Pro Gaming Network Television Coverage Begins Sunday 92
The New York Times has an article on a first for pro gamers: network television coverage of a match. Sunday at noon EDT CBS Sports will be airing coverage of the World Series of Videogames. Events will include Guitar Hero II, Fight Night and World of Warcraft 3v3 Arena combat. The article explores some of the challenges of making gaming understandable on television: "The dollars are already quite mainstream. Americans bought about $13 billion worth of video game systems and software last year, more than they spent at the film box office (around $10 billion). Advertisers for Sunday's broadcast include KFC, Intel and the Marines. But for gaming to make it as a major-network TV sport, the big hurdle will be translating a medium that is by its nature meant to be experienced firsthand into a compelling hands-off spectator experience. It is a task that in some ways is no less daunting than that of the early baseball television producers who eventually realized that a camera way out in center field would provide the best view of pitches." Update: 07/28 23:19 GMT by Z : Fixed day of the weekend the show is on.
oooh, bitter! ...seriously, keep an open mind... (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, seriously, bullying is a significant and traumatic issue, so I do sympathise with you pal if you had a hard time at school. But don't write off all sports. Keep an open mind and maybe you'll find something which works for you, makes you friends, keeps you fit. Plenty of folks do. One of my best mates at school was "the fat kid" - he left to go to university completely hating sports, came back 3 months later having had a go at scuba diving and loved it. 6 months later and the guy was in great shape, active member of the club, was a heck of a lot lighter, and had a great girlfriend.
Just because you don't like traditional school sports, don't write them all off.
Good luck!
Re:oooh, bitter! ...seriously, keep an open mind.. (Score:4, Insightful)
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I for one... (Score:2, Interesting)
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It is high time that the geekier sports such as video gaming be given a chance on network television.
Anyone in the UK from their mid-teens onwards will likely remember GamesMaster [wikipedia.org], a show on Channel 4 [wikipedia.org] that primarily focused on people playing computer games in just that manner. And this was over 15 years ago... okay, to be fair, it's not been on TV since 1998- but my point is that showing gaming on TV is nothing new.
Personally, I'd rather have seen less people playing games and more reviews and stuff. (But apparently- according to the article- GamesMaster was under the jurisdiction of Channel 4's sports
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This is just anther retread ... they tried this during the Atari - Colecovision days, and it was a HUGE FLOP!
Why? Because the people who like to play video games don't want to watch other people play, and the people who don't like to play video games - surprise! - they don't want to watch other people play either.
With pro sports, the rules and playing field are simple and easy enough for most people to grok at a glance - with video games, either you're familiar with the in-game territory that's being p
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This is just anther retread ... they tried this during the Atari - Colecovision days, and it was a HUGE FLOP! [..] all these advertisers are just SUCKERS!
Well, GamesMaster ran for six years and ten series, which is pretty respectable... and the WP article suggests that its axing was due to personal politics rather than ratings (which were still healthy by Channel 4 standards at the time of its demise).
As I said, I wasn't too keen on it personally for similar reasons to the ones you give, but plenty of others must have disagreed. Whether it would have done as well on say, BBC1 or ITV (the two highest-rated and more mainstream channels of the time) is uncle
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Why? Because the people who like to play video games don't want to watch other people play, and the people who don't like to play video games - surprise! - they don't want to watch other people play either.
With pro sports, the rules and playing field are simple and easy enough for most people to grok at a glance - with video games, either you're familiar with the in-game territory that's being played at that moment - in which case its BORING, in a "been there, done that" kind of way, or you haven't, in which case it's like a movie spoiler.
Okay, so you count the sales of movie-based games where? You see the movie the game is usually spoiled, so why get the game?
