the video above, I wouldn't be surprised if it became as popular, this things tend to come down to money in the end.[/QUOTE]
Well, google defines a sport as
An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.
Playing something like Starcraft or League of Legends does require a good deal of physical exertion but just in a different way then sports. Rather than stamina and strength needed you need agility and dexterity. However it also takes a great deal of intelligence and tactics, more I would say then other sports. The last part of the definition is easily fulfilled as well.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbpCLqryN-Q[/media]
E-Sports is already fairly big in some countries. I think it will become more 'mainstream' in the coming years in Europe and the States.
E-sports is even dumber than real sports, and I doubt that the general public will see it as any more than a novelty anytime soon.
[QUOTE=Generic.Monk;33658766]E-sports is even dumber than real sports, and I doubt that the general public will see it as any more than a novelty anytime soon.[/QUOTE]
well, to be honest I would rather watch almost any E-Sport over another sport on TV.
[QUOTE=Generic.Monk;33658766]E-sports is even dumber than real sports, and I doubt that the general public will see it as any more than a novelty anytime soon.[/QUOTE]
This is personal preference, not generally what other people will say.
Of course it will grow, and depending on what people find entertaining, then it might grow bigger than some real-life sports, people may say the same for all sports that they would rather play them than watch them, and I used to hold the same opinion, but there are always a few times I catch myself watching a real-life sport, and a e-sports match, simply because sometimes it is entertaining. Undoubtedly though, as time goes on and it gains more publicity it will appear to more audiences and more and more people will join in and watch, or even join e-sports.
Maybe some FPS games.
But one problem is understanding what is going on. With football, They just wanna get the ball to the other side. Simple.
Whereas RTS games a basic listener will be like "wtf is micromanagement? Wtf is apm?"
[QUOTE=zarthalan;33675016]Maybe some FPS games.
But one problem is understanding what is going on. With football, They just wanna get the ball to the other side. Simple.
Whereas RTS games a basic listener will be like "wtf is micromanagement? Wtf is apm?"[/QUOTE]
You don't need to be really informed at all to get a basic understanding of what happens in a SC2 game.
Nearly every unit in the game is self explanatory just by their visuals. For example Marines and Zerglings are small units that are weak alone but stronger massed up, ultralisks and thors are giant strong units that look expensive.
The gameplay is fast enough so that the games don't go on for too long, but slow enough so that people can understand what is going on.
[QUOTE=Valnar;33675224]You don't need to be really informed at all to get a basic understanding of what happens in a SC2 game.
Nearly every unit in the game is self explanatory just by their visuals. For example Marines and Zerglings are small units that are weak alone but stronger massed up, ultralisks and thors are giant strong units that look expensive.
The gameplay is fast enough so that the games don't go on for too long, but slow enough so that people can understand what is going on.[/QUOTE]
I still think a game like CS has a higher chance than Starcraft to become mainstream, just because it's simpler. Plant the bomb or defuse it if it's planted, everyone has one life, and the gun part is a bit more complex, but not really, it can be summed up as, "Save your money for better guns, more winning and kills equals more money." Starcraft 2, while that is true in a broad sense, is a lot more complex as tons of units have tons of counters and abilities, and the races all play differently, so on and so forth.
[QUOTE=Zally13;33675690]I still think a game like CS has a higher chance than Starcraft to become mainstream, just because it's simpler. Plant the bomb or defuse it if it's planted, everyone has one life, and the gun part is a bit more complex, but not really, it can be summed up as, "Save your money for better guns, more winning and kills equals more money." Starcraft 2, while that is true in a broad sense, is a lot more complex as tons of units have tons of counters and abilities, and the races all play differently, so on and so forth.[/QUOTE]
The thing CS and FPS's in general have going against them is that it is extremely fast paced and can be hard to keep up with the immediate action, and there are a lot of things going on and you might be missing out on some action because you are following 1 player.
[QUOTE=Valnar;33675728]The thing CS and FPS's in general have going against them is that it is extremely fast paced and can be hard to keep up with the immediate action, and there are a lot of things going on and you might be missing out on some action because you are following 1 player.[/QUOTE]
That's true, and I hope for a system in which it follows the players that are more likely to get into a conflict soon, make it the most exciting. CS isn't super fast paced either, at least not more than normal sports, it's pretty slow paced until one exciting moment, like sports.
Well in Korea Starcraft is as big as "normal" sports.
It's possible, it might, only time will tell, end of story, this isn't a debate.
/thread
Part of the reason sports are so prevalent is the social factor. Football, Basketball, Hocky etc. Are all mind numbingly simplistic sports and therefore have a wider appeal.
[QUOTE=newbs;33694576]Part of the reason sports are so prevalent is the social factor. Football, Basketball, Hocky etc. Are all mind numbingly simplistic sports and therefore have a wider appeal.[/QUOTE]
They are also more easy to communicate with. Saying "Did you see Lebron's dunk?" is easier to say and understand then "Did you see Lim Yo-Hwan counter Baneling rush Park Chan Soo?" While many, both young and old can visualise a basketball dunk, only those familiar with professional Starcraft would even know what a Baneling is.
I support that E-Sports should popularise and potentionally overtake plain sports, but it's a long road ahead.
Personally, I don't believe that E-Sports will ever be as popular as 'real' sports, to put it bluntly. With that being said, I don't think any school anywhere would take E-Sports as an actual sporting activity, much to my displeasure.
Linking in with the second question, I also highly doubt that E-Sports will be accepted, let alone taken seriously. Most people will think of it as a joke - and in I can also guarantee that lots of bullying would occur in schools: a stereotype would (probably) form - you'd see the popular people participating in 'real' sports, and the unpopular people in the E-Sports teams. Plus, as opposed to things like rugby/tennis/soccer, the gear required isn't that expensive - as opposed to E-Sports. Let's take rugby. You'd need, what, a pair of spiked boots, mouthguard, and the appropriate uniform - E-Sports, you'd need a decent computer, an active internet connection; not to factor in the different types of internet connections.
Sure, some people in the community would think that tuning into Channel 9 and seeing a game of SC2 or DOTA(2) would be excellent, but I think the vast majority of society would shun it. It's hard to come up with a reason why exactly, since I'm on the side that thinks it would be cool to have E-Sports registered as official sports, but I'd say most people would think it undermining of 'real' sports players, or something like that.
But, I'm all for it - although I don't ever see it happening.
I've been talking both via mail and by phone a few times with the Swedish Sports Confederation. They don't really see a big problem with accepting eSports into the confederation. There's just one problem, we're to loosely organized.
One of those StarCraft bars recently opened in my town as well apparently. I'm not into e-sports but when the largest news site in Sweden makes a giant banner and puts up a stream for SC2 then you know it is popular.
I don't see e-sports reaching the level of current sports, but I do see it getting quite popular, depending on gaming trends. There's a good chance of a retraction in the gaming industry soon, and if that happens, we won't see growth in e-sports for a while (if it survives this possible retraction).
[editline]16th December 2011[/editline]
Personally, I would love to see the fighting game scene grow, and possibly become a part of e-sports, but currently the scene is filled with people that don't make the scene very appealing.
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