• MLG sells “substantially all” assets to Activision Blizzard for $46 million
    86 replies, posted
[QUOTE=JumpinJackFlash;49431127]I don't know, I still don't give a flying fuck about esports and I don't know anyone who actually does. Of course even if I did know somebody who [I]cared[/I] they certainly wouldn't be a rabid fan like all the football or hockey (go Wild!) fans I know. I really, really doubt that's going to ever change in my lifetime. I remember when esports had a boom in popularity and everyone was like "ooh, this is gonna be big" but those same people didn't participate because bottom line watching a [I]riveting match[/I] of "who knows and can press their hotkeys faster" isn't actually fun in practice. [editline]fucking automerge shit[/editline] Even if it was somewhat fun to do that part of what makes spectating in a video game interesting is you, yourself, are spectating and can watch what you want to watch. Notice how in actual athletic sports the camera is always on the ball? That's where all the fucking action is. Nearly every single competitive game has at least two focuses of action, one for player one, one for player two, and you can't actively watch both at the same time. So until thousands and thousands of people can individually spectate you're not really going to have the same draw. Certainly not when a massive chunk of the population gets motion sick from all that camera shifting around. I get increasingly bored watching esports because I don't know what the fuck is going on half the time, even if I've been playing that same game for years.[/QUOTE] man, you didn't watch evo 2015 did you
[QUOTE=Adarrek;49433495]Eh, Starcraft seems to be dying compared to what it was before, and i highly doubt Overwatch will get anywhere.[/QUOTE] "I highly doubt" isn't a very good reason. Overwatch has great potential.
[QUOTE=Keychain;49434578]"I highly doubt" isn't a very good reason. Overwatch has great potential.[/QUOTE] The relatively high price just puts a lot of people off I think. I mean, looking at the biggest competitively played games, they're all F2P or extremely cheap.
[QUOTE=pentium;49430403]Remember when people called me insane for saying esports was just a stupid fad?[/QUOTE] No but I remember when people called you insane for believing Digimon were real.
[QUOTE=JumpinJackFlash;49431127]I don't know, I still don't give a flying fuck about esports and I don't know anyone who actually does. Of course even if I did know somebody who cared they certainly wouldn't be a rabid fan like all the football or hockey (go Wild!) fans I know.[/QUOTE] Okay. Thanks for sharing your completely anecdotal and totally meaningless experience of not knowing anyone that likes Esports. I also don't entirely see why the excessive degree to which Esports fans do or do not feel rabidly devoted to their competition of choice is relevant (by the way, if you look at any of the communities surrounding pretty much any game with a competetive scene, you'll quickly realize how incorrect you are). [QUOTE]I really, really doubt that's going to ever change in my lifetime. I remember when esports had a boom in popularity and everyone was like "ooh, this is gonna be big" but those same people didn't participate because bottom line watching a [I]riveting match[/I] of "who knows and can press their hotkeys faster" isn't actually fun in practice.[/QUOTE] Ah yes, how could one ever hope to compete with such [i]exciting[/i] contests as "who can kick the ball the best" and "who can throw the ball the best" and "who can hit the ball the best". You can make any competition sound trivial if you're reductionist enough. [QUOTE]Certainly not when a massive chunk of the population gets motion sick from all that camera shifting around. I get increasingly bored watching esports because I don't know what the fuck is going on half the time, even if I've been playing that same game for years.[/QUOTE] A "massive chunk" of the population according to who?
[QUOTE=Flumbooze;49434715]The relatively high price just puts a lot of people off I think. I mean, looking at the biggest competitively played games, they're all F2P or extremely cheap.[/QUOTE] the high price of 40$ For what alot of streamers are already saying (and showing hours of content) is one of the best FPS experiences they have ever played. i would understand if its battlefront but if it's like rainbow six then there will be no issue.
