KingAce
HERMITISM
If you don't already know Esports runs on two things the pros and an audience. The Pros for SSF4 happen to be in Japan. For Tekken in Korea. And even Starcraft 2 relies on the Koreans. MLG is partnered with the GSL to fly top Koreans in to compete with SC2 foreigners.
Esports is about leagues that concentrate on the bottom line...people want to watch the best players compete for something concrete(large paychecks). They want to watch high level matches. Nobody wants to watch noobs or average players play these games. That's what sports is about. Currently the FGC fuses High School football, with College football and the NFL...But we all know that only the guys in the NFL get paid. Right now the FGC relies on people spending money and traveling. I don't know how long they plan to use this formula. Will see what the numbers say in 2012.
Also Esports sets up a very high standard for professional play, the players we have now aren't really Professionals. The current formula rewards those that can afford to travel and support themselves until they get recognition and get sponsored. Esports makes talent recognition a lot easier. And when you become a Pro, you're placed on teams that focus on making you the best of the best...so having a day job as a distraction is kinda out of the equation.
But to be honest there two other qualities required for an Esports game that most FGs don't meet. Spectator-friendliness and depth. Most of you assume that numbers are the basic determinate. But even in the realm of Esports there real doubts about whether the games currently showcased have the staying power of a Starcraft 2. For Esports you take into account that a game has to be watchable without the need to have actually played it. That's important because the audience is always versatile. For Esports were talking about a largely PC crowd, but even people that don't play games like your parents can be part of it. And the depth of the game is simply to legitimize the pros and the game...Esports thrives on countless moments like Daigo's full parry. Things that can blow an audience's mind. At the same time that depth is required for balance as well. Balance is very important in Esports because the audience always wants the best at the top, imbalances have no place in an Esport. These are all real things you have to consider when promoting a game for this position.
Lastly another thing to consider is how long will SSF4 run before Capcom makes SFV. Three to five years possibly?. And if it does, how does that effect the game's standing as an Esport? Most Esports games get patches or expansions, but the core game doesn't change by much...a few balance tweaks here and there. Is Capcom willing to support SSF4 in that way? And would SF5 sell as well as SSF4? Fives years from now will gamers outside the competitive community be willing to spend 60$ on a 2D fighting game?...Considering games like Skyrim in comparison. Yeah fighting games are making a resurgence, but when you look at the video game market, they're still a niche market. While the player base is getting younger and younger. That's why they're constantly being dumbed down to appeal to a wider audience. Competitive gaming itself is a niche market. That fact further shrinks FGs in the realm of competitive standing.
Finally, I think were counting our eggs before they hatch. 2011 was a good year for competitive gaming overall. Streaming and Youtube has really helped us connected better socially and observe gaming in general. However, 2012 will be the true test for how strong each fighting game is. Because, like it or not fighting games are in competition with each other. TTT2, SCV, BBE, SFxT etc are all coming out and competing with each other. We'll see if the FGC actually grows bigger. And by that I don't mean we all play each fighter, that's an unrealistic goal. I mean if the FGC actually introduces new players that have never played FGs before. If players are willing to travel more etc. Until then, the Esports question is way too early for NA IMO.
If it's to be done successfully, it will have to be somewhere else.
Esports is about leagues that concentrate on the bottom line...people want to watch the best players compete for something concrete(large paychecks). They want to watch high level matches. Nobody wants to watch noobs or average players play these games. That's what sports is about. Currently the FGC fuses High School football, with College football and the NFL...But we all know that only the guys in the NFL get paid. Right now the FGC relies on people spending money and traveling. I don't know how long they plan to use this formula. Will see what the numbers say in 2012.
Also Esports sets up a very high standard for professional play, the players we have now aren't really Professionals. The current formula rewards those that can afford to travel and support themselves until they get recognition and get sponsored. Esports makes talent recognition a lot easier. And when you become a Pro, you're placed on teams that focus on making you the best of the best...so having a day job as a distraction is kinda out of the equation.
But to be honest there two other qualities required for an Esports game that most FGs don't meet. Spectator-friendliness and depth. Most of you assume that numbers are the basic determinate. But even in the realm of Esports there real doubts about whether the games currently showcased have the staying power of a Starcraft 2. For Esports you take into account that a game has to be watchable without the need to have actually played it. That's important because the audience is always versatile. For Esports were talking about a largely PC crowd, but even people that don't play games like your parents can be part of it. And the depth of the game is simply to legitimize the pros and the game...Esports thrives on countless moments like Daigo's full parry. Things that can blow an audience's mind. At the same time that depth is required for balance as well. Balance is very important in Esports because the audience always wants the best at the top, imbalances have no place in an Esport. These are all real things you have to consider when promoting a game for this position.
Lastly another thing to consider is how long will SSF4 run before Capcom makes SFV. Three to five years possibly?. And if it does, how does that effect the game's standing as an Esport? Most Esports games get patches or expansions, but the core game doesn't change by much...a few balance tweaks here and there. Is Capcom willing to support SSF4 in that way? And would SF5 sell as well as SSF4? Fives years from now will gamers outside the competitive community be willing to spend 60$ on a 2D fighting game?...Considering games like Skyrim in comparison. Yeah fighting games are making a resurgence, but when you look at the video game market, they're still a niche market. While the player base is getting younger and younger. That's why they're constantly being dumbed down to appeal to a wider audience. Competitive gaming itself is a niche market. That fact further shrinks FGs in the realm of competitive standing.
Finally, I think were counting our eggs before they hatch. 2011 was a good year for competitive gaming overall. Streaming and Youtube has really helped us connected better socially and observe gaming in general. However, 2012 will be the true test for how strong each fighting game is. Because, like it or not fighting games are in competition with each other. TTT2, SCV, BBE, SFxT etc are all coming out and competing with each other. We'll see if the FGC actually grows bigger. And by that I don't mean we all play each fighter, that's an unrealistic goal. I mean if the FGC actually introduces new players that have never played FGs before. If players are willing to travel more etc. Until then, the Esports question is way too early for NA IMO.
If it's to be done successfully, it will have to be somewhere else.
