Written by Tanner Banks, November 28, 2016, at 3:51 p.m.
Before we begin this article, I would like to thank Blizzard and their announcement for the Overwatch League. Thank you for completely throwing this article out of whack. If you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you take the time to check it out here first.
Alright, with that out of the way, let’s talk about how eSports have been failing as a sport. While it is no guarantee that Overwatch’s new method for the pro league will solve everything it tackled most of the issues that I talk about. See, video games and the competitive scene have grown quickly and unevenly. While the pro scene has huge followings with millions of dollars in prizes, and tens of millions of viewers after that is really… nothing. The level of play goes almost directly from playing at home to playing professionally.
eSports Competitive Tiers
Remember those Nerf dart gun commercials with the tag line “It’s Nerf or nothing”? That’s what competitive video games are like for the most part. You’re either professional, or you’re nothing. Take a look at how traditional sports work in America and Europe for comparison.
In America there’s pick up games, rec leagues, club teams like AAU (sometimes called “select teams”), college level, semi-pro, and professional leagues. Most people only make it to rec league ball, there are rungs of the ladder to help people climb. Places for players to develop into their own type of player with coaches to guide them, teammates to push them, and memories to form them.Having these levels of play also help to separate people into different tiers and purposes for play.
When queuing up for a few games in quick play or even competitive, some people take the game a little more seriously than others. While there are are always those teammates in a game of basketball who think a Duke scout is secretly hiding in the back bleachers for your church league game, they are few and far between compared to the glut of competitors in video games.
That being said, there are steps being taken in video games to alleviate the issue. Colleges around the United States are taking after Korea and implementing student-athlete status for the best gamers on campus. Some of these teams are even producing future professional players while they develop other skills in life at university. But how do they go about becoming professional.
Going Pro in eSports
There’s something oddly romantic about how going pro in competitive gaming is so often a pure rags to riches story. Spending hours at a time with the thing you’re most passionate about. Grinding through defeat after defeat sharpening your senses and abilities.
Going through random tournament after random tournament to finally get noticed and have your chance for that big fancy check with your “name” on it. (Because who knows pro gamers by their name instead of their gamer tag?)
On the other hand, it’s complete bullshit. The path to becoming a professional gamer is so unclear and at times confusing, it’s no wonder it’s still laughed at. With pro basketball, baseball, football, etc. the path is difficult but clear. You need to train every chance you get, play select, play school ball, get lucky with some genetics, and you’re on your way to pro ball. It’s not perfect by any means, but there is still a path to success that you can take.
League Formation
Before we get to the last infrastructure aspect I just want to say hats off to Blizzard again. What I’m about to say has been specifically answered in the Overwatch League trailer. But that doesn’t mean that the issues aren’t still present.
When you look at most professional leagues in video games it doesn’t always feel the same way other pro sports do. Nobody has any true allegiances for the most part. Players swap around from team to team all the time, sometimes just switching to a different game. The popularity of teams can seemingly come out of nowhere and classic rivalries and traditions are few and far between. (If at all present.) And because there is no regionalism to identify with, it can make things difficult for someone trying to enter the league as a viewer. Having that “home town team” feel can be a huge boon for the community to rally around.
As for the leagues themselves the disparity in player pay and benefits is absolutely laughable. While some tournament winners will get millions, stories of “pro” players in these tournaments will spend days, weeks, months prepping for what amounts to a hand shake and a couple ten dollar bills. With an uncertain future for players, it makes the potential pay off seem too risky to pursue.
Final Thoughts
I find it hilarious that many of the issues that I was writing about in this article were addressed by Blizzard. When you’ve got one of the best companies involved in eSports changing the way eSports work… You know something has to change. eSports are still in their infancy and building a solid foundation for players to grow in is essential for the future. If you don’t give a hero a path in their journey, few will forge their own path. But with changes on the horizon, eSports are could make that leap to legitimacy.