[QUOTE=Wii60;49438003]the high price of 40$ For what alot of streamers are already saying (and showing hours of content) is one of the best FPS experiences they have ever played. i would understand if its battlefront but if it's like rainbow six then there will be no issue.[/QUOTE] I haven't paid over 40$ for a game since Bayonetta 2 games cost 2 much i'll never be pro :(
[QUOTE=Flumbooze;49434715]The relatively high price just puts a lot of people off I think. I mean, looking at the biggest competitively played games, they're all F2P or extremely cheap.[/QUOTE] StarCraft?
[QUOTE=HoodedSniper;49430249]This can be pretty bad. Esport events already get bought out in ways....[/QUOTE] So like most other sports, monopolized by a corporation.
[QUOTE=Wii60;49438003]the high price of 40$ For what alot of streamers are already saying (and showing hours of content) is one of the best FPS experiences they have ever played. i would understand if its battlefront but if it's like rainbow six then there will be no issue.[/QUOTE] It doesn't matter what streamers say (they're not the most reliable source anyway), because it's not only about how fun the game is. It also has to be competitively playable and attract enough people. I mean, what other games that cost that much are still extremely active in the competitive scene? [QUOTE=Kljunas;49439071]StarCraft?[/QUOTE] Yeah, that's the only game I can think of, but then again Starcraft ism just such a famous name in gaming history, so that attracts a lot of people. Also, most of Starcraft's viewership numbers are from Asia, the game really isn't that big in Europe/US compared to others.
[QUOTE=Rangergxi;49439256]So like most other sports, monopolized by a corporation.[/QUOTE] Currently esports as a whole is very un monopolized and would be very hard to do so. There's a lot of fingers in the pie and many different venues for games and many events hosted (Dota being the best example, FGCS as well) The real issue comes if all games followed a League approach where the head company controls all events. But seeing as each game has its own developers, that'd be hard to do. MLG was already on it's way out the door after losing Halo and CoD to ESL. What Blizzard will do with it is worrying, but it's not like the main esports games are starved for tourneys.
[QUOTE=Flumbooze;49439601]It doesn't matter what streamers say (they're not the most reliable source anyway), because it's not only about how fun the game is. It also has to be competitively playable and attract enough people. I mean, [B]what other games that cost that much are still extremely active in the competitive scene?[/B][/QUOTE] Call of duty Halo (Halo 5 caused a resurgence) Mortal Kombat King of Fighters Smash Street Fighter The other EVO fighter games that are hosted Starcraft (all these games cost more, whether its still original price or the cost of required add-ons make it that price. overwatch will not sell new people or maps so all your required to pay is 40$.) and people care way more what streamers say/do than anyone else in the gaming media says. its why alot of unknown games like FNAF and Undertale just skyrocket by them just playing it.
[QUOTE=Wii60;49438003]the high price of 40$ For what alot of streamers are already saying (and showing hours of content) is one of the best FPS experiences they have ever played. i would understand if its battlefront but if it's like rainbow six then there will be no issue.[/QUOTE] 40 is quite a bit for what is a multiplayer only game that draws most of its inspiration from a few notoriously f2p titles
[QUOTE=Flumbooze;49433458]Also, JumpinJackFlash, you can actually individually spectate in CS:GO, whilst listening to the casters, so you're free to move the camera around yourself (for official Steam tournaments). Not sure about Dota.[/QUOTE]Oh, that's pretty cool that they did that. Thanks for the info. I've never actually spectated on a CS match unless I was taking a break from playing or dead, but I've always thought that method of spectating was probably the best way to go for anything. If I recall correctly any UT-based game had unlimited spectator slots, but don't quote me on that. [QUOTE=Headhumpy;49433476]Thanks for sharing your opinion but an $18 million prize pool for an annual tournament that continues to grow, as well as 4.5 million viewers for said tournament, beg to disagree.