Frank Fields is an IGN freelancer who is also a leader in a major American eSports organization, VT Gaming. He has spent a lot of time around eSports and is a prominent member of the StarCraft II eSports community.
Despite developers offering the community many competitive games, very few become successful eSports titles. Many communities have wondered why their game is not successful as an eSport. So what are the key elements, and what are the hindrances to becoming an eSport?
Competitive games involve player competition in many forms, most often with a scoring system. However, eSports involves a number of other specific attributes. In general games must have:
- Direct competition - Players must be pitted directly against one another
- Fast pace - Games must have action frequently and quickly
- Visual appeal - Games must look good at a glance
- Observer functionality - Games must be tailored for spectators
- Popularity - Games must have a massive following
- Competitive depth - Players must always be able to improve their skills in the game
- Viewable media - Games must be accessible to non-players
- Competitive balance - Games must be balanced for all player options
It is important to note that not every eSport possesses all of these attributes simultaneously, but those games that do have a real chance to succeed. For some examples, we will examine competitive games in each community and analyze their status and potential as an eSport title.
PC
What is - StarCraft II
The golden standard for eSports is currently StarCraft II. It is an immensely popular game and has been since its beta, largely because developer Blizzard enabled live streaming prerelease. The beta was also entirely a competitive multiplayer game, revolving around 1v1 play. Blizzard capitalized on an extremely popular intellectual property, enabled a high level of exposure for a game still in early development, made a conscious effort to support an established eSports community, and delivered an extremely high quality and polished product. While there are many things Blizzard could be doing better, it has been responsive to community feedback and mindful of how all game changes affect the established eSports community.
What could be - Diablo III
While the game has yet to be released, what the community has seen of the player versus player arena would make a great competitive game and a possible eSport title. After StarCraft II was so heavily supported, the community has hopes that Blizzard will take the same stance in Diablo III, however it seems that the opposite is true: Blizzard has stated it will not be making Diablo III into an eSport title. The community support is already there, but for this game to succeed as a competitive experience, Diablo III needs the same developer support that StarCraft II has enjoyed.
What could never be – EVE Online
As far as ruthless competition, there is nothing that involves more calculated sabotage than EVE. It is a hardcore player versus player MMO that rewards careful planning to dismantle opponents. Even though EVE is a cutthroat game, the fact that the game takes so much strategy and planning is a negative for viewers. Players may go hours or an entire day without encountering another player because of the massive game world. The game is very slowly paced and has very little action. The game also is not friendly to observers. The nature of EVE overall prevents it from entering the realm of eSports.
While the game has yet to be released, what the community has seen of the player versus player arena would make a great competitive game and a possible eSport title. After StarCraft II was so heavily supported, the community has hopes that Blizzard will take the same stance in Diablo III, however it seems that the opposite is true: Blizzard has stated it will not be making Diablo III into an eSport title. The community support is already there, but for this game to succeed as a competitive experience, Diablo III needs the same developer support that StarCraft II has enjoyed.
What could never be – EVE Online
As far as ruthless competition, there is nothing that involves more calculated sabotage than EVE. It is a hardcore player versus player MMO that rewards careful planning to dismantle opponents. Even though EVE is a cutthroat game, the fact that the game takes so much strategy and planning is a negative for viewers. Players may go hours or an entire day without encountering another player because of the massive game world. The game is very slowly paced and has very little action. The game also is not friendly to observers. The nature of EVE overall prevents it from entering the realm of eSports.
PS3
What is - Call of Duty: Black Ops
Shooters inherently have a knack for being extremely eSport-friendly and Black Ops is no exception. Squad-based shooters have issues with viewers because of the nature of following team members. It is very possible that with only one display, several kills will be missed. However in Black Ops, the game is so fast paced that even if you miss a kill or a critical moment, another will happen almost immediately afterwards. Of the list of requirements, Black Ops meets all of them and has uncanny depth for a shooter with the number of weapons and equipment options available added on top of both the individual and team skill depth.
What could be - Gran Turismo
While racing games are not generally thought of as competitive, there is a certain excitement to them that is unique to the genre. The action is exceedingly easy to follow in a racing game and observer controls are built into the game at its core. Because of the realism of the driving, the game is very deep tactically, and the number of cars and equipment makes for preparation depth as well. What Gran Turismo needs to grow is a few motivated organizations to realize the potential and start giving it greater exposure. Overall, it is not streamed very often and there is not as large a competitive community around Gran Turismo that is needed for organic eSports growth.
