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Competitive Gaming Hits the Mainstream
thegamebiz writes "Amped eSports has a recap of the 60 minutes segment profiling gaming icon Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, while also providing commentary on the effect it could have on the business as a whole. From the article: 'As millions of Americans sat with eyes affixed to their televisions during the second week of the NFL playoffs, a different type of sport was being birthed into the public spotlight merely a channel away ... It's time to wake up, America. eSports has hit the spotlight and with it comes the realization of a dream that has existed in the mind of every child since Fred Savage took his brother to California for a Nintendo tournament in The Wizard. Professional Gamer is now a valid career path.'"
'As millions of Americans sat with eyes affixed to their televisions during the second week of the NFL playoffs, a different type of sport was being birthed into the public spotlight merely a channel away...'
How does millions of people watching another program on at the same time help the cause?
"Professional Gaming has Arrived!" has been a headline I've seen for a dozen years, if not more. It's not going to happen, because there's no audience for it. At best, it will be something like a movie critic. You can't go to movie critic school and have offers ready for you when you graduate. You make it on your own. I think pro gaming, if and when it ever arrives, will be very similar.
I didn't see 60 Minutes, but did they mention Golden Tee Golf at all? I know there's people that play that in leagues and make $15,000+ per year. Not income-worthy, but that's a pretty good supplement for the average joe.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
So you are saying every commercially successful sport out there is NOT about the sportsman/woman and his/her experience? I'm a hardcore gamer myself (in terms of hours spent), and I very much enjoy watching pros duke it out in a game I enjoy playing myself. And even recorded speedruns etc. of a single-player game can be very entertaining. By every definition, PC/console gaming can be a sport like any other.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the light cone.