[/QUOTE]4.5 million viewers in the US alone? Or worldwide? That's an important distinction when you consider that NASCAR alone had 5.1 million viewers in 2015 and NASCAR is probably the most niche sport that's televised in the United States. (besides maybe golf or something) Even the redheaded stepchild of sports, soccer, had 25.4 million people watching the Women's USA team beat Japan in the World Cup final. I mean the prize pool is a nice catch but that isn't being paid out to the spectators so I really don't see how that's relevant. Shall we start talking about NFL salaries now because that 18 million will seem like a drop in a bucket. [QUOTE=Gwoodman;49433845]man, you didn't watch evo 2015 did you[/QUOTE]No I didn't because I don't want to watch random people play video games. I really don't see the appeal in it, sorry. [QUOTE=Geikkamir;49437672]Okay. Thanks for sharing your completely anecdotal and totally meaningless experience of not knowing anyone that likes Esports. I also don't entirely see why the excessive degree to which Esports fans do or do not feel rabidly devoted to their competition of choice is relevant (by the way, if you look at any of the communities surrounding pretty much any game with a competetive scene, you'll quickly realize how incorrect you are).[/QUOTE]Okay, tell me when they're debating in the state budget for money to fund a big esports complex specifically designed to house video game tournaments. I guarantee you that will never fucking happen anytime soon in the United States, not to the degree that it has with NFL and baseball. [QUOTE=Geikkamir;49437672]Ah yes, how could one ever hope to compete with such [i]exciting[/i] contests as "who can kick the ball the best" and "who can throw the ball the best" and "who can hit the ball the best". You can make any competition sound trivial if you're reductionist enough.[/QUOTE]That's literally what most competitive gaming events are though, aside from some rare exceptions. You forget that I know how to play these games, I'm not just some dipshit who hangs out at the local sports bar all day so don't piss on my back and tell me it's raining. I was a huge, huge, huge SC player back in the day and literally all the game boiled down to was hotkeys, being faster than your opponent, and some [U]mild[/U] strategy. [QUOTE=Geikkamir;49437672]A "massive chunk" of the population according to who?[/QUOTE]Uhh.. I don't know if you're aware of this but kinetosis is actually the entire reason for image stabilization technology and it's a constant thing to be aware of if you're a video game developer. If there wasn't a significant issue with it there wouldn't have been millions poured into research to mitigate the problem. [editline]2nd January 2016[/editline] Most of these responses seem quite knee-jerk to somebody saying "Americans don't care about esports" when really, [I]we fucking don't.[/I] It hasn't grown significantly in the United States and it likely won't, if it isn't on ESPN it simply has no opportunity to really blossom for your average viewer who literally is the opposite of this board's demographic. That's what you guys aren't getting: most people don't take video games seriously. Go ahead, go tell your parents you're quitting your job to be a "pro gamer" and see how they react because I'm going to guess that they'll wonder what the fuck is wrong with you. They're directly competing with sports that have had decades and decades of tradition and marketing and so far esports, like NASCAR, appeals to a very small (but growing, I will give you that) sector of the population. I'm not like any of you, I don't have the time to play video games aside from letting Dwarf Fortress run by itself while I spend the vast majority of my hours awake doing things. You're already easily sold on the idea, cool, but people like me are the status quo of society and you will need to work a lot harder to pull me in. So people like Geikkamir can pitch a fit all they want and white knight for "the sport" but that's not going to actually change reality.