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Unle
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Frankly, I think that this is a problem for video games (for consumers, not necessarily for the industry). If televising video games ever really takes off, which I doubt it will, I think it will only exacerbate the 'graphics over gameplay' problem which we currently face because suddenly companies won't just be making games for gamers[1], they'll be making them for spectators as well. Think of a couple of your favorite games and then think about how much fun they are to watch (I'm a fan of RPGs, for example
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"Yes he has found a blood plant and! No he could not pick it oh the humanity! Wait he has found another one and "Yes" he has picked it.
Uh, yeah. (Score:2, Insightful)
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Specifically, most FPS games are very bloody and also take place on maps that are not designed for spectators to view the game. Soccer/Football, Baseball, American Football, etc all have large, open fields that allows the audience to view every active member of the game.
Just reducing the current games to open maps wouldn't be enough, though, as just that change on its own would mak
How to "bleep" blood (Score:2)
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Oh really? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Uh, yeah. (Score:5, Insightful)
In non-troll-speak: Sports are covered so heavily because of inertia. A few people like watching it, enough to justify coverage, and people who don't really care about them watch it because hey, it's on. I don't think gaming will be any different.
At first.... (Score:5, Interesting)
We were all amazed as kids and enjoyed every second of it, how it will play out with adults I'm not sure; but it will only work if they can find gamers who do things that are sufficiently unique and amazing that people will want to watch for extended periods of time.
Plus people watch poker and NASCAR so anything can make it on tv.
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Games on TV (Score:5, Interesting)
i.e. being a Canadian, I wasn't able to avoid learning how to play hockey as a child. Not that I'm any good at it, but I know the rules, I know the point of the game, and I understand what it means when different things happen. However, I find Football (either kind, take your pick) mind numbingly boring -- because I never really played them, I haven't really internalized the rules, and don't know enough about the tactics of the game(s) to be interested in them.
Similarly, watching Q3CTF and Doom3 (especially the 1v1 matches), I really got into them because I understood what they were doing, and I could anticipate the reactions and behaviour of the competitors. The same is true with watching (PvE) WoW videos -- I get into them because I understand what's going on.
I have a feeling that's going to be the largest impediment to gaming on TV -- sports rules change very slowly, and not by very much. Even if you haven't watched NHL hockey in six years, you'd be able to sit down and clearly understand what's going on[1] within a few minutes. If someone was watching Q3 videos online six years ago, and then sat down today to watch -- umm, Halo2 or something? what are people playing these days? -- it wouldn't be even close to the same. It would be like watching an entirely new sport every few years.
[1] This does not extend to league management.
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1.) Gamers have the internet. They don't need to buy cable-TV to watch these events. In the long run, it is not something to invest in.
2.) epic moments are VERY rare in video games (obviously; anyone playing WoW will tell you only once or twice a night will anything note-worthy happen, and even then its not worth mentioning more than once or twice to a friend). The odds of them happening in "professional events" are even more rare. These are the people who don't fuck
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As for "It's like Formula 1, if you have slicks on and it starts to rain, you're screwed." I don't think F1 is using slicks any more. GP2 does, as does Champ and Indy. And some of those drivers CAN run slicks in the rain without issues. Point of this is car analogies almost never work on slashdot.
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Extreme cynicism follows (Score:2)
<cynic>
Which is why state school systems mandate physical education classes that teach specific games, in order to build a market for television broadcasts of those games, so that the state can tax the sale of goods and services sold by advertisers on those broadcasts.
</cynic>
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StarCraft in South Korea (Score:1)
When the face of the top first person shooter or real time strategy game changes from year to year, it is a very difficult to garner a strong fan base.
However, in South Korea this is not the case, where since it came out in 1998, StarCraft: Brood War has been at the top of professional gaming. The OnGameNet StarLeague [teamliquid.net] has been around broadcasting StarCraft matches since 1999 and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, one of the top four South Korean television networks, started it's own MBC StarLeague [teamliquid.net] of their o
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I think this applies to most things. I rarely watch speedruns of games I've never played. As for sports, I can watch boxing or judo because I practise both so I know what's going on and I can appreciate it. But something like football or ice hockey just bores me to tears.
