Monday, July 30, 2007
eSports shifts into high gear
It has been popular knowledge for a while now that video Games are a bigger industry than movies. But perhaps we have been comparing it using the first word, "video", and not the second, "games". The real question might be, how does video gaming compare with sports, board games and gambling? And of course we here at idfive are asking, and how can we best put our clients in front of this dynamic group of young people?
The test of how Video Games fare compared to the wide world of sports is getting some airtime in Korea, where video games are starting to become a spectator sport on TV.
The test of how Video Games fare compared to the wide world of sports is getting some airtime in Korea, where video games are starting to become a spectator sport on TV.
With some delightfully campy ESPN-ish high-octane graphics, eSport gaming in Korea has become a real spectator sport / game show. Arena-syle campaigns conducted by video gamer superstars, immense screens in the studio and large bass-thumping music make the whole thing worth more than a second television glance.
A good overview with some of these graphics, is available here:
http://www.monocle.com/sections/culture/Web-Articles/E-sports-in-Korea/
http://www.monocle.com/sections/culture/Web-Articles/E-sports-in-Korea/
Competitive video gaming has been around for a while, but it is when TV begins to pick it up - that the real competition begins. Suddenly losers and winners are visible to large audiences. Suddenly there is a real venue for those targeting the video gamer's demographic dollar, and suddenly the Ad-Dollar is being spent to push the game even further.
In the US and a few other countries, the second season of the self-styled World Series of Video Games, the WSVG, has begun in May to the tune of 100,000-plus attendees in china. Their media stats: In 2006, the World Series of Video Games attracted more than 90,000 attendees, produced 250 hours of broadband video, and 20 hours of nationally broadcast programming led by CBS.
In the US and a few other countries, the second season of the self-styled World Series of Video Games, the WSVG, has begun in May to the tune of 100,000-plus attendees in china. Their media stats: In 2006, the World Series of Video Games attracted more than 90,000 attendees, produced 250 hours of broadband video, and 20 hours of nationally broadcast programming led by CBS.
To me it is quite odd to imagine video games as a spectator sport seen on TV, but then I can't fathom golf or bowling being on TV either, so perhaps my sense of this is a bit off. I have found myself wondering when I have seen my little brother's girlfriend sit next to him and watch as he plays video games, but perhaps it is not as grotesque a passive pastime as I imagined.
The long and short of it is that people love these games. And now, we are finding, people love to watch people who are good at these games too - and not surprisingly, cheer on their favorite gamer heroes as they conquer the latest level.
How this spectator-sport will morph online is anyone's guess, and there are some great ideas too: from actually being present in the game as your hero fights to interactively being able to affect the outcome of the match. Regardless, it is worth keeping an eye on it as the newest spectator sport to hit the small screen will soon be on a computer near you.
The long and short of it is that people love these games. And now, we are finding, people love to watch people who are good at these games too - and not surprisingly, cheer on their favorite gamer heroes as they conquer the latest level.
How this spectator-sport will morph online is anyone's guess, and there are some great ideas too: from actually being present in the game as your hero fights to interactively being able to affect the outcome of the match. Regardless, it is worth keeping an eye on it as the newest spectator sport to hit the small screen will soon be on a computer near you.
Labels: sean_cohen, sport, video games, wsvg
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posted by Sean Cohen @ 4:25 PM
posted by Sean Cohen @ 4:25 PM