[QUOTE=JumpinJackFlash;49442201]Okay, tell me when they're debating in the state budget for money to fund a big esports complex specifically designed to house video game tournaments. I guarantee you that will never fucking happen anytime soon in the United States, not to the degree that it has with NFL and baseball.[/QUOTE] Okay? Esports aren't trying to be traditional sports and most reasonable people will probably tell you the same. Of course esports aren't as big as football and baseball in the US, they've existed for barely a fraction as long, while many traditional sports have been around so long that they've become ingrained in our culture. Video games [i]in general[/i] haven't existed that long. A significant portion of the US population doesn't even play video games in any real capacity mostly just because they haven't had enough time to become a significant part of American society like other forms of media. As time goes on, that will change. [QUOTE]That's literally what most competitive gaming events are though, aside from some rare exceptions. You forget that I know how to play these games, I'm not just some dipshit who hangs out at the local sports bar all day so don't piss on my back and tell me it's raining. I was a huge, huge, huge SC player back in the day and literally all the game boiled down to was hotkeys, being faster than your opponent, and some [U]mild[/U] strategy.[/QUOTE] Wow, that's really disrespectful to the people who have dedicated thousands of hours of hard work to play at the professional level. There's [i]a lot[/i] more to playing video games at the highest echelon than simply being able to do inputs faster than the other guy. And again, if you want to be reductionist, 90% traditional sports can be described as "literally all the game boils down to is who spent the most time kicking/throwing/etc. a ball around with some [U]mild[/U] (by whatever arbitrary metric I'm going by) strategy" [QUOTE]Most of these responses seem quite knee-jerk to somebody saying "Americans don't care about esports" when really, [I]we fucking don't.[/I] It hasn't grown significantly in the United States and it likely won't, if it isn't on ESPN it simply has no opportunity to really blossom for your average viewer who literally is the opposite of this board's demographic. That's what you guys aren't getting: most people don't take video games seriously. Go ahead, go tell your parents you're quitting your job to be a "pro gamer" and see how they react because I'm going to guess that they'll wonder what the fuck is wrong with you.[/QUOTE] People are completely aware that esports aren't big in the US. Again, for a significant portion of the population, video games were created or rose to popularity [i]well[/i] into their lifetime, and esports became popular well after that. In addition, may I remind you that were talking about [i]the fucking US[/i] and not one of the parts of the world where esports are actually popular. [QUOTE]They're directly competing with sports that have had decades and decades of tradition and marketing and so far esports, like NASCAR, appeals to a very small (but growing, I will give you that) sector of the population.[/QUOTE] Except, no, they're not. Esports aren't directly competing with sports nor are they trying to. They're aiming at an entirely different demographic, and that demographic is only getting larger as time goes on.
[QUOTE=pentium;49430403]Remember when people called me insane for saying esports was just a stupid fad?[/QUOTE] they aren't a fad but imho they are (generally) really, really stupid
[QUOTE=pentium;49430403]Remember when people called me insane for saying esports was just a stupid fad?[/QUOTE] No, because asking that is rhetorical, you are insane. Especially not since Broodwar was a national sport with millions of viewers in South Korea, on TV all the time. It was really uphill from that and Quake and never slowed down. How the fuck are you even saying that as we are in a thread talking about how a major gaming company just bought one of the largest e-sport hosts in the world? Yeah its a fad dude, thats why this business transaction just went down.
[QUOTE=JumpinJackFlash;49442201]*wall of text*[/QUOTE] Again, all this is from your perspective, and you're trying to extend this to the general population. Aside from Geikkamir's post which addressed most of your points, I would like to additionally point out how ridiculous your argument about what most games boiled down to. You could just as easily reduce playing the piano to "just pressing some keys in the right order" and cooking a 3 star meal as "just cutting some things and putting them in the pan in the right order". It's silly and shows how little you really know about doing things at a professional level.
That's what you get for dropping Halo.