What could never be - Uncharted
Although an immensely popular game known for its deep single-player, the latest version of Uncharted has also boasted an innovative multiplayer mode. I must state that the multiplayer of Uncharted is extremely fun and also very competitive, however there are a number of functions that it is missing. First off, there is not as much depth to the game as the traditional shooter -- there are limited equipment and weapons choices, despite the fact that the tactics used in the game are pretty advanced. The next issue is the lack of a central multiplayer community around the game that is necessary for growth. Lastly, as anyone who has played Uncharted can say, the shooting is a bit hit or miss; it does not feel 100 percent under a player's control and the system is not necessarily designed to be a competitive experience, which the multiplayer seems to focus on. Thus far there are still a number of missing features that Uncharted would need to be a successful eSport.
Xbox 360
What is - Halo
The longest standing eSport franchise in the United States, Halo represents an example of great developer support, community involvement and corporate funding. Competitive Halo revolves around team-based combat. This formula has proven to be the best format for shooters -- balancing strategy, fast-paced action, and deep gameplay. While one might think that observers could suffer some the pitfall of missing action, tournament organizers have solved this problem by having multiple vantage points during a match. This gives viewers a better feel of what's happening. In addition, even when following a single player, the arenas are small enough that a player is back in the action in a matter of seconds after dying. With immense corporate backing, Halo has become the premier shooting game in all of eSports.
What could be - Gears of War
For a long time, Gears of War has been a game on the precipice - toeing the line between eSport and just a great competitive game. Based on the beta, the biggest positive change in the third installment is the balance between weapons that was never quite spot on in each of the first two editions. There are a few flaws in competitive Gears of War that are still unresolved. The most prominent of which is the lack of observer controls in the game that is developer dependent; the Gears of War community is asking for it to make the game a successful eSport. The last item worth mentioning is that the competitive community is based around team deathmatch. Being a squad-based shooter, Gears of War could benefit from additional modes of play, such as capture-the-flag or king of the hill. As the game is still in development, such game modes may be added in before release. Only time will tell if the community and developer make the push for this game to be an eSport title.
What could never be - Dance Central
Dance Central and other music games have enjoyed underground competitive scenes since the early 2000s. The premise of competitive dancing games is that each player aims for perfection - to miss no steps at all and to time each of them perfectly. There are many positive points in this competition. For live audiences, it is very fun to watch the players' movements and the events on screen; all of it is very fast-paced. However, it does not necessarily translate well while it is being streamed. A simple screen capture takes all of the human element away, and so multiple cameras are needed to give the game any entertainment value at all. In addition, the players are not actually in direct competition with one another - how one player performs has no impact on the other's progress. It is a shame, because the game is surprisingly awesome to watch, but is hard to market because the real experience only works live without significant production expenses.
Wii
What is - Super Smash Brothers Brawl
Perhaps the most unconventional fighting game, Super Smash Brothers enjoys an extremely competitive scene, both for current and past versions of the game. Most notably, Super Smash Brothers is one of the few eSport titles that has gained significant popularity in Japan, along with other games in the fighting genre. It works because of the popularity of the game - the familiar characters that gamers remember with fondness. The controls are also simple, and yet there are almost endless possibilities, combos, and interactions with which to improve upon. A single camera is all that is necessary to show all the action. This game is actually not marketed that well and could probably be doing much better as an eSport. It is still one of the most successful eSport titles and the only solid contender based on Nintendo consoles.
What could be - Mario Kart
How Mario Kart has not entered the eSports world is something of a mystery. Like Super Smash Brothers, the game is extremely popular, fast-paced, and it is fun to watch. What is the problem? There really isn't one, except that the game seems to be taken for granted. It is universally accepted as a great game but is not thought to be a serious competitive title. There are not very many tournaments, and there is virtually no online streaming by users. As soon as a community forms that wants this game to become an eSport, it almost assuredly will be.
What could never be – Nintendo Platformers
Gone are the days where people would brag to each other about their Pong or Pac-Man score being top on the local arcade machine. Though high scores still exist as an incentive to keep playing, they're becoming more and more outdated. People tend to value progressive achievements instead. Head-to-head competition is ingrained in gamers, where the success of one player means the detriment of another. While games like Mario and Donkey Kong are streamed online for fun, the games aren't competitive in an eSport sense. It lacks many components that make for a great eSport game.
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