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Which is exactly why Starcraft has stayed as the spectator game in Korea it has - it's stable, it hasn't changed (much) in almost nine years. Even if you only played it heavily the first two years it came out, you can understand what's going on when you watch someone play it today.
Blizzard understands this, which is why they've said the basic rules and concepts are staying the same, while functionality is extended and modified to make it a
Interesting. (Score:2)
It was pulled because some people at the channel thought gaming on TV wasn't wanted by anyone.
I can see the headlines now (Score:1)
Err, Sorry. Got a bit carried away there. That last bit should read "1337 mouse and keyboard skills"
They better be good..... (Score:2)
Don't let a 15 hour session of WOW get in the way of a 45 second romp with your gaming groupies. Cialis it will be there.....when the moment is right.
Horrible game line up. (Score:4, Insightful)
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Sure, it's just a theory - but don't you think that would be the source rather than the advice of some CBS intern. "If Dave likes this
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Not sure how they figure this is a first (Score:2)
They also managed to find some people to discuss the match in the studio who actually have an idea what they're talking about - although it is sometimes a bit cringing when they're winging it. Regular contributors involve various pro-team managers and sponsors, and developers.
It's not perfect, but I do find I can actually be entertained by watching people play game
Demographics? (Score:3, Funny)
My first thought when I looked at the article was "What the heck is this doing on CBS!?!" Sure, its wonderful that they're trying to mainstream the competitive side of video games and that the event involves a variety of games (with a noticeable absence of an RTS). But, why in the name of Tassadar are they running this on CBS?
Let's see . . . CBS is best known for its half-dozen procedural crime dramas, an investigative news magazine whose trademark is a device many video gamer players have never seen in real life (a mechanical stop watch), and for being partnered with AOL: your parents' internet. The target demographic for CBS is upper-middle-class 40+ professionals who are getting ready to bury their parents. Ever watch CBS in the morning (The Price is Right, Sunday Morning)? Count how many commercials they run for life insurance, death insurance, investment/retirement firms, and luxury cars. Oh, and Country Music, we can't forget how much CBS loves the soundtrack of the heartland.
Running a video game competition on CBS is like running something educational on FOX. And, no, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader does not count. And I just can't wait for the running commentary.
"Wow Jane, video games have really come a long way since Pac-Man and Pong!"
"I agree Scott. Hey, do you think the winners will get their prize money in quarters?"
Where is it airing? (Score:1)
Re:Where is it airing? (Not in Utah) (Score:1)
But I can get almost three hours of "Paid Programming"
Not exactly a ringing local endorsement.
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Game devs... make competition versions.... (Score:2)
Imagine a 1 on 1 combat game with head cams, fist cams, low angle shots, birds eye view shots, etc.
Currently games are set up to maintain the challenge for the gamer but few provide support for spectators. This will be easy to work around with MMOG type games, just set up extra players around the arena and use their views... but for games that are more tradition
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Apparently not all CBS stations think it tv-worthy (Score:2)
Re:Apparently not all CBS stations think it tv-wor (Score:2)
Still, not like I really care too much about video game tournament coverage. I'm guessing that they'll most likely b
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The listed Day is incorrect.... (Score:1)
geeks (Score:2)
The linked article sucks (Score:1, Offtopic)
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I think
wtf is with those games? (Score:2)
The only games that are really played competitively are starcraft, warcraft 3, and counterstrike. Why the hell not cover those? They already have huge tournaments...
Lousy game selection... (Score:1)
Need to standardize on one game/map for years (Score:2)
I didn't like it. (Score:1)
I think real sports are able to transcend the game itself. There are countless minute variables that affect the game and players. The players have real emotion. They suffer from exhaustion, injury, frustration. There's the interplay between players. There's weather, wind, the grass itself. There's a whole world out
It wasn't all that bad. (Score:2)
I was pleasantly surprised with the respect they gave t
different people different choices (Score:1)
This is America we're talking about (Score:1)