[QUOTE=Geikkamir;49444099]Okay? Esports aren't trying to be traditional sports and most reasonable people will probably tell you the same. Of course esports aren't as big as football and baseball in the US, they've existed for barely a fraction as long, while many traditional sports have been around so long that they've become ingrained in our culture. Video games [i]in general[/i] haven't existed that long. A significant portion of the US population doesn't even play video games in any real capacity mostly just because they haven't had enough time to become a significant part of American society like other forms of media. As time goes on, that will change.[/QUOTE]So... your point is "eventually things will be different" then? Okay. I do not disagree with you. [QUOTE=Geikkamir;49444099]Wow, that's really disrespectful to the people who have dedicated thousands of hours of hard work to play at the professional level. There's [i]a lot[/i] more to playing video games at the highest echelon than simply being able to do inputs faster than the other guy.[/QUOTE]Hahaha, okay, I guess I'm disrespecting your "athletes" now. Yeah, you're not exactly winning me over because [B]I work for a fucking living.[/B] I'm not going to respect somebody who plays video games all fucking day, I only respect actual athletes because of the physical training they do to keep that level of fitness. Certainly not because they toss a fucking ball around lmao [QUOTE=Geikkamir;49444099]And again, if you want to be reductionist, 90% traditional sports can be described as "literally all the game boils down to is who spent the most time kicking/throwing/etc. a ball around with some [U]mild[/U] (by whatever arbitrary metric I'm going by) strategy"[/QUOTE]It's not being reductionist. Starcraft? DoTA? Warcraft? Have you played these games? These are [I]the[/I] original competitive game titles and they're both hotkeys and twitches. I realize these games are probably a decade before your time but again, [I]I was playing them when they came out[/I] and faster 1v1 matches boiled down to who can rush faster, successfully, and do it more efficiently. That's all it was, no careful strategy or cunning plans, because the moment you actually stopped and thought about something was the moment you lost, especially if you were a BC rusher like I was. (in the case of Starcraft) [QUOTE=Geikkamir;49444099]People are completely aware that esports aren't big in the US. Again, for a significant portion of the population, video games were created or rose to popularity [i]well[/i] into their lifetime, and esports became popular well after that. In addition, may I remind you that were talking about [i]the fucking US[/i] and not one of the parts of the world where esports are actually popular.[/QUOTE]Yet despite the absurdly large number of people who do, in fact, play video games esports are even less relevant than NASCAR. More people drive cars than play video games, surely NASCAR should be far more popular (along with esports) using your logic. [QUOTE=Geikkamir;49444099]Except, no, they're not. Esports aren't directly competing with sports nor are they trying to. They're aiming at an entirely different demographic, and that demographic is only getting larger as time goes on.[/QUOTE]What demographic is that, exactly? "People who play video games?" Clearly they don't appeal to that crowd, because going by age demographics that's just under half the country so about one hundred and fifty million people, but the number is likely far larger than that. So please, narrow it down. Oh and they absolutely will have to compete with regular sports for national attention. Why the fuck do you think soccer got shit on for so many years? Nobody wants to watch soccer when the NFL, hockey (in the north) and baseball have the nation's attention already. You can only divide people's free time so many ways, which was my earlier point in that the [U]vast[/U] majority of people are not teenagers who play video games all fucking day. [editline]3rd January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Headhumpy;49444779]Again, all this is from your perspective, and you're trying to extend this to the general population. Aside from Geikkamir's post which addressed most of your points, I would like to additionally point out how ridiculous your argument about what most games boiled down to. You could just as easily reduce playing the piano to "just pressing some keys in the right order" and cooking a 3 star meal as "just cutting some things and putting them in the pan in the right order". It's silly and shows how little you really know about doing things at a professional level.[/QUOTE]No. I covered that above, but no.
All I know is that CS:GO can be really fun and tense to play and since I understand that more than I do other sports, watching eSports and clips of others playing CS:GO can be very thrilling to watch anyway. This whole "it's not a sport" bullshit that people keep spewing is exactly why it isn't treated like a sport by a certain sect of society - it's a dissonance because people want to keep looking at games as simply nerdiness, or immature, or stupid, and most importantly not-serious. Whenever games push the social limits by making strides into arts and sports, there's always people at the gate trying to hold them back saying, "You're not supposed to be this cool." It's dumb, and the people who can't give any leeway whatsoever is dumb. With that said I personally wouldn't watch eSports, but I can give merit to the concept of eSports just as I can give merit to the concept of NASCAR as a sport. I just don't watch sports. [editline]2nd January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=JumpinJackFlash;49445528]Hahaha, okay, I guess I'm disrespecting your "athletes" now. Yeah, you're not exactly winning me over because [B]I work for a fucking living.[/B] I'm not going to respect somebody who plays video games all fucking day, I only respect actual athletes because of the physical training they do to keep that level of fitness. Certainly not because they toss a fucking ball around lmao[/QUOTE] Oh, so I would assume that you don't think poker should be a sport? Or how about golf? Or how about any sport that doesn't necessarily zero in on your physical ability? Face it dude, you just don't like it's nerdiness and are trying hard to defend your preconceived notion that sports and games can't mix. [editline]2nd January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=JumpinJackFlash;49445528]Oh and they absolutely will have to compete with regular sports for national attention. Why the fuck do you think soccer got shit on for so many years? Nobody wants to watch soccer when the NFL, hockey (in the north) and baseball have the nation's attention already. You can only divide people's free time so many ways, which was my earlier point in that the [U]vast[/U] majority of people are not teenagers who play video games all fucking day.[/QUOTE] Strange how popularity doesn't stop the fact that certain sports exist. eSports doesn't have to take the world by storm.
