Project Breakdown
The project will be initially broken into three parts:
1) Financial aspect of pro gaming. Money will be the primary motivation for gamers to quit their day jobs and spend hours training to play. That money will have to come from somewhere, either sponsorship or part of a league association. The Major League Gaming (MLG) has a few teams on contract to play exclusively for them, and some of those players are getting six figures. The World Cyber Games is open to everyone who gets through the preliminaries and is funded through sponsorship by both game and tech companies and in some cases the city that is hosting the event. So the questions is can a living be made being a professional gamer?
2) The technology of pro gaming. Besides PC, consoles, and broadband we should take a look at how to present gaming matches to fans. Usually enthusiasts show up in person to observe a match. However, there have been successful attempts to broadcast games on TV. The best example is a series of TV shows on the USA Network from MLG. It only lasted six weeks but there is talk of another series of shows. The World Series of Games did get a deal with CBS to show games but the World Series fell apart due to funding issues. The fact that one of the big four networks was interested should speak volumes, but we still don't know how they would have done it. Also, some game developers have started incorporating technology in there games to allow spectators to watch a game. Bizarre Creations make the popular Project Gotham Racing series for the Xbox. Their third game included a mode the let Xbox Live users log onto an ongoing match of other users in a race. Electronic Arts built something called Battlecast (could be wrong) into Command and Conquer 3 for use in tournaments. Can games be presented like sports games to reach a larger audience?
3) The social aspect of pro gaming. I've asked this question before, what makes a person a fan of something? By now everyone has seen pictures and video of the Halo Nation waiting to pick up the new game at midnight. And now the passion of Phillies fans are at an all-time high. So what drives these people to such devotion? Can this be replicated with pro gamers? Are game player personalities needed, like a Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods equivalent? There are a lot of game fans but sometimes it is for a specific game. I don't really know if there is an overlap between Madden football fans and Halo fans, or even Command and Conquer 3 fans. Without fans can pro gaming actually happen? With the current generation is it possible to achieve a viable fan base to elevate pro gaming into a popular and profitable market in the next five years? Ten years? If not, what will it take?
We should choose what we will work on the next time we meet. That way we can start work on our draft proposal.
The Truth.............
..................is that I am awesome at a certain game that shall not be named. Yes, so fracking awesome. I'm just glad I am so humble to admit this.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Project Draft Proposal, Halo 3, and The Truth
Project Draft Proposal
So it looks like Option #3 is the consensus choice for the group. The current draft proposal will look at the rise of professional gaming in the United States and ask the following question: can pro gaming become popular and successful in the US? The precedent has been set in South Korea with Starcraft and Warcraft tournaments with endorsement deals and popular media coverage. Here are some of the things we should look at:
1) What is the criteria for a game to be consider tournament material?
2) What companies are sponsoring these events? Are they tech related or not? (Goes to spending motivation)
3) Does console penetration (number of consoles in US households) relate to the success or failure of professional gaming?
4) What are the parallels between US, South Korea, and European countries in terms of video game usage, cultural tastes, and recognition? What is different, and can that affect US development?
5) Would people respond to professional gaming, as in would there be fan crossover? (Sports fans possible gamer fans?)
6) Does it help or hinder having personalities promote professional gaming?
7) Can it be profitable to sustain a market similar (not in size) to football and baseball with clothing and accessory lines?
I also want to look at a possible psychological aspect. Consider that people will get really rowdy and passionate during one sports event like football but they may not care about something like soccer (which is crazy). Sports enthusiasm is not universal. The reason I want to focus on sports is because professional gaming would more likely follow the sports model as evidenced in South Korea but with some differences.
The World According to Halo 3
Halo 3 is not the second coming. It is not the cure for cancer. It is not the solution to world peace. After the hype train steamrolled through society I thought I should take a minute to point this out.
And I love this game.
Everything that was right with the previous two games in polished just right with this version. Problems that existed have almost been completely fixed. It is not perfect, but boy is it fun. Multiplayer will be my new obsession for years to come.
The Truth...........
..............is sodas make you fat, CONFIRMED!!!!!! Now with 100% scientific proof. http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/18/kd.liquid.calories/index.html?iref=newssearch
The War on Obesity continues.
