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Sports Bars Changing Channels For Video Gamers

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the we-watch-channel-zero dept.

dtmos wrote in to say that "This summer, StarCraft II has become the newest bar room spectator sport. Fans organize so-called Barcraft events, taking over pubs and bistros from Honolulu to Florida and switching big-screen TV sets to Internet broadcasts of professional game matches. As they root for their on-screen superstars, StarCraft enthusiasts can sow confusion among regular patrons... But for sports-bar owners, StarCraft viewers represent a key new source of revenue from a demographic—self-described geeks—they hadn't attracted before."

28 of 351 comments (clear)

  1. Still not a sport, try as you may.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I guarantee that if I'm at the bar watching a White Sox game, and somebody turns it off in favor of some video game, there's going to be hell to pay.

    (replace "White Sox" with your favorite team that plays a real sport based on physical prowess)

    Come on, bring out the -1's. Show me how malevolent you really are, slashdot moderators.

    1. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Luckily, finely honed reflexes and well developed fine-motor skills are not forms of physical prowess... so the status of Real Sports is safe.

      C'mon: Obviously, for the basic reason that our metabolisms sure as hell didn't evolve for sitting on the couch and letting our fingers do the work, getting actual exercise is healthy and useful(some people are even into it for its own sake, I'm told).

      Plunking your ass on the couch and cheering as your tribe fights the away tribe, though, bears basically the same relationship to real physical activity that plunking your ass on the couch and cheering as your RTS-er of choice drops some stimpacked marines on the opposition's mining outpost. That is, None At All.

      Spectating isn't a sport, no matter what you are staring at.

    2. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by Yamioni · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I have to respectfully disagree. Starcraft and other competitive online games are just as much a sport as baseball and football. Just like traditional sports, they require that you have good reflexes. They also require that you strategise and think ahead, predicting your opponent's moves better than they predict yours, in order to succeed. Just because the player isn't wearing protective gear and sweating in the sun doesn't mean it is any less intense; the focus is just shifted more off of the player's body and onto the mind. That also doesn't mean that the sport is less enjoyable or interesting to both the participants and the spectators. Different strokes for different folks ya know?

      We live in America. Majority rules. If ten people want to watch the Sox play, and 20 want to watch Starcraft, the bar owner is going to change the TV. And if you start shit about it, they will happily tell you to leave. Money talks. Mouthy assholes who think the world should cater to them and their every whim walk.

      --
      Cool post bro, highfive \o
    3. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by IDK · · Score: 2

      I guarantee that if I'm at the bar watching a White Sox game, and somebody turns it off in favor of some video game, there's going to be hell to pay.

      If the video game supporters outnumber the 'real sport' supporters, I would think not... Instead of a game of who can be the smartest*, you prefer a sport where the luckiest win first and the best win second. * Where smartest here means the one who can outsmart the opponent, is better at strategy and can think faster.

    4. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by grimmjeeper · · Score: 2

      The thing is though, you can arrange these ahead of time to be played when there are no good games on. Baseball tends to have a game on almost any time every single day during the season but when you reach the fall, winter and spring sports you're talking about several days when there just isn't any games on. Sure, Americans play football all weekend (college on Saturday, professional on Sunday), and then there's the Monday night game, along with maybe a few more. But even with other sports, there are days when there's nothing on TV. May as well have something else competitive on where you can lure in the patrons.

      And yes, video games are not sports in the traditional sense. But they are competitive and some do require the physical ability to control the game. Reaction time, eye hand coordination, etc. are all important in FPS games. Some of the mental challenges, like maintaining situational awareness to make tactical decisions, aren't as different from sports as you may think.

      I wouldn't suggest that they are "true" sports. But they are competitions that may be interesting for someone to watch. And as such, not completely out of the realm of what would appeal to sports bar patrons.

    5. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by Skarecrow77 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I've never understood how FPS capture-the-flag games that had a good active spectator mode, like Tribes, etc. never caught on as a spectator sport with video gamers and traditional sports fans alike. It seems like they've got everything your average sports fan would enjoy. a medium size squad of players who have specific positions to fill. quick turnovers, last minute saves, plenty of opportunity for both team tactical dynamics AND individual heroics to affect the match, etc. Easy-to-explain goals and dynamics that don't becoming boring (unless the map encourages turtling).