[QUOTE=JumpinJackFlash;49445528] It's not being reductionist. Starcraft? DoTA? Warcraft? Have you played these games? These are [I]the[/I] original competitive game titles and they're both hotkeys and twitches. I realize these games are probably a decade before your time but again, [I]I was playing them when they came out[/I] and faster 1v1 matches boiled down to who can rush faster, successfully, and do it more efficiently. That's all it was, no careful strategy or cunning plans, because the moment you actually stopped and thought about something was the moment you lost, especially if you were a BC rusher like I was. (in the case of Starcraft)[/QUOTE] this is so wrong i bet you were god awful at SC tbh but feel free to act like u can speak for people who can actually play
[QUOTE=KillRay;49445576]this is so wrong i bet you were god awful at SC tbh but feel free to act like u can speak for people who can actually play[/QUOTE] Regardless, what he described sounds like the basis for a sport: who can do X the best. He's describing it as a problem for some reason.
I can't help but feel this is a poor decision for their company. With one of their larger investments in critical condition, they should really be putting that money towards hiring on more talent and making content. While World of Warcraft isn't their main income anymore, they could certainly make a very tidy profit by making a game people want to frequently play. Warlords of Draenor was a flop. They need all hands on deck to churn out as much content as physically possible for their game. Even if it's a tidal wave of things to do where people get lost, the game /requires/ that much to do, or people'll blow through it like they did with WOD, further tarnishing their already horrible name in the market.
[QUOTE=pentium;49430403]Remember when people called me insane for saying esports was just a stupid fad?[/QUOTE] Yeah, you are still insane if you think that. [editline]3rd January 2016[/editline] Reading this thread, it seems as if pentium just shitposted for the reactions and left.
[QUOTE=wauterboi;49445536]Oh, so I would assume that you don't think poker should be a sport? Or how about golf? Or how about any sport that doesn't necessarily zero in on your physical ability? Face it dude, you just don't like it's nerdiness and are trying hard to defend your preconceived notion that sports and games can't mix.[/QUOTE]I don't consider poker a sport, I consider golf a sport. Maybe I consider esports actual sports, I don't know, I really haven't thought about it that hard and I likely won't. I'm not backing down from the fact that I'm not going to drink the esports koolaid because I really don't want to watch some random assholes play a game no matter how amazing they are at it. Literally the only reason why I even go to hockey games is state pride, I'd much rather be on the ice myself. Like I said earlier, I'm not going to automatically respect somebody just because they're good at some nonsensical recreational activity, which has severely rubbed some people the wrong way. Unless I go "yes esports will totally be the next big thing and I love them!!!!" I doubt I'll shut up the growing mob in this thread, and I'm not ever going to do that because A: it won't, and B: I don't. [QUOTE=wauterboi;49445536]Strange how popularity doesn't stop the fact that certain sports exist. eSports doesn't have to take the world by storm.[/QUOTE]In the context of "this is gonna be HUGE" yeah it does definitely factor in and that hasn't materialized. So it's either going to be esports appeals to an absolutely tiny fraction of the total population (thus reaffirming my original point that Americans largely do not give a shit about esports) or it's going to have to [U]directly[/U] compete for attention with established sports. [QUOTE=KillRay;49445576]this is so wrong i bet you were god awful at SC tbh but feel free to act like u can speak for people who can actually play[/QUOTE]No it isn't and if you think I'm speaking for anyone else who's played Starcraft then I guess reading comprehension is hard for you. I don't remember my name I was using those days (it was either toadie81, raimana, or possibly marlboroman, if any of those sound familiar) but I played [U]constantly[/U] and I got really fucking good at it. I don't ever remember matches going for very long unless they were artificially lengthened for base building time, but usually once that was done it was over pretty quick. I won most of the matches I played, but for the sake of your argument let's say I've been completely in the dark all these years and I haven't figured out the Shaolin secrets of Starcraft. Do you have anything else to add other than, "u dont no how to play starcraft scrub" or is that it? [QUOTE=wauterboi;49445689]Regardless, what he described sounds like the basis for a sport: who can do X the best. He's describing it as a problem for some reason.