Blues looking at an eSports presence

[I bleed Blue]

You're about 7-8 years behind the times if you've only just heard of it.

I used to be with ‘it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’ anymore and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary. It’ll happen to you!

 

[Jimmae]

And this will be a gateway towards people following our club and buying memberships how?

If we're able to build a profitable franchise, then that's money the club can use.

Footy clubs and competitive gaming is a bad mix.

I understand your concern in regards to the 'boys club', but I forever hold out hope the club will actually try and address the matter. I'm sure Kate Jenkins will have insight.

No problem if the club sees it as a genuine opportunity for an investment as long as they have done their homework, i just hope we dont lend our brand in any way to the platform. eSports investment seems to me like the age equivalent $$ fleecing of teenagers comparable to pokie machines for pensioners. Multi generational enrichment from mindless electronic fluff.

Of course we're going to lend our brand, and it allows us to cross over into sponsorship opportunities that would have had a weaker case than the past.

Video games are a diverse category, as much as film or music or literature, and while competitive gaming tends to retain a lot of traditional elements, there is a market there to develop. My only concerns lie with the turnaround time for this and if we should enter the market now.

The best model for AU going forward might be a national league that doesn't require an overly stringent national quota of players, meaning you can have an IPL-type model that runs for a few months of the year out of sync with some of the major leagues. Combine that with our medical, nutritional and coaching techniques and there is some synergy and economies of scale there (sorry ferrisb).

So long as it's taken seriously by the club and the buzz and guff are ignored, it's a viable potential revenue stream, but it requires industry knowledge.

 

[Jimmae]

Care to elaborate on how we are going to make a return on an eSports investment if they arent?

Sponsorship, prize money, merchandise, branded products, attendance and ad space.

 

[Blue__Balls]

doesn't any venture that is competitive run the risk of attracting gambling - legal or otherwise?

Sure, which is true for AFL in and of itself, but 2ndeffort isn't calling out our competition.

We've reached a point where gambling companies will run a market on anything. Bloke at my cricket club lost a few grand betting on Hillary Clinton, but that doesn't mean democracy is a bad thing.

eSports as a competitive scene is really a new frontier. It's cheap/free, accessible, but when you really delve into it there's a massive skill requirement involved - physical and mental. I'm keen to see just how big it can get and where the technology takes it, and if the club can invest in part of that scene to supplement our income I don't see any issue with it.

 

[2ndeffort]

Slow down - you threw the comment out there. eSports are pokies for kids, fleecing them of their hard earned money. Elaborate please.

never said eSports were pokies for kids, what i said was that eSports must be the 'the age equivalent $$ fleecing of teenagers'. Nothing is free, those kids buy the games, those kids watch the streams, kids watch the adverts, google ads and youtube rake in the advertising $$ and pay the feeds a cut, kids pay for broadband, kids pay subscriptions to get better data, private streams, attend tournaments, join online tournaments etc etc, there is money changing hands or it wouldn't exist. We have pokies in pubs that fleece old people just like most other clubs do. Somewhere along the way we must be making $$ out of eSports otherwise why are we be considering it

 

[I bleed Blue]

Goggle box... watching people watch TV

E- sports - watching people play video games.

Guess anything counts as entertainment these days.

By the way guys, next week I will be watching someone watching video games. You can tune in to watch me watch Wednesday at 7pm.

 

[Masqualero]

never said eSports were pokies for kids, what i said was that eSports must be the 'the age equivalent $$ fleecing of teenagers'. Nothing is free, those kids buy the games, those kids watch the streams, kids watch the adverts, google ads and youtube rake in the advertising $$ and pay the feeds a cut, kids pay for broadband, kids pay subscriptions to get better data, private streams, attend tournaments, join online tournaments etc etc, there is money changing hands or it wouldn't exist. We have pokies in pubs that fleece old people just like most other clubs do. Somewhere along the way we must be making $$ out of eSports otherwise why are we be considering it

Yah I'd say that pokies and video games are not really comparable.

Buying a game is much the same as buying a TV/DVD.

Serious question though, do you play video games?

 

[Blue__Balls]

never said eSports were pokies for kids, what i said was that eSports must be the 'the age equivalent $$ fleecing of teenagers'. Nothing is free, those kids buy the games, those kids watch the streams, kids watch the adverts, google ads and youtube rake in the advertising $$ and pay the feeds a cut, kids pay for broadband, kids pay subscriptions to get better data, private streams, attend tournaments, join online tournaments etc etc, there is money changing hands or it wouldn't exist. We have pokies in pubs that fleece old people just like most other clubs do. Somewhere along the way we must be making $$ out of eSports otherwise why are we be considering it

So how is AFL not a pokie-equivalent given kids play footy, buy boots, buy balls, pay membership fees for their local club, buy a membership for their AFL club, buy tickets to games, pay for Foxtel to watch the games, etc. etc.

These kids you're talking about are buying the games anyway. eSports is an organised competitive extension of an existing pastime. It will be commercialised more and more, but that doesn't mean it's fleecing kids of their money. While it's in its infancy, getting a foot in the door as a financial investment is smart. Look at T20 and the IPL - how much do those teams change hands for now? Imagine if Carlton had bought one back in year one...

 

[SBYM]

I'm good to go.



Where do I plug my modem in?

 

[Jimmae]

Goggle box... watching people watch TV

E- sports - watching people play video games.

Guess anything counts as entertainment these days.

By the way guys, next week I will be watching someone watching video games. You can tune in to watch me watch Wednesday at 7pm.