So it looks like Option #3 is the consensus choice for the group. The current draft proposal will look at the rise of professional gaming in the United States and ask the following question: can pro gaming become popular and successful in the US? The precedent has been set in South Korea with Starcraft and Warcraft tournaments with endorsement deals and popular media coverage. Here are some of the things we should look at:
1) What is the criteria for a game to be consider tournament material?
2) What companies are sponsoring these events? Are they tech related or not? (Goes to spending motivation)
3) Does console penetration (number of consoles in US households) relate to the success or failure of professional gaming?
4) What are the parallels between US, South Korea, and European countries in terms of video game usage, cultural tastes, and recognition? What is different, and can that affect US development?
5) Would people respond to professional gaming, as in would there be fan crossover? (Sports fans possible gamer fans?)
6) Does it help or hinder having personalities promote professional gaming?
7) Can it be profitable to sustain a market similar (not in size) to football and baseball with clothing and accessory lines?
I also want to look at a possible psychological aspect. Consider that people will get really rowdy and passionate during one sports event like football but they may not care about something like soccer (which is crazy). Sports enthusiasm is not universal. The reason I want to focus on sports is because professional gaming would more likely follow the sports model as evidenced in South Korea but with some differences.
The World According to Halo 3
Halo 3 is not the second coming. It is not the cure for cancer. It is not the solution to world peace. After the hype train steamrolled through society I thought I should take a minute to point this out.
And I love this game.
Everything that was right with the previous two games in polished just right with this version. Problems that existed have almost been completely fixed. It is not perfect, but boy is it fun. Multiplayer will be my new obsession for years to come.
The Truth...........
..............is sodas make you fat, CONFIRMED!!!!!! Now with 100% scientific proof. http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/18/kd.liquid.calories/index.html?iref=newssearch
The War on Obesity continues.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Facebook vs MySpace
Although I am part of the tech savvy generation I am still taken aback by the popularity of social networks. It seems everybody I meet has an account on either MySpace or Facebook or both. What I don't get is the appeal. Why would somebody want to share there personal information and thoughts with millions of people they have never met? I don't like sharing with people I have known for years (that's mostly paranoia). So due to my immense curiosity I decided to open an account in Facebook (MySpace will be at a later date). It was a painless process. I thought the initial setup would require a lot of information but all they required was a name, an email, and a location. That worked for me. Thankfully I still had my college email still active so I sidestepped the potential problem of using my personal email and not getting into a certain college network. This is just the beginning of my adventure in Facebook but certain things occurred to me.
1) MySpace scares the crap out of me. I don't think I have the creativity or rock hard pecks (yet) to really take advantage of it.
2) Facebook is less intimidating because not everyone can see me.
3) I have a reluctance of using my home computer. I am a software engineer and after 8/9/10 hours a day I do not want to touch another computer, which kills my email correspondence. I just tell them I don't like them because I am too lazy to tell them the truth.
4) I don't have that many friends. See previous statement.
But I'm on Facebook now. Time to make some new friends. Tomorrow........maybe.
1) MySpace scares the crap out of me. I don't think I have the creativity or rock hard pecks (yet) to really take advantage of it.
2) Facebook is less intimidating because not everyone can see me.
3) I have a reluctance of using my home computer. I am a software engineer and after 8/9/10 hours a day I do not want to touch another computer, which kills my email correspondence. I just tell them I don't like them because I am too lazy to tell them the truth.
4) I don't have that many friends. See previous statement.
But I'm on Facebook now. Time to make some new friends. Tomorrow........maybe.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Second Life: The Matrix Reloaded?
Nope, not by a long shot. But the ideas presented are interesting. A user creates something in Second Life and owns it. You can be anyone or anything you want to be. You could be like the gods themselves.
I just wish it would stop crashing on me.
I just wish it would stop crashing on me.
Project Ideas and What ?!?!
There are a few ideas I was thinking for the project.
1) The cultural impact of Starcraft in Korea.
Starcraft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft) is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that was created by Blizzard (the developer of World of Warcraft, located at
http://www.blizzard.com/). The game is really fun if RTS is your thing. What is interesting is
that Korea has created a phenomenon around it. There are games played on television
(http://kotaku.com/gaming/korea/starcraft-on-korean-tv-174264.php) and professional
players who get contracts similar to NFL players. I want to focus on the factors that lead to this situation and why this game, which is still very popular here in the US, did not do the
same here.
