Professional Gaming In The Crosshairs

[d0tti]

What's wrong with making fun of consoles? Is it because rizzuh likes consoles that I should not say anything bad about them?

[chaoz]

First of all, I would like to say some of what he said was true, but a lot of it was bull-crap. Pro-gaming is just like some of the sports played today. Say for surfing, or skateboarding. Each of these sports keep getting more interesting, more things to do, and more fun to watch and go to. My opinion is that this guy is a hypocrite. He needs to think more about the topic before posting about it.



[PUMPY]Pumptastic!

[Ravenium]

Both of your activities still involve physical exertation, which video games do not. Also, since when was a skater paid a lot? Ok, OTHER than Tony Hawk, and that's because he has his own video game...

[Moloch]

Problem in CS pro gaming: media support

Did you see CS on TV a lot? Skateboard or snowboard are advertised on TV.



10 people contest in the Alps for a $100.000 price, and 10 000 (among wich myself) goes snowboarding for a week per year for $1.000 and think they are in the same category as the others, because they watched a lot of snowboarding.



Why is that kind of contest advertised? Because after watching a snowboarding contest, I run at my local dealers, I buy a pair of googles or new snowshoes because with them, I will succed in the meclancholy backside 360 that looked so l337. I do that because I cannot instantly drive to the Alps and snowboard.



Problem: Try watching a CS movie or demo. First thing you do after is turning on CS, then play. You do not run to your dealer to buy a new mouse or VidCard.



Sad. If CS players are not ready to spend more money for their game, te game is lost.



I think I fooled myself somewhere, be kind enough to tell me where.

[The Family God]

Spiteful, yet bold and true in a few of its statements. I have always felt a little unaccepting of "pro-gamers," but this guy really took it up a notch. Even though he didn't use statistics, I think he's right about the demographic figures. I give thanks to him for sharing such an extreme opinion, something we don't hear all that much.

[Jonesin']

Edited by [user="31196"] @ [time="1027006146"]

Ravenium wrote..

Better yet, ask paintball people about it being a "sport". Didn't you see the million dollar finals in paintball? Oh wait...lol.

Actually, this sort of happened. Look at the Spyder Cup held in Pittsburgh. Maybe not close to a million dollars but 5 brand new Mustangs? In the NPPL, the pro's win cash (starting at $10,000 but can be more) per tournament and there are currently 5 tournaments a year. Besides, prizes are nice but we really play for RESPECT first, prizes second. The "big" money comes from corporate sponsorship. The pro team Bad Company got a huge sponsorship with Brass Eagle a few years ago which equaled out to $500,000 and so on.



What does the term "pro" mean anyway? That you get paid to do something you love to do or, at the very least, something you're good at. Hell, if I could get paid or get something free for playing games, I'D DO IT!!



I am a amateur player in the NPPL but I have won over $4000 in prizes in the local circuits. Point? None really, just trying to educate.

[Ravenium]

Well I stand educated :-)



I think the discrepency is that while it's dandy to win prizes and enjoy yourself, it is not a way of life. I'm sure even the best paintball players have jobs. Playing paintball and winning tournaments is just something they find fun and hey, why not get some cash while they're at it? From what you've said, it seems to indicate that they'd play it even if they didn't win money. They just want to play.



However, what Angel is trying to do is turn video gaming into sunday night football. This just isn't going to happen in a niche market. Paintball has loyal fans and players (I love playing, though only with friends and field guns - I'm far too random to actually be good at it on a competitive level). Video games will have their players and fans. However, there is only so much of a market you can capture. Witness the XFL. FAR more money than the CPL will ever see, and they didn't even finish the season.



-Rav

[Gnu]

I hate to rain on your parades, but CS is boring as heck to watch for the uninitiated, and it isn't much better for those of us who play. The only way professional gaming can ever flourish is to draw in those who don't play ... not preach to the choir, as it has been. Most multiplayer games simply can't do that.

[Unregistered]

This article hits the nail right on the head. Gaming WILL NEVER BE A SUCCESSFUL SPORT!



As if my use of capitals wasn't enough to back up my argument, here are the three basic flaws of 'Professional Gaming':



1. It generates no real money other than sponsors who will soon wise up to the 'sport's' limited appeal.



2. Only a small minority of Counter Strike players actually care. That's only a few thousand worldwide, people.



3. Gaming is a crap spectator 'sport'. People play games, they don't want to watch them. Seeing professionals play a game of football is a spectacle; watching a 14 year old punk playing CS sucks.

[Para?noid]

I agree.



I enjoy playing football.

I enjoy watching a football match.



I enjoy playing CS.

I do not enjoy watching other people play CS (I think that's the point -- it's punishment for dying).

[Psyrix21]

i read teh article, i agree, and disagree, it may go, it may not, but i believe it will end up, in a way of football, or Nascar, same diff eh? just give it time, it might grow it might now, but wateva. Hope it doesnt die now, cause i still enjoy watchin, and playin.................. oh and nudle ur seckci! go creamery!

[Kevin Laity]

This article makes a lot of sense, not that I think professional gaming as a sport is impossible, but it needs to take a different form. The way I would do it is by having games recorded, recammed and rendered in high quality, and then distributed as streaming video or downloadable video, as well as on t.v. And you could add announcers and stuff to make it more exciting, instant replays and all that. And have team specific uniforms as well.



I think its possible for professional gaming to take off, but I think that watching the game USING half life is a bad way to facilitate it.

[Gnu]

I dunno -- if Valve had a stand-alone HLTV client (granted, it would be nearly as big a download as C-S itself), it might not be too bad. The problem is actually getting people to download and install what amounts to a stripped-down version of Counter-Strike that you can't play.



What Angel ultimately wants is television coverage. In the five or so years the CPL's been around, there's been not more than a trickle, and most of it's been about "those odd geeks who think computer games are a sport". They'd be right.