[/QUOTE]I'm not though, they're freaking out because I said that it doesn't seem like a fun time to watch that. Like it's hilarious because if there ever was any chance I'd like esports it's rapidly evaporating, I'm not the type to be browbeaten into liking something. I don't have an issue with you, wauterboi, but some of these other guys are fucking hilarious because I seem to have offended them on some deep, personal level. All I've said is I just don't fucking like esports and at least three hundred million Americans don't either. (assuming that four and a half million figure previously put up is correct)
[QUOTE=Zukriuchen;49441251]40 is quite a bit for what is a multiplayer only game that draws most of its inspiration from a few notoriously f2p titles[/QUOTE] imo $40 for a one time purchase with absolutely no other costs (yet) is about right.
Whatever dude you're talking about shit you did 10 years ago? What does that even matter now, games have changed now and the pros nowadays aren't just 'really good'. They're insanely good and the fact that most teams don't even get in the tier 2 brackets says a lot. Don't even pretend you were ever good enough to be a 'pro'. Even if you were good at the game, that's still on a whole other level than the players nowadays. If it wasn't, the prize pools wouldn't be that large. You don't have to love sports, I really couldn't care less about whether you like watching esports, but you can stop denying that esports hasn't grown and it's still played on some obscure lans. It's huge right now, loads of money is involved and lots of people watch it. Also [QUOTE]at least three hundred million Americans don't either. (assuming that four and a half million figure previously put up is correct)[/QUOTE] is just... stupid. Most Americans don't care about videogames either (not talking mobile games/the occasional Mario) and I think that a new sport that has only existed for 15 years now and already has 4,5 million viewers is really impressive. Also you go to see hockey because of... 'state pride'? Lel.
Wow, Flumbooze. Okay, here we go... [QUOTE=Flumbooze;49446130]Whatever dude you're talking about shit you did 10 years ago? What does that even matter now, games have changed now and the pros nowadays aren't just 'really good'.[/QUOTE]I didn't press the point, all I said was essentially "yeah, I've played these games before" to somebody who was treating me like I was born in 1955 and think video games are strictly for children. I guess my super duper cool adventures in Starcraft are suddenly relevant enough to bitch about rather than the actual points I made? [QUOTE=Flumbooze;49446130]Don't even pretend you were ever good enough to be a 'pro'.[/QUOTE]I never did. I'm not even sure why you think I was. [QUOTE=Flumbooze;49446130]Even if you were good at the game, that's still on a whole other level than the players nowadays.[/QUOTE]Cool. Really, I don't give a shit, I really don't like esports. See, I think you're mistaking me for somebody who takes video games deadly serious, so let me spell it out for you plainly: I do not consider the ability to play video games is not a noteworthy achievement. I never will. [QUOTE=Flumbooze;49446130]If it wasn't, the prize pools wouldn't be that large.[/QUOTE]So prize pools are a measure of respect? I should respect the lottery then, that routinely gets up to hundreds of millions of dollars, pretty big prize pool. [QUOTE=Flumbooze;49446130]You don't have to love sports, I really couldn't care less about whether you like watching esports, but you can stop denying that esports hasn't grown and it's still played on some obscure lans. It's huge right now, loads of money is involved and lots of people watch it.[/QUOTE]Um, again, "lots of people" is apparently less than the number of people who watch NASCAR which is basically restricted to rednecks, literally nobody else gives a shit about NASCAR and it's viewership is dwindling. I also specifically said that the viewership is growing, so I guess I've granted your wish without even trying. [QUOTE=Flumbooze;49446130]is just... stupid. Most Americans don't care about videogames either (not talking mobile games/the occasional Mario) and I think that a new sport that has only existed for 15 years now and already has 4,5 million viewers is really impressive.