2) The difference of MMO games in Asia and North America as a cultural reflection.
When it comes to massive multiplayer online games Asia and North America have some
different tastes. Besides crossover hit World of Warcraft MMO games could be divided
between Asian MMOs and North American MMOs. In the US the names Star Wars Galaxies,
Everquest I & II, and Eve Online are usually what comes up in any discussion. If you were
to go to an Asian country the names heard are Lineage I & II, Maple Story, and Kart Racer.
Both fit the description of MMO games but they take different approaches to play style and
business model. I would like to analyze why they are different and if games could be localized for both markets instead of just one.
3) The rise of professional gamers and gaming leagues.
The spread of broadband has brought an increase in online gaming competition. It started
with PCs, continued with the Dreamcast, and really came about with next-generation
consoles and PCs. There was always a nascent interest in organized tournaments and now
there is a serious push to create professional gamer leagues such as Major League Gaming
(http://www.mlgpro.com/) and high stakes gaming tournaments like the World Cyber Games
(http://www.worldcybergames.com/6th/main.asp) that cover a wide range of games. Korea
has provided a model of how this could become a big deal in the US. I am thinking we could
look at the factors regarding the rise of competitive gaming and ask whether or not this could
happen in North America.
If you have any ideas leave comments.
Also, is it me, or did OJ Simpson try to pull off some Ocean Eleven type stuff in Vegas? That is just the last thing I would have seen coming. Follow up a tasteless book with a Vegas robbery. I have to say, OJ has imagination if not a knack for getting in trouble with the law or society in general.
Peace out people.
1) The cultural impact of Starcraft in Korea.
Starcraft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft) is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that was created by Blizzard (the developer of World of Warcraft, located at
http://www.blizzard.com/). The game is really fun if RTS is your thing. What is interesting is
that Korea has created a phenomenon around it. There are games played on television
(http://kotaku.com/gaming/korea/starcraft-on-korean-tv-174264.php) and professional
players who get contracts similar to NFL players. I want to focus on the factors that lead to this situation and why this game, which is still very popular here in the US, did not do the
same here.
2) The difference of MMO games in Asia and North America as a cultural reflection.
When it comes to massive multiplayer online games Asia and North America have some
different tastes. Besides crossover hit World of Warcraft MMO games could be divided
between Asian MMOs and North American MMOs. In the US the names Star Wars Galaxies,
Everquest I & II, and Eve Online are usually what comes up in any discussion. If you were
to go to an Asian country the names heard are Lineage I & II, Maple Story, and Kart Racer.
Both fit the description of MMO games but they take different approaches to play style and
business model. I would like to analyze why they are different and if games could be localized for both markets instead of just one.
3) The rise of professional gamers and gaming leagues.
The spread of broadband has brought an increase in online gaming competition. It started
with PCs, continued with the Dreamcast, and really came about with next-generation
consoles and PCs. There was always a nascent interest in organized tournaments and now
there is a serious push to create professional gamer leagues such as Major League Gaming
(http://www.mlgpro.com/) and high stakes gaming tournaments like the World Cyber Games
(http://www.worldcybergames.com/6th/main.asp) that cover a wide range of games. Korea
has provided a model of how this could become a big deal in the US. I am thinking we could
look at the factors regarding the rise of competitive gaming and ask whether or not this could
happen in North America.
If you have any ideas leave comments.
Also, is it me, or did OJ Simpson try to pull off some Ocean Eleven type stuff in Vegas? That is just the last thing I would have seen coming. Follow up a tasteless book with a Vegas robbery. I have to say, OJ has imagination if not a knack for getting in trouble with the law or society in general.
Peace out people.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
The Beginning.................................
I heard that when a new blog is posted, a newspaper editor cringes. Kidding.
It is my mission to provide an entertaining and possibly educational experience. At the very least, your blog will look better than mine. I am just trying to make the world a better place without community service or a substantial donation to a charity.
That could have come out better.
It is my mission to provide an entertaining and possibly educational experience. At the very least, your blog will look better than mine. I am just trying to make the world a better place without community service or a substantial donation to a charity.
That could have come out better.
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