Gaming Tourneys Coming to U.S. Television

greig writes "DirecTV is aiming to bring to the states what the South Koreans have been enjoying for years: regular broadcasts of videogaming tournaments. Games at the first tournament were Battlefield 2, Counterstrike 1.6, Halo 2, Project Gothem Racing and Dead or Alive 4. The initial broadcasts of the exhibition invitational are on the free DirecTV channel 101 this weekend. Is this the first step to escalating videogames to the status of the X-Games and poker?" Taken from the about section: "The Championship Gaming Series will launch as a league starting 2007; however, in 2006, we will broadcast 3 television events: Championship Gaming Invitational, the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) Winter Finals and an event that will be announced shortly."

Comments

Not long now guys, warm up your Shock rifles.

[LiquidCoooled]

In 2291, in an attempt to control violence among deep space miners the New Earth Government legalized no-holds-barred fighting.

Liandri Mining Corporation, working with the NEG, established a series of leagues and bloody public exhibitions.

The fight's popularity grew with their brutality. Soon, Liandri discovered that the public matches were their most profitable enterprise.

The professional league was formed; a cabal of the most violent and skilled warriors in known space, selected to fight in a Grand Tournament.

Now it is 2341, 50 years have passed since founding of DeathMatch. Profits from the Tournament number in the hundreds of billions.

You have been selected to fight in the professional league by the Liandri Rules Board. Your strength and brutality are legendary.

The time has come to prove you are the best; to crush your enemies; to win the Tournament.

Re:Not long now guys, warm up your Shock rifles.

[DJHewi1025]

Best first post ever. Although.... what's funny about calling the gamers cyberathletes is you are gonna see one kid that's about 500 lbs. Now, that's just effing funny.

Re:Not long now guys, warm up your Shock rifles.

[Gli7ch]

...It's the introduction to Unreal Tournament. Also, what part of "News for Nerds" don't you understand? Furthermore, I feel sorry for any woman you've ever touched. Especially your mother.

Re:Not long now guys, warm up your Shock rifles.

[ElleyKitten]

On the serious side have you ever talked to a woman? And Mom doesn't count. Gawd this BBS is still full of zit faced fucking geeks... sad sad sad. Last time I log in here. Where is the tech talk. Nothing but losers jacking to Play stations and game boxes... slashdot has jumped the shark.

Some women actually like games, and would prefer to talk to gamers in real life than assholes like you. And please learn what "jumped the shark" means before trying to use it again.

Is there really a market for this?

[hine_uk]

Does anyone see a market for this sort of event? Gaming - a predominantly solo event (yes we can argue that it is 'social' when gaming online but thats another discussions) does not lend itself well to passive viewing. Isnt this one of the main arguements as to why gamers (myself included) claim that it takes consumer entertainment to a different level? Because unlike television where the viewer sits there; the gamer is immersing him (or her) self in the game world and experience and is the catalyst rather than the recepticle.

Look at LAN parties, do you see people sat back watching the action in large numbers? No, instead everyone sees that Dust is on and jumps into the action. Games just arent fun to watch.

To me it just doesnt seem like entertainment, I dont want to watch other people play games I want to play it myself - thats what games are for.

Re:Is there really a market for this?

[kswtch]

i don't see a market here but there is a regular esports broadcast in germany for some time now. Looks like there are at least a few people out there interested in observing gamers and how they play the game.

Re:Is there really a market for this?

[hine_uk]

Granted Korea has a large market for this sort of televised event with particular emphasis on games (if memory serves correct) as Starcraft and its vein being one of them.

There is also the possible connection to real life sports. But that is what I base this on. Real life sports can be an entertaining event to watch with people physically battling it out on a real life arena.

When the entire event is virtual it loses alot of the lure to be an enticing live event. Sure in one country it has a following but is this more of a cultural event or is merely a sign of things to come?

Re:Is there really a market for this?

[Squapper]

To me, watching soccer doesn't seam like entertainment. Look at when a couple of kids are kicking ball at the school yard, do you see people watching the action? No, those who are interrested in the game wants to jump in too.

However, i DO enyoy watching Starcraft matches, to learn from the masters and to watch spectacular moves. There's definitely a market for theese events, perhaps even a bigger market than for minor sports like tennis or pool.

Re:Is there really a market for this?

[addie]

Does anyone see a market for this sort of event?