      Seems like it's almost custom-built to be a great spectator sport.

    6. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by _0xd0ad · · Score: 3, Informative

      And if you look at "athletic" it says "of or relating to athletes or athletics".
      And if you look at "athletics" it says "exercises, sports, or games engaged in by athletes".

      It's circular, so it can mean anything you want it to mean.

    7. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And if you are a "regular" at a sports bar you most likely suffer at least some mild retardation.

      Amen. I guess at some point in life they decided "hmm, is that a bunch of overpaid athletes? i'm going to pretend like everything they do is both important and has a significant impact on my personal life. i will get really excited about their every move and make a big deal out of every action they take. i may even get into shouting matches or even fistfights with other people who don't like my team, because they are like infidels."

      I understand how the GP feels. Retarded and confused is a tough way to go through life.

      You sure about that? It looks like big business to me. Everything is designed for them.

      The newspapers are written for a 3rd-grade reading level (not kidding about this, look it up) just to make sure they don't get confused by all those scary polysyllabic words. It's almost like an unwritten law that you are a terrible person if you ever intellectually challenge someone in any way or ever expect them to know how to use a dictionary.

      The entertainers. Most of the celebrities, actors, athletes have the emotional maturity of a 12-year-old. This is what gets promoted. Ever watch say Desperate Housewives and look at how petty and vindictive and catty they are? That's what gets ratings. Ever watch Entertainment Tonight and see how some insignificant piece of melodrama is treated like a profound event worthy of public scrutiny? That's what gets ratings.

      Warning labels. Now they tell you that bug spray is poisonous. Wow, you mean something so toxic it can be sprayed on a cockroach and the cockroach will drop dead might be bad to ingest? You don't say. Coffee is hot. Wow, you mean a beverage made from boiling or near-boiling water could be hot? Damn I am glad they protect all the stupids from having to rub two brain cells together to discern these things.

      No, the tough way to go through life is to be one of the minority who sees all these things we get so excited about and spend so much time and energy on, and then sees how stupid, wasteful, and pointless they all are.

      We should understand this as a society and leave the retarded to their "Sports Bars" (It is so cute we call them that.) We can pad the walls. Guard the entrance and keep them safe from "outsiders".

      Well it would be amusing just for once to see a sports game get pre-empted by something else. Just to see how the sports fans like it when it happens to them. Because usually a football game or a basketball game will pre-empt ANYTHING ELSE that's on the air no matter how much more merit it may have. It's like mental crack rock for the shallow. Those who aren't jock-sniffers and aren't obsessed with how well some millionaires can play a game have had to put up with that for a long time now.

    8. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by ragethehotey · · Score: 2

      Any FPS that moves fast enough to be exciting enough for the players involved is very difficult to watch as a spectator.

    9. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by DreadPiratePizz · · Score: 2

      The reason it never caught on was that it's simply not spectator friendly. With a sport, you can see all the player on the field at once and you can tell what they are doing. With an FPS, you can;t really see all players at once, and if you can, it's not clear what they are doing. Sometimes you can only appreciate player skill when you watch in first person, whereas you can easily see physical feats of sports athletes. Starcraft has this in common with sports; a lot of the battlefield is visible, and you can easily see and appreciate the skill involved in controlling the units.

    10. Re:Still not a sport, try as you may.. by daktari · · Score: 2

      ...just to make sure they don't get confused by all those scary polysyllabic words...

      Well played sir, well played.

      --
      A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. -- Willam Blake
  2. Sad to say by m50d · · Score: 3, Insightful

    but said demographic can also be very stingy. I suspect a large proportion of them will be teetotal, and many of those who aren't will buy a single drink and nurse it through the evening. So I'd be interested to hear whether the bars actually make enough money for this to be worthwhile.

    --
    I am trolling
    1. Re:Sad to say by _xeno_ · · Score: 2

      Man, if only you bothered to read the article, you'd have seen this quote:

      "It was unbelievable," said Jim Biddle, a manager of Bistro 153 in Beaverton, Ore., which hosted its first Barcraft in July. The 50 gamers in attendance "doubled what I'd normally take in on a normal Sunday night."

      So even if they aren't buying drinks, they're buying enough stuff to double the bar's normal take.

