Gaming Communities and Competitive Gaming - ESEA News

[Gatorr]

Hey everyone here at Toronto Darkly,

Some of you may or may not be familiar with ESEA News, found at http://www.eseanews.com/ .

I am a new writer, and am working on an article featuring various gaming communities and their take on competitive gaming. I have chosen Toronto Darkly as a community to focus on. What I need from all of you guys, if you are willing to work with me, is just a brief statement of what your opinion is on competitive gaming. What do you think of the concept of playing for money, or getting paid a salary to play a video game? Please note if you have participated in a league, how long ago, and if you would ever play again? Why or why not?

I appreciate any support this thread receives, and will continue to keep everyone posted.

Thanks,
Gator

 

[iSeize]

the idea of getting paid to play video games is definitely a luxury i wish i could enjoy, but at the same time i dont want to put THAT much time into a video game. I keep video games strictly an entertainment transaction. Yet i do enjoy watching extremely competitive play. its like taking something you enjoy, then taking it to the next level.

Me and Clash are sort of in aggreance on this aspect, E-Sports is certainly not as big an industry as it should be. every so often theres a short broadcast on G4TV that shows the national finals for some Halo Tournament, but its so poorly advertised that by the time it gets around, nobody actually cares.

You gotta take into consideration exactly HOW many people play video games these days. Its certainly enough people to sustain a TV stations ratings, look at all the other specialty channels there are out there, why hasnt one been devoted to Video games? Sure there are a couple channels like G4 and TechTV, but even they havent seen the potential esports has.

If eSports were more popularized with recognized leagues, becoming a professional gamer would become a freakin sweet job, but as of now its an underground thing (in north america, anyway.) and i also have to remind you that i play the gmae for fun, not to win. proof? my stats page on HLX stats. i bet my KDR is like .70 right now, because i am a greedy bitch that always goes for the knife kill.

in Modern Warfare2, i dont even use guns anymore. i got bored of that a long time ago. ive been running around with a riot shield and throwing knife since i prestiged.

In Conclusion, e Sports isnt something im cut out to Participate in, but i would LOVE to see more of it.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

I've not ever competed in professional gaming (e-games, or whatever it's called).

Personally, I think it's absolutely absurd. To make money at playing video games while there's not enough money (in the incredibly profitable gaming industry) to pay the people who deserve the money (i.e. the creative genius' who develop good games, not the crap that comes out now-a-days).

Instead of wasting profits on people who play games competitively, they could make console gaming (the "hardest, and most quickly fading" market, so the industry claims) much cheaper, and thus get their market back. But they're too dumb to realize that.

EDIT: Now promote TD, and get us some sponsership... :)

 

[Pyroette]

A few months ago there was a lot of talk about some server where gamers were paying to play with online with girls..

With the amount of time I spend playing this game of course you start imaging what it would be like to get paid to play. There are some TD guys who used to play on cal. And sometimes we get some really competitive scrims going. But theres a pretty big difference in game play between when we are all just on the pub server compared to when we are in a scrim and taking it seriously.
But yeah I would play to be paid for sure. If you check out some of the hours these guys clock on css and just in this server...well our salaries would be sweet ass.

 

[47]

we r the best, that is all

 

[Roach]

There was a time when I played Halo3 pretty hardcore. About 2 years ago. Practicing with my team for hours each night, going into incredible depth on how to increase our teamwork and general gameplay, preparing for the next MLG event(which we never ended up going to). I found that the more serious you take a game, the less fun it actually is. I lost alot of good online friends in that era because of skill difference (basically, your too newb so we can't play with you)

Of course it would be great to make money by playing a game that you love. But the moment that it felt a job instead of a game is when I would back out. Like, some pro gamers practice for 10+ hours a day, which is just unhealthy. These kids arent role models of any kind. They're arrogant pasty white basement lurkers with arthritis and blueballs.

IMO

 

[Leroy]

My take is this, my concern is when money is on the line, there are a subset of people who are willing to do *anything* to win. This is why its next to impossible to host tournaments-for-money, as cheaters come out of the woodwork.

I myself would not enjoy playing in a competitive league without increased anti-cheat technology, such as client-side apps running.

 

[Dean]

[quote1284406507=Gatorr]
Hey everyone here at Toronto Darkly,

Some of you may or may not be familiar with ESEA News, found at http://www.eseanews.com/ .

I am a new writer, and am working on an article featuring various gaming communities and their take on competitive gaming. I have chosen Toronto Darkly as a community to focus on. What I need from all of you guys, if you are willing to work with me, is just a brief statement of what your opinion is on competitive gaming. What do you think of the concept of playing for money, or getting paid a salary to play a video game? Please note if you have participated in a league, how long ago, and if you would ever play again? Why or why not?

I appreciate any support this thread receives, and will continue to keep everyone posted.

Thanks,
Gator
[/quote1284406507]
When I think "playing for money" I immediately think of Korea. top end gamers, stadiums filled with spectators, TV broadcasting and colorful announcers. I know that the top Korean Starcraft teams all own houses, and if your on the team you get a room in the house, food, lan, PC from hardcore sponsorship [yt=width450,height400]P39gP4QnXxE[/yt]
Competing was always fun. having a good league match in CS always left the community feeling good.

 

[Cock]

Way back in CS 1.6 days (and before) I played CAL, it was fun even when my team was loosing. This was mostly due to the way my team played. 

We would mostly play the fun cheese strategies, like Nade wall, or our save rounds would be smoke and knife. Even if the round was lost we were sill laughing after because we usually would get 2 or more of them. It was pure laughter when we killed the while team. 

I think the reactions of the other team was awesome.  No one expects the tower of 5 guys in a corner or 5 guys hiding in a huge smoke ball with knives.   This is why I play CS, it makes me remember all the fun I had way back when. the small adrenaline rush i get every so often isn't bad either. 

I would love to be paid to play. But then I really think about it, I'd prolly gain about 200+ LBS and never see any sunlight and my GF would leave me. This all depends of course on the salary amount and if I can support my large eating habits on said salary.

But like Jeroy said when it comes down to online games and money, hacks are involved and that is why I stopped playing CAL or in any league. There are more hackers in leagues then people are aware of. Some hacks are so subtle people even use them in LAN games with out anyone busting them. The thought Kinda sickens me to be honest.