Look there are some forms of game streaming that are viable as an alternative to TV/radio/etc, and that can part of this acquisition or push, but in regards to eSports streaming it's just like any other sport.

You don't watch them play, you watch the match. And as the technology becomes better, whether that be new control interfaces, VR, AR and graphical improvements, the product you view will become better. It's a common sci-fi trope that sports morph over time to become some sort of AR or VR version of themselves, if not entirely new sports.

Think about it: footy, where your attributes are the same as your normal physical capabilities, but when you wind up in a collision you don't suffer an injury and miss weeks. There's obviously some kinks to work out, maybe giving them some pain response when they do such things and forcing them to sit out for a few minutes so it doesn't encourage people trying to dive into ridiculous situations, but there's plenty of room to develop automated umpiring on top of that.

Right now the hardware isn't there, but that's not that far away and the first devices are already on the market.

 

[krayfesh]

Buying into an established team would be a fine investment. Very little downside right now, unless the games they choose to go for absolutely suck.

Any MOBA would be fine. And hopefully Street Fighter so they can sign me.

 

[SBYM]

Is there an Aussie version of Gogglebox?

 

[Jimmae]

Is there an Aussie version of Goggle Box?

Yes, and it's just as terrible as the rest.

 

[SBYM]

Yes, and it's just as terrible as the rest.

haha...not surprised.

Surely we've reached peak stupid as a species when someone from the UK version ends up on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here??

 

[Styxx]

Doesn't entertainment generally always consist of watching someone do something?

Attending a concert - Watching people Play music.

Attending a movie - Watching people play other people.

Attending a sporting event - Watching people play a game.

Yet, watching people play a digital version of a game is ******ed and lame.....right.


EDIT.....that word is banned?

 

[ShanDog]

Doesn't entertainment generally always consist of watching someone do something?

Attending a concert - Watching people Play music.

Attending a movie - Watching people play other people.

Attending a sporting event - Watching people play a game.

Yet, watching people play a digital version of a game is ******ed and lame.....right.


EDIT.....that word is banned?

Don't point out the utter stupidity of those attitudes - it just confuses them even more.

 

[majesticseacapt]

Esports is the same a watching normal sports, afl if you will.

You're watching professional athletes who train, devise tatics and get paid to perform for their teams. Allot of people don't like games, same as some people don't like sports. It's the game and competitive nature that make it interesting.

Next year Overwatch is introducing the Overwatch League where teams are based from cities, like when the big bash for cricket was introduced as buyers buy the team for the city. It's a new format for esports and this is probably what esports will transform into rather than organizations representing themselves in games, it will be cities. This is where Carlton come in..

 

[The_Wookie]

never said eSports were pokies for kids, what i said was that eSports must be the 'the age equivalent $$ fleecing of teenagers'. Nothing is free, those kids buy the games, those kids watch the streams, kids watch the adverts, google ads and youtube rake in the advertising $$ and pay the feeds a cut, kids pay for broadband, kids pay subscriptions to get better data, private streams, attend tournaments, join online tournaments etc etc, there is money changing hands or it wouldn't exist. We have pokies in pubs that fleece old people just like most other clubs do. Somewhere along the way we must be making $$ out of eSports otherwise why are we be considering it

I ran some of Australias largest computer gaming events for a decade, and comparing esports to pokies is laughable. Buying gear for competitive gaming is no different to buying gear for competitive sport.

 

[skadoosh]

Exciting! As a Dota2 player, this'd be amazing. There's a yearly tournament called The International. This year the total prize pool was $20million+ USD, with the winning team taking home $10mill. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_International_(Dota_2)#2017

 

[ShanDog]

The thing I wonder a our is how much cross pollination there will be between the AFL team and the eSport team. It would be a tricky path to navigate between being very lame and off-putting for gamers who aren't into footy and actually getting value for money. Unless it's a purely financial investment with little or no branding.

 

[ShanDog]

Hey The_Wookie, I reckon you've made your point

 

[Jimmae]

The thing I wonder a our is how much cross pollination there will be between the AFL team and the eSport team. It would be a tricky path to navigate between being very lame and off-putting for gamers who aren't into footy and actually getting value for money. Unless it's a purely financial investment with little or no branding.

Shared sponsors would be the most obvious source for that.

 

[SkyhorseTamer]

This is fun. I just built my own gaming computer from scratch.

 

[Salt Lake Cities]

Goggle box... watching people watch TV

E- sports - watching people play video games.

Guess anything counts as entertainment these days.

By the way guys, next week I will be watching someone watching video games. You can tune in to watch me watch Wednesday at 7pm.

Cheap entertainment for the broadcaster to purchase/produce. There will only be more of it.

Look at the ratings, people actually watch this stuff, a lot.

Why pay for actors, sets, production, when you don’t have to. Just get a bunch of bitchy, rich housewives, and stick them in front of a camera.

Who needs comedy, drama or action when there’s 600 reno shows, 800 cooking comps, cake bake offs, ninja warriors, and a thousand singing comps.

“Reality” TV, ain’t it grand....

 

[sparkyblue]

eSports have been massive in Asia for decades. I remember being in Tokyo in 2002 and flicking on the TV in my hotel to find 3 separate channels all showing eSport in prime time. The Networks here in the US are just getting started in terms of seeing the potential of eSports. It's only getting bigger.

No problem with the Blues exploring this avenue. I'd be more than happy to ditch silly helmet football to work for the Blues, move home and give 'em a hand