      Besides, if you've ever hung around gamers, beer (or really any alcoholic beverage) is a large part of the modern adult video gaming experience.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
    2. Re:Sad to say by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

      You just aren't selling it right:

      It isn't a shot, it's a potion of +1STR, +1CON(Side effects may include; but are not limited to, -1DEX, +1d6 illusory CHA, -1d6WIS).

    3. Re:Sad to say by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2

      What sane, right-thinking, person would fail to try at least one upon learning that "YeastMaster's Exalted Potion of Courage" was on tap?

  3. Just what I need by BitHive · · Score: 2

    Another reason not to go to sports bars.

  4. Re:Still no channel for it on TV by Yamioni · · Score: 2

    I have always thought that World of Warcraft could do well with a spectator mode. Heroics, Raids, Battlegrounds, Arenas; all great places to sit and watch other players for entertainment, or even to learn how to play better. Being able to watch the top raiding guilds in the world plow through Firelands or watch some of the top arena teams compete would be a great way for anyone to learn new strategies and up their game. Or you could just get drunk and watch crappy players wipe/lose over and over; bonus points if you get to listen to vent too. I'd probably end up watching more than playing though, especially if I could hear their lamentations everytime RNG caused a wipe.

    --
    Cool post bro, highfive \o
  5. And lose all their normal sports customers? by Lawrence_Bird · · Score: 2

    How long do you think people who come to the bar to watch football/baseball/hockey/hoops are going to put up with that before finding another bar? Maybe this works after 1am east/10pm west but I still think most bar goers would rather see sports center or a replay of a game. If this is really that popular then someone will open a gaming only bar.

    1. Re:And lose all their normal sports customers? by brkello · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You act as if sports bars put all their TVs on one sport. Having one set of TVs on Starcraft 2 is not going to matter. Besides, businesses will do what makes them money. If they find more people come in for the SC2 events and they make more money...say goodbye to baseball or whoever else is the least represented crowd.

      --
      Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
    2. Re:And lose all their normal sports customers? by craklyn · · Score: 2

      I was present for the opening night in Chao Bistro in Seattle. Their restaurant/bar is already naturally separated into two sections, so they had Starcraft 2 in one section and the normal bar in the other. The bar owners tend to run these events on traditionally slow nights, so there's room for normal patrons and gamer patrons at one time.

  6. Re:Nerds can socialize...IRL??? by geekoid · · Score: 3, Informative

    My friends and I talk about starcraft WITH our lady friends. Why would someone be with a lady friend that can't talk to about their hobbies?

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  7. Re:Better than American football by brkello · · Score: 2, Informative

    You are hilarious. Try going to England and watching traditional football. Americans are tame compared to most of the world when it comes to sports. But I doubt you get out much.

    --
    Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
  8. Re:Don't you mean.. by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I have seen games that could have been played by 4 players, 2 pitchers and 2 catchers for 90% of the game. Also WTF is up with the lack of a playclock? The game is too slow to be entertaining.

  9. Re:Don't you mean.. by _0xd0ad · · Score: 2

    I have seen games that could have been played by 4 players, 2 pitchers and 2 catchers for 90% of the game.

    And I've seen soccer games that could have been decided by just having the shootout to break the 0-0 tie at the beginning of the game instead of the end. That doesn't mean nothing happened.

    The game is too slow to be entertaining.

    That's to give you more time to drink beer. And it's less likely that you'll miss much when you have to use the restroom.

  10. Some Locations by Saishuuheiki · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those interested in where this is actually happening, here's a forum thread which has locations (with map) and descriptions for a tournament this weekend
    Barcraft Thread
    Barcraft Location Map

    Some locations: Seattle WA, Toronto, San Diego CA, Washington DC, New York City, Portland OR, Tampa FL, Gainesville FL, Edmonton (Canada), Honolulu, Waterloo (Canada), Chicago, Boston, Dallas TX

  11. Re:Don't you mean.. by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

    Soccer has action, not just boredom.

    There is not enough beer in the world to make baseball interesting. Maybe if the players were required to drink it would help.

  12. Re:Don't you mean.. by gfxguy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Obligatory Homer Simpson quote, when sober at the baseball game: "I never realized how boring this game is..."

    --
    Stupid sexy Flanders.
  13. Re:Sports Bras... by _0xd0ad · · Score: 2

    There's a sports-bra changing channel?!