[/QUOTE]Hahaha what, at least a solid third of the country plays video games and more than likely over half do if you go strictly by age groups. "Most Americans" what are you even talking about. Of all the interests out there video games has basically exploded in the last five years alone and if previous assertions were correct then esports would likewise have seen such an absurd increase in viewership given that the target audience has grown so large and so fast. This has not happened. Again, is that 4.5 million in the US alone? I'm waiting on some source on that. Either way I don't find it particularly impressive. Maybe if that number increases sharply and hits ten million by 2017 I'll revise my opinion, but until then it's just a niche sport (like NASCAR, I said this several times) that, again, Americans largely don't give a single fuck about. [QUOTE=Flumbooze;49446130]Also you go to see hockey because of... 'state pride'? Lel.[/QUOTE]This is precisely why I know you have no fucking idea what's actually going on here. Actually your entire post neatly sums up the reason why I think the esport fanbase is mostly made up of spastic teenagers who have never, ever put in a hard day's work and because of that cannot possibly understand where I'm coming from. Your post immediately opens up with an attack on my lame old person gamer skillz as if that's somehow going to demoralize me, completely ignoring the fact that this whole time I've said quite clearly that I don't take video games seriously. Then you move on to things like "prize pools" and their monetary amount which leads me to believe that you don't actually understand the true value of money, 4.5 million people can easily generate that prize pool alone, not to mention the likely cut taken by all the other people involved with making it all happen so that dollar amount really isn't [I]impressive[/I] by a long shot. Kobe Bryan's salary for last year was [I]23.5 million dollars.[/I] That's more impressive, because that's the monetary prize given to [U]one[/U] person's performance in a sport that has hundreds of thousands of people in it doing all sorts of jobs. Then finally you round it out about how four and a half million people over fifteen years is impressive. Yeah, that's basically the population of a flyover state that's chock full of people who probably watch NASCAR. You clearly don't understand how massive the US or how large of a population we're talking about here. Really everything you're saying seems like this angry response that's reminiscent of high school shit-talking, like my 14-year-old cousin is trying to tell me how the world works after I just got done putting in four straight days of 18 hour work and this is my only day off. [editline]3rd January 2016[/editline] Like I'm not even angry or upset or anything, I just really think that you're far too young and European to get the 99% (the amount of people who like esports is not even a whole integer here) of Americans who simply can't be bothered to watch or care about this. Granted the amount of blue-collar workers like myself aren't even remotely the majority in the United States, I get that, but the principle applies beyond that. Sports in the United States is a big seasonal all-inclusive thing, it's basically a long ass holiday at this point. So once more: either you have to accept that esports is going to be a niche interest or it will have to be enjoyable and likable enough to fight all the other sports out there for the limited amount of free time available to Americans.
[quote]So once more: either you have to accept that esports is going to be a niche interest or it will have to be enjoyable and likable enough to fight all the other sports out there for the limited amount of free time available to Americans. [/quote] Yeah, God bless Americans, the only place where ESports can exist. In any case, if you do not consider poker a sport, is chess sport for you as well? Or does it have to be absolutely exclusively where people have to prove their physical prowess? Because in that case almost everything outside of fighting and athletics is not sport.
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