Slashdot Mirror
Four Kings, Schroet Kommando Go CS Movie Crazy
Simon Bysshe writes "Intel have just put online my latest film for them about competitive computer gaming, featuring a Counter-Strike match between Four Kings & the world's #1 Counter-Strike team Schroet Kommando. The movie includes pre-game interviews, animated tactical rundowns, live 'shoutcasted' games & finally a post-match analysis, and has already been downloaded over 40,000 times - we're trying to establish gaming as an entertaining spectator sport."
we're trying to establish gaming as an entertaining spectator sport
With such a low barrier for entry (the price of the game), and the ease of becoming good (just invest a lot of time) why should I watch somebody else play?
Try all you want to, video games will never become a spectator sport because it's easy enough for too many people to do.
Until Slashdot fixes the funny modifier, use insightful or interesting. The poster knows your intentions.
1.) Its faceless. Who the hell is [Sk]-l337sh00t3r- anyway? And besides the name, (which any player on any server can make their own) what is there to differentiate that player. Most clans will all use the same skin. Without being able to recognize the player quickly and easily it is more difficult to root or cheer for them.
2.) The teams come and go like the wind. If you stop going on the CS IRC servers for a couple of months, then the CPL or CAL-I teams that everyone is talking about are completely different the next time you go on. Theres no Red Sox-Yankees type rivalry, or even the possibility for that kind of rivalry.
3.) If I like a video game, Id rather play it then watch somebody else. This is different from other sports because if you are sitting on your couch and want to play say football, then you have to go through the hassle of getting people together and get off your couch and actually move. With video games, Im sitting at my box and can either spectate a match or jump on a server and play. No movement necessary. I want real competition? Go on IRC and find a scrim.
4.) Most people who do spectate video games are people who think they can at some point get to that professional level. You never hear of someone who doesnt play Counter-Strike watching a CPL match. Most people who watch football havent played in years, or at least dont play competitively. Yeah, there are a lot of people that play FPSs but by only drawing on that limited pool, they will never achieve a very high response to FPSs as spectator sports.
5.) This is kind of flame-starting, but I find that most people really into the culture of a video game, Counter-Strike in particular, are 12-yr old kids who have way too much time on their hands. As soon as they grow up a little and start having other responsibilities, they are going to spend less time on video games and what is the first thing theyll cut out of their gaming habits? Watching someone else play. Most likely theyd rather spend the time actually playing.
bleh..
Just one thing about the actual video. What the hell was the point of the commentary? First off, I'm sure they gave away some relevant information to the other team. Secondly, they didn't say anything that wasn't blatantly obvious from watching. I think a birds-eye view map with all the players displayed and some selected screenshots (Picture in Picture, the map clipped into whatever the given first person view happens to be) would be a better way.
The commentating was bloody annoying.
I'm not interested in worthless comentary and having someone else determine which part of the match I'm watching. The only reason to watch it is to see what "uber-l33t" cs players play like and video of monitors showing them in third person is pretty useless. Why not just release the hltv demo and let me decide what part of the match I'm watching?