Well, I live in South Korea. There is definitely a market for this, but the question is... is there a western market? There are two channels on my basic cable setup that show live gaming competitions exclusively. There's no gaming news, no gaming documentaries, nothing but live gaming action. One of the channels is StarCraft almost 24/7, but the other one varies quite a bit. Counterstrike and FIFA are popular, but I've also seen such strange stuff as 1v1 WoW duels, and ping pong. When I first moved here, I watched some of it out of interest, but it gets old very, very fast. That may be because my Korean isn't great, and I can't fully understand the commentary. Or it may just be what the parent poster says, "gaming ... does not lend itself well to passive viewing". I'd tend to agree.

As with anything, money is what matters. Some of these kids make upwards of six figures and do nothing but game. They live together and play together. This is serious stuff. As soon as some advertisers in the US figure out how much branding they can stick on these gamers' uniforms, rigs, headsets, etc then I predict things may start happening. But don't expect me to watch it.

That all said, when I walk past the studio in the COEX mall and see a huge crowd (of males AND females) cheering, oohing, and ahhhing as the headshots fly... well who am I to judge?

Re:Is there really a market for this?

[SamSim]

Gaming does not lend itself well to passive viewing.

Agreed - but that's because nobody has made a game with this specific aim in mind - yet. All games are designed so that they are enjoyable from the point of view of one player - not from the point of view of an observer. A game like Counter-Strike doesn't lend itself well to spectation because it's impossible to follow more than one person at once, but there might be three dozen people you need to keep track of to make sense of the flow of the game. Football, by comparison, is better, because you only need to keep your eye on one thing: the ball.

I am almost certain that very soon manufacturers will begin making games with the spectators in mind as well as the players. It's only a matter of WHEN somebody will realise there's money in it.

Re:Is there really a market for this?

[Yumi Saotome]

There is most certainly a market for this.

For example, I actually detest Street Fighter III, Third Strike but look at:
The Infamous Daigo Parry
KO versus Daigo

which I admit were some of the greatest gaming footage I had ever seen. Listen to how the audience goes nuts during the entire thing; it was like watching art unravel before your eyes. The most telling thing was that a lot of the people in the audience knew aboslutely nothing about the game, but were going nuts anyways.

I also think a game show like Game Center CX from Japan would work well in the states. They take a comedian who plays through retro games and attempts to beat them before midnight. Arino Shinya's attempt to go through Ghouls and Goblins and his reactions to and comments on the game were pretty hilarious.

Re:Is there really a market for this?

[Txiasaeia]

I just arrived in South Korea two weeks ago from Canada, so perhaps I'm in a position to comment. I was shocked to see that my cable package included not one, but two games dedicated to PC gaming. One of these channels shows StarCraft games 24/7. Believe it or not, it's actually entertaining to watch these Korean kids duke it out in SC: there's no turtling, no slow and ponderous building of bases, but a fast-paced, exciting game in which both players execute multiple faints, ripostes, hit-and-run attacks, and finally the crushing defeat when one player's last nexus or hive comes crashing down. They usually don't go on for too long, but it's fascinating to see the dexterity and skill of these players. It's also very interesting to see reaction shots from the players when one of their strategies is foiled by their opponents, or when they mop up that last straggler on the map.

It's very, very interesting to watch. I'm not into StarCraft in a big way, but I can stand to watch a few games per week. I never thought I'd enjoy watching live games of a video game, but once you take in a few, it's hard not to see the appeal.

Re:Videogame a sport ?

[Troed]

Videogames, on the other hand, will see your best stats nerfed, rules changed, new versions coming out, maps modified

Formula 1, on the other hand, will see your best stats nerfed, rules changed, new versions coming out, maps modified

Re:Videogame a sport ?

[Anonymous Coward]

For 9 years I've been part of these gaming tournaments and can assure you that there are specific skills that must be developed to rate as a top professional gamer. Things like hand-eye coordination, reaction time, pixel acurate aim, focused concentration and precise strategy execution, all come to play and can determine the difference between a win or a lose at these high-stake tournaments.

Competing at the CPL is not the same as playing videogames at your home, as playing pro baseball is not quite the same as tossing a ball with your dad in the backyard. For home play the CPL has an online league named "CAL" (Cyberathlete Amatuer League) but the serious gameplay takes place live on location, in front of spectators, television cameras, officials, etc. You may have to experience it to understand the appeal.

Angel Munox, founder & president
Cyberathlete Professional League

Airing information

[Caduceus1]

Since there are so many questions:

- This is only on DirecTV. Don't have DirecTV? You ain't gonna see it.

- It airs on Channel 101 (normally CDUSA) in the late evening.

- Tonight (9/10), you can catch all three episodes, plus some animated shorts in between, starting at 6PM ET. Check your EPG to be sure - the west coast may have second feed that would air it later.