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Major League Gaming Has A TV Deal

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the watch-it-after-monk dept.

Gamasutra reports that the Major League Gaming organization has signed a deal with the USA network to televise some of their competitions. From the article: "League programming, available at MLGpro.com all year long, will culminate in seven one-hour episodes that will air on the USA Network during the holiday season. In addition, the company also announced a MLG Pro Invasion Bus Tour, which will kick off in the summer and make 100 stops around the country. The Tour features MLG pros traveling across the U.S. in search of the next generation of professional gamers."

58 comments

  1. Watching people play videogames? by GundamFan · · Score: 1, Insightful

    What are they smokeing...

    Oh well... USA hasn't exactly had there finger on the pulse of anything but daytime reruns for years.

    A fool and his money are soon parted I guess.

    --
    I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.
    Mark Twain
    1. Re:Watching people play videogames? by Rayaru · · Score: 1

      Actually USA shows Monk, one of the most highly-rated cable TV shows on the air right now.

      They also show wrestling, which (amazingly) appeals to a lot of people.

    2. Re:Watching people play videogames? by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Believe it or not, there are many people out there that would rather not play the game itself, but rahter be the spectator in the game. This is what we call "fans" and these are the people lining up in stadiums and piling onto couches to watch the event they feel gives them the most excitement. It's all about entertainment - and right now, the gaming industry is becoming more well known, even thru bad publicity like Jack Thompson.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    3. Re:Watching people play videogames? by Sheriff+of+Rockridge · · Score: 1

      I agree. There are plenty of occasions when I don't feel like playing a game, but would rather watch. Sometimes I'll host a Warcraft 3 game just to watch others play and learn from their strategy. I think this is a giant untapped market (especially for strategy games).

      When you watch football, you are entertained by large men slamming into each other, but what holds your interest is studying the strategy (even if it is only subconciously). The same can be true for video games; but with video games, you can actually try out what you just saw on TV. USA is smart to get in on the action early. Of course, as with any new form of entertainment, there is a lot of potential for them to screw this up. Hopefully they don't.

  2. Retarded by YourM0m · · Score: 0

    This is completely retarded. I'm a huge gamer myself and would never watch this. The fun in games is playing them NOT watching other people play them.

    --
    Steve -- http://tail-f.net/
    1. Re:Retarded by The+Snowman · · Score: 1

      The fun in games is playing them NOT watching other people play them.

      The "fun" in TV is living vicariously through other people, NOT doing something fun and interesting for yourself. While I think "major league gaming" on TV is a stupid idea, many couch potatoes across the country will have something else to watch for a minute or two as they flip channels.

      --
      24 beers in a case, 24 hours in a day. Coincidence? I think not!
    2. Re:Retarded by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 1

      It depends on the game. I don't want to watch people play your averge FPS for 30 minutes, that'd put me to sleep. I can't think of anything I'd gain by watching it, and it moves so fast that unless you're working the controls you probably can't follow it. I WOULD be interested in watching the really good high end guilds do some of the more complicated raids from WoW/EQ/etc. Watching that many people move in coordination is usually pretty impressive, and may help us casual types raise the bar a bit. Any idgit can do Molten Core (WoW) or Bastion of Thunder (EQ), but not anyone can do it really well.

      We can all go out and play football instead of watching it, but we probably lack the coordination and teamwork the pros have from practice.

    3. Re:Retarded by Braino420 · · Score: 1

      When I played Tribes 2, me and most of my teammates would sit and watch T2 recordings all of the time. We did this because we wanted to get a look at different tactics and strategies, I suspect this won't be much different.I would also listen to shoutcasts of the matches as they happened, which I found to be pretty entertaining.

      But what I want to know is, why the hell do you discourage this type of development? Are the networks not trying to cater to gamers more? Would you rather them not? Bitching about shit doesn't get anything done, ever. If you want improvement, suggest them.

      Tribes 2 died because of people like you, btw.

      --
      They call me the wookie man, I guess that's what I am
    4. Re:Retarded by metamatic · · Score: 3, Insightful
      The fun in games is playing them NOT watching other people play them.

      I'd say the same about sports, yet the NFL and NHL and NBA seem to find no shortage of viewers.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    5. Re:Retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's all a matter of personal taste, and there seems to be quite a bit of variety when it comes to games. Your example of watching raid parties gather and perform would bore me quickly, whereas watching two skilled FPS players duel would keep me interested.

      Why is this? If one person has not learned to a fair depth the genre on display, then it is hard to appreciate and understand moves and actions that are performed. When you say that a FPS game would be so fast that you couldn't follow, I could easily refute this since I *have* watched countless FPS demos with intent to learn from them. Yes, I understood them.

      Likewise, I don't know the tribulations of setting up a raid nor what a well executed one should look like. This leads me question whether a show dedicated to competitive gaming can ever really become massively popular outside the gamer sect. It will force uninformed spectators to learn a whole new concept, and I'm skeptical whether much of the general population will invest time to learn.

      Brian

    6. Re:Retarded by drsquare · · Score: 1

      The entry barrier to playing sport is a lot higher than turning on the computer.

      Also with sport you're watching something real, that's actually happening, that depends on your own body and the laws of physics, not some pixels that with the flick of a switch could completely vanish, based on arbitrary rules that could be changed with a single update or sequel.

      Imagine if every few years, the rules of football were changed, so the field went from 100 to 200 yards, the ball was made three times lighter and four times longer, the laws of gravity and momentum changed, and the number of players double or halfed. Some people played the old game, and some people played the new game. And every now and again some 'patch' came up so that a few games here and there had different rules. No-one would bother watching it, let alone working out what the rules of the week are.

    7. Re:Retarded by Rolgar · · Score: 1
      The 4 major American sports (NBA, MLB, NFL, auto racing) each have over 50 million fans in North America, yet baseball and basketball are nearly non-existant on TV unless you want to pay or live in the right locations. Football is a bit better off because there are at least 4 TV games a week (25% of the action) on broadcast TV from the first week of the season through the 2nd week of the playoffs. And yet ABC has been so disappointed with the Monday night ratings that they moved them to ESPN.

      Most video games sell at most 5 million copies, capping the number of fans around 20 million. If the networks have the option of airing sports with a potential 50 million fans or 20 million, you're going to have a hard time convincing them to go after the smaller market.

      I've played a lot of games, but I don't plan on watching on TV. It'd be like watching chess without the suspense. There is just no way to make it into good TV. It might be another thing to sit with my pals and enjoy watching two of them duke it out at some game we all like, because I know I'll get my chance at the winner, but I have no interest in watching people I don't know play video games.

    8. Re:Retarded by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 1

      "Tribes 2 died because of people like you, btw."

      And here I am, thinking it was because the damn thing would never properly run on my computer, even after applying an endless series of patches.

      --
      Bill Clinton: Pimp we can believe in. - The Shirt!!!
    9. Re:Retarded by metamatic · · Score: 1

      The entry barrier to sport is generally lower than video games, financially speaking. A set of sporting clothes, a bat and a ball can be had for way less cash than a high-end gaming PC.

      The entry barrier to the pro leagues, as far as skills are concerned, is the same for both--you need to be one in a few hundred thousand, at least.

      You apparently aren't aware that sports rules and physics have changed arbitrarily over the years. One of the big debates in baseball is over the fact that the change of materials used for bat and ball over the years has altered the balance of the game. Similarly, tennis has become a lot more boring, with fewer long rallies, since racket technology led to ever faster balls. Formula 1 racing has rules that have been revised arbitrarily on numerous occasions.

      And of course, America made up its own 'football', arbitrarily changing the game completely from that played in other countries--and most play the old games, not the new one. College football and NFL football have arbitrarily different overtime rules. In 2001, the NBA arbitrarily changed the rules of basketball to allow zone defense. And so on.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    10. Re:Retarded by metamatic · · Score: 1

      I have no interest in watching other people play video games. I have no interest in watching other people play sports.

      My point wasn't that watching either of them was interesting; rather, that the same arguments for boringness applied to both, and that in spite of how we both feel about them being completely uninteresting, there are plenty of people who disagree.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    11. Re:Retarded by drsquare · · Score: 1

      You apparently aren't aware that sports rules and physics have changed arbitrarily over the years.

      Yet the laws of physics and human physiology, and the general object of the game, have remained constant. In a computer game, all that changes with a single patch.

      And of course, America made up its own 'football', arbitrarily changing the game completely from that played in other countries--and most play the old games, not the new one.

      Those changes have taken centuries. In the computer game world, games are released and outdated within a year, replaced by something completely different. It'd be like if every season, the NFL decided to revert to a spherical or rectangular ball, a triangular or ovular pitch, goalposts half the size, and played the game in a zero g environment with laser guns.

      Those are the sorts of change we're talking about. I can't think of a single computer game which was popular fifty years ago, and is played today with pretty much the same rules, objectives and physics.

    12. Re:Retarded by Braino420 · · Score: 1

      Endless? They ended quite abruptly if I remember correctly. There were many factors, I'm sorry I lead you to think otherwise. But at one point in time there were a few hundred who played competitively (these people were able to run the game)

      --
      They call me the wookie man, I guess that's what I am
    13. Re:Retarded by metamatic · · Score: 1
      Yet the laws of physics and human physiology, and the general object of the game, have remained constant.

      The physics of baseball changed; the objectives of basketball changed.

      Those changes have taken centuries. In the computer game world, games are released and outdated within a year, replaced by something completely different.

      And the response is, so what? Reality TV shows are launched and outdated within a year, but millions of people still watch them. People still watch the Olympics, even though sports are regularly cut from the list and new ones added. Football supporters will watch the finals even though completely different teams play every year. People like variety.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
  3. Ugh... The "sport" of gaming by GrumblyStuff · · Score: 1

    No longer were people satisfied with really playing sports, they play sports games. Now, we just watch other people play sports games while the restful audience slowly melts into the seat cushions to become some vile, disgusting, sentient ooze.

    1. Re:Ugh... The "sport" of gaming by vranash · · Score: 2, Funny

      I agreed with you up until sentient.

    2. Re:Ugh... The "sport" of gaming by Bradee-oh! · · Score: 1

      I agreed with you up until sentient.

      Which implies you don't agree with "ooze." I for one want to make it clear I agree with him for all except sentient. Ooze is definitely valid.

      --
      "This is Zombo Com, and welcome to you who have come to Zombo Com" - www.zombo.com
    3. Re:Ugh... The "sport" of gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't see how 'professional videogame playing' is any worse than professional poker or Nascar; in these 'sports' the emphasis is less on physical competition and is more on strategy and (in the case of Nascar) reflexes. Videogames can require great strategy, strong teamwork and decent reflexes why should they be seen differently. Personally, I think watching videogames is lame, but the same can be said of any sport; why would someone watch professional footbal when they can get their friends together and play a game (or join a rec-league).

      What I think could be interesting is that these types of events could provide enough press that local events could pop up; I may be the only one but I think that it would be interesting to become involved in a videogame tournament.

    4. Re:Ugh... The "sport" of gaming by Braino420 · · Score: 1

      I find ooze to be incredibly offensive. Ooze melted into seat cushions, even more so. MOD PARENT DOWN

      --
      They call me the wookie man, I guess that's what I am
    5. Re:Ugh... The "sport" of gaming by MustardMan · · Score: 1

      I'm made of ooze, you insensitive clod!

    6. Re:Ugh... The "sport" of gaming by kisrael · · Score: 1

      Heh.

      Yeah I'm not sure how this is supposed to make for any kind of compelling viewing.

      Slackjawed focused players moving just their mouse and keyboard hand and sometimes cursing doesn't make great footage.

      On the other hand if they had espeically hacked versions of games, with Gods' Eye views and what not...that could be cool again.

      --
      SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
    7. Re:Ugh... The "sport" of gaming by TCQuad · · Score: 1

      No longer were people satisfied with really playing sports, they play sports games. Now, we just watch other people play sports games...

      Wait until we're watching people playing video games of people playing sports games. Oh, you think I'm kidding?

  4. Highlights by scolby · · Score: 3, Funny

    So how long before there's a Sportscenter-like show recapping all of the previous day's highlights? I can't wait to see the week's best pwnings!

  5. Should be interesting... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    All you need is John Romero to challenge the gaming community to be his "bitch" and every basement crawler will line up for the privilige. I wouldn't be surprised if some chick who strongly resembles Duke Nukem lay claim to the prize.

    1. Re:Should be interesting... by Braino420 · · Score: 1

      Speaking of professional gaming. I think it would be more entertaining, if we all lined up to kick this kid in the nuts. I mean, the kid comes out with a mousepad called the 'FATpad', and no, that's not PHAT. Not to mention the insufferable '1' he spells his handle with.

      Maybe it can be the prize for defeating Romero at one of his own games?

      --
      They call me the wookie man, I guess that's what I am
  6. Hope could come from this by turbopunk · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think the idea that it was signed to USA is very good. The key reason being the fact that USA is owned by NBC. This gives an avenue for gaming to cross over into major networks.

    1. Re:Hope could come from this by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1
      I think the idea that it was signed to USA is very good.

      My thought exactly. If it had gone to, like, France, all the sponsors would be baguette and beret companies, or something.

    2. Re:Hope could come from this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, should be enough exposure so that Major League Baseball lawyers notice their
      use of "Major League", and similarities to "MLB" and the Red/Blue logos.

  7. exclusivity by EddieBurkett · · Score: 1

    So how long until EA steps in and locks up MLG so only they can produce officially licensed video games?

    --
    The only thing I hate more than hypocrites are people who hate hypocrites.
  8. Oh great... by Saige · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Awesome.

    Now the various MLG players can let their egos get even bigger. They're already obnoxious and arrogant - televising them isn't going to help reduce that.

    --
    "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
  9. G4 TV by drewzhrodague · · Score: 1

    Look at G4TV -- they have shows like Cheat (in which that cute girl talks about game cheats), and others (including ST:TNG). There's lots of shows that may appeal to us gamers, and I am glad at least G4 is trying some of them out.

    --
    Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
  10. Eh... by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1
    MLG Pro Invasion Bus Tour

    Why do I get visions of MTV style garbage?

    The hosts will be second teir rap starts and third teir actors.

    There will be many "Bawls" jokes.

    This prophesy is complete. The Oracle will now retire to the Vomitorium.

  11. how much? by Zen · · Score: 1

    All I want to know is how much does a professional gamer expect to make in a year? One that does not 'work' for a specific gaming company. Sponserships and whatnot are different, but I wouldn't count the people who actually play games (normally by testing them) for a company on an annual salary basis. Anybody have any ideas? I'm sure the top three in the country make $500k or so a year, but is there actually a pseudo job market?

    1. Re:how much? by Buzz_Litebeer · · Score: 1

      In Pro gaming you are either the best, or you have a day job. :-)

      unless you live in Korea of course...

      But in the United States your not going to make a living coming in second on computer gaming. Though you can make a good living off of golden T if you are good at it, but thats mostly because you can bilk people at bars by betting money against them, and not so much about official competitive gaming.

      In computer gaming you cant get 5 people in a bar and have them bet each other who will win. Especially after you see someone play you know were you are going to stand against them and wont pay for the priviledge of being beat by them.

      --
      If you don't vote, you don't matter, so don't waste your time telling me your opinion
  12. Or "tier" even by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

    Hey, it's Monday. And a damned Oracle can spell things any way the damned Oracle feels like. Now get the hell off the holy compound!

  13. Maden, Counter Strike, and instant replays! by RingDev · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Okay, personally, for the most part, I think this is going to suck. Just watching someone else play from the FPS perspective, listening to some over excited basement dweller scream "OMG did you just see that!?!?"

    What would be much more entertaining would be to run in like a football game. With a dozen camera operators around the level, and a production studio switching cameras, runing replays, and poping up stats windows. Then get some sports announcers to comment on the progress, and fill them up with trivia knowledge on the players, clans, levels, and games.

    -Rick

    --
    "Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
    1. Re:Maden, Counter Strike, and instant replays! by oneiros27 · · Score: 1

      There were a couple of comments in this regard back in February when there were rumors of them looking for TV deals.

      --
      Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
    2. Re:Maden, Counter Strike, and instant replays! by forkazoo · · Score: 3, Insightful
      What would be much more entertaining would be to run in like a football game. With a dozen camera operators around the level, and a production studio switching cameras, runing replays, and poping up stats windows. Then get some sports announcers to comment on the progress, and fill them up with trivia knowledge on the players, clans, levels, and games.

      -Rick


      Also, they need to show schematic views of the levels. G4/TechTV used to have a video game show, but they would jump right into some game or level I'd never played. So, I had no idea where people were, etc. If there was a schematic view of the level, showing me that UeberCypher1234 was near the red team's flag, that's a lot more interesting than just seeing that he is in some sort of non-descript hallway, with the commentator pointing out that he is by the bioreactor unit. Something like a mini-map in an RTS, but with a full screen explanation and commentary on the map before the game starts.
    3. Re:Maden, Counter Strike, and instant replays! by RingDev · · Score: 1

      And jerseys. Get some high res number images on peoples backs so we can tell who is who :)

      -Rick

      --
      "Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
    4. Re:Maden, Counter Strike, and instant replays! by Xiroth · · Score: 1

      Another thing that would make it much easier to follow are custom avatars. This would allow professional players to differentiate themselves from each other, and perhaps create personality followings. Half the fun of watching a sport is to see the legends do their stuff, and know who they are. This could end up requiring some sort of uniform, though, so that things don't get too confusing for both spectators and players in games like Counterstrike (especially after the teams swap sides).

    5. Re:Maden, Counter Strike, and instant replays! by mrobin604 · · Score: 1

      They did something almost exactly like that at E3 last year (I think in NVidia's booth) It was actually pretty entertaining, as they had 2 people doing sports commentating, camera switching, etc.

      In any case, I think it would be more entertaining to watch on TV than watching people play poker. And people do that.

  14. Highlights-Spectator Mode Patented. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Microsoft Corp. has reached a patenting milestone by logging its 5,000th patent granted in the United States. Patent no. 6,999,083 provides for technologies that allow people to not just play video games against each other online, but to join the game as a spectator from anywhere in the world. The patent, which covers technologies that will be featured in Xbox 360 games, brings new innovation to online gaming by allowing consumers to tune into a video game much as they would a sporting event broadcast."


    http://channels.lockergnome.com/game/archives/2006 0307_online_spectator_mode_patened_by_microsoft.ph tml

  15. Exactly my thoughts, too by GroeFaZ · · Score: 1

    Since everything happening inside a game of, say, CS is already digital, you would have a lot more options to present useful data. Want to know how fast the one guy shot the other while they were meeting at a corner? Take the frame the first pixel appeared in the winner's viewport and subtract it from the frame he pressed the fire button from or the frame the loser's HP reached zero. Want to know at which distance the encounter happened? No more funny perspective math and guesstimates, just simple Euclidian geometry.

    But maybe the problem is that western mainstream's recognition of gaming culture is, as of yet, less mature than a public CS server. As long as certain elements of society succeed in connecting violent games with the rise of the Antichrist or whatever, digital gaming will never be treated as a serious sport and thus never receive coverage worthy of a serious sport.

    --
    The grass is always greener on the other side of the light cone.
  16. Yeah, G4 by British · · Score: 1

    I guess I should not be in the least bit surprised an announcement regarding video gaming and television was signed to a cable station that is NOT G4.

    Yes, G4 is going to be just Spike 2 in a few months. Probabably a few months to a year until all video game programming is wiped out.

  17. Watch this and tell me... by Nananine · · Score: 1

    ... that it's not in the least bit exhilarating: Daigo's comeback KO

    Now I'm not saying there's a huge market, but personally, I love watching fighting game match videos.

  18. Copyright nightmare potential.. by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Gaming is different from most other pastimes in that its source material is copyrighted by someone. Nobody gets royalty payments when a football is shown on screen, but what about if Mario or Lara Croft are?

    There are a couple of possibilities here.. either game publishers can get paid for their work being featured, or they can consider it free advertising and give it up for free or (more likely) sponsor the competition somehow.

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  19. World Series of... by mrcarns · · Score: 1

    I love the fact that people are screaming how boring this would be to watch? Has anybody watched 7 card hold'em - how popular is that when the content is 10x as boring. It is all about editing the content down to bite size exciting scenes. I for one would love to see some CS matches from the best players in world on TV (yes i know you can download matches).

  20. G4 is running away from gamers by sinner6 · · Score: 1

    Hate to tell you but G4 is gotten rid of most of its gaming roots. The survivers from before the merger are X-Play and Attack of the Show ( which really isn't a surver but what "The Screen Saver" mutated into). The CEO in charge of the merger was fired because ratings are horrible and new management brought in to clean up the mess. The new management has no intrest in reviving any TechTV or game based format. No one is intrested in a format that will get eyes away from the format, ( in plain english TV competes with console games, you can do only one at a time. If the TV tells you to play games you have to stop watching TV.) It is NOT like watching a show about movies because those are review shows in which you watch TV to help you decied what movie to see. At that point you have already decided to watch a movie but are using TV to help decide which one, so TV tries to recapture you for 1/2 hour of reviews. X-Play might survive because of this. They aren't tell you to playing games so much as telling you which games to play. There is nothing in X-Play to get one excited to play games, but watching footage of people playing will get you excited, you will turn on the XBox/PS2/GC/360 and play. You will also be no longer watching TV and thus they will have LOST viewers, not gained. Losing views means losing advertisers, which means NO MONEY. Face it, Gaming TV is DEAD! Perhaps a game based network might make it as IPTV but never as a traditional TV network.

  21. It's going to suck just like g4tv by HavokDevNull · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why? two reasons...

    1. Only two games as far as I can tell from the website will be played; Super Smash Bros. Melee and Halo 2

    2. From the FAQ at the site."Why doesn't MLG have tournaments for PC games?"

    Major League Gaming is a competitive console gaming league. There are a huge number of other leagues and tournaments for PC games. As such, MLG does not stand to gain much by holding tournaments for PC games. With exception to fighting games, which are historically considered arcade games, competitive console gaming is relatively new, and MLG is a pioneer in that part of the industry. Competitive console gaming is also open to everybody, as it has a lower barrier to entry as compared to competitive PC gaming, in which those who have the funds necessary to purchase the latest hardware can have a rather significant hardware-based advantage over others.

    In other words it's going to be joke!

    When I start to see Ladders to a playoff for different types of games (FPS, RTS, or ideally a game with a combination of the two, for example Battlefield 2) which encourage cooperative, strategic play with teams. Why not model the game play to be broadcast like the most successful sports programs on tv today? e.g. real football or soccer game. You have a coach/s giving direction and the over all strategy to the game being played (RTS), and the team members executing the strategy given by coach by it's players working as team (FPS). Then to be able to watch, comment, critique and enjoy watching the teams strategy and game play as they face off, again just like a real sports broadcast. Only then do I see something of this caliber take off to become successful, and not watching 15 sec clips of a players game then 20 mins of background side stories about the players

    --
    Sig
  22. Retarded-Audiance Participation. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I've played a lot of games, but I don't plan on watching on TV. It'd be like watching chess without the suspense. There is just no way to make it into good TV. It might be another thing to sit with my pals and enjoy watching two of them duke it out at some game we all like, because I know I'll get my chance at the winner, but I have no interest in watching people I don't know play video games."

    And why can't you get your chance? Most FPS* have multiplayer with a spectator mode. Even Microsoft is getting into it with the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live.

    *RTS's are a good candidate as well.

  23. Gamers is running away from audiance. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh you could have something to please everyone. Combine one popular game with spectator mode. Add in-game adverts. Boom! Everyone's happy.

  24. Now coming to USA... by danpsmith · · Score: 1

    ...a simulation of an afternoon over your annoying cousin's house as a kid who would never let you play his video games, but instead insisted you watch him instead...

    How did they know what I wanted?

    --
    Judges and senates have been bought for gold; Esteem and love were never to be sold.
  25. Living under a rock? by Jack+Johnson · · Score: 1
    Gaming spectating and TV is huge in Korea and G4 has weathered the storm and survived on cable for years now. Meanwhile, gaming videos show up among the "Popular" results on Google Video quite often and tens of thousdands of people download match videos and view player profiles online.

    I'd say the US is more than ready for gaming TV.

    I wouldn't be suprised if it's a smashing success for advertisers. For gaming ads, you couldn't hope for a better concentration of the target market. Virtually everyone who sits down to watch MLG Halo 2 matches on this show will be a Halo 2 player. The same will go for whatever other games MLG runs tournies for.

  26. It can work.... by Yumi+Saotome · · Score: 1

    ...so long as you show stuff that is entertaining not just to the hard core gamers but to the masses as well.

    Like Daigo Umehara parrying out of certain death