More People Watched Major League Gaming Online Than the NFL Draft
- Thread starter John Funk
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Watching people play games is a pretty tough sell. I know they (sort of) make televised poker a thing, but that was more emphasizing personalities and human interactions between players. But standing there watching people watching a screen is never going to have a huge audience - there's no drama to it. And sports (or whatever you want to call it) without human drama (think of how desperately they always try to hype rivalries during the Olympics so people will actually care about a 100m race) will always be a niche market, with rare flashes of novelty-based transient interest.
MLG Columbus was a great event.
It's true that their claim was a bit overstretched. Still, 450k unique viewers is an amazing number for competitive gaming. It's still a long way until it reaches the level of popularity of professional sports, but the growth is undeniable.
For someone like me, who's been watching the professional Starcraft 2 scene ever since the beta, the tournament opening game between oGsMC and EGIdra, featured in this article, had plenty of drama. And it didn't stop with the opening game, it went on throughout the 3-day tournament, up until the end with the crowd spontaneously chanting the winner's name (MMA, from the Korean team Slayers).
People are reluctant to call it a sport. It's understandable. I consider a good term to be 'competitive gaming'. Because there's no denying that there is a very high level of competition. And because of that, it takes a lot of dedication. To be competitive, to win tournaments, you need constant training, between 6 and 10 hours a day. Those willing to put in that much time deserve respect.
It's true that their claim was a bit overstretched. Still, 450k unique viewers is an amazing number for competitive gaming. It's still a long way until it reaches the level of popularity of professional sports, but the growth is undeniable.
I disagree that the drama is missing. Drama builds up over time, once you become invested in the players. And you will become invested in the players because the games are exciting. And you're not watching people watching a screen. You're observing the game, while listening to expert commentary, just like mainstream sports. And I can tell you that there are some very good Starcraft commentators out there, that know very well how to pull you into the game.Dired said:
For someone like me, who's been watching the professional Starcraft 2 scene ever since the beta, the tournament opening game between oGsMC and EGIdra, featured in this article, had plenty of drama. And it didn't stop with the opening game, it went on throughout the 3-day tournament, up until the end with the crowd spontaneously chanting the winner's name (MMA, from the Korean team Slayers).
People are reluctant to call it a sport. It's understandable. I consider a good term to be 'competitive gaming'. Because there's no denying that there is a very high level of competition. And because of that, it takes a lot of dedication. To be competitive, to win tournaments, you need constant training, between 6 and 10 hours a day. Those willing to put in that much time deserve respect.
Well, considering that I live near Columbus, and didn't even hear that it was happening there, I wouldn't say that it's bigger than the NBA Finals or the NFL Draft....
I'm sorry, but that kills it. Now the numbers aren't even close. I happily watched the NBA Finals. I don't even know what that league is.John Funk said: