Moved Thread AFL wants to get into eSports

[IKnowtheDog]

The world has come a long way since Billy Mitchell v Steve Wiebe

 

[Skarrz]

The ignorance in this thread is ridiculous

If you go to Twitch which is a platform where people can stream their games it is not uncommon for popular streamers to have 10-20k people at one time watching their streams daily.

The Dota 2 Major tournament in Kiev recently had over 600k watching it on stream alone, plus over 20k live (and the crowd was mental, compared with some AFL crowds I've been in which are tame as * compared to other sports) and others who can watch in the actual game client.

The level of skill involved is ridiculous, the leadership, strategy and coordination is something most of us could not dream about. Personally I find watching Dota almost or even more satisfying than playing it, and it is incredibly accessable if you want to watch.

The prize pool for The International (which is where those single game earnings figures come from) was over 20 million last year in a double elimination bracket with teams from America, Europe, Russia, China and South East Asia participating. In fact in the previously mentioned Kiev tournament we had a Melbourne boy Ana win with his team OG (where they won 1m USD)

 

[Bunk Moreland]

How in any way does this correspond to the AFLs actual purpose as the governing body for Australian football and its peak competition?

What's next, they're going to start an NRL Team?

This was my point initially.

It seems to have turned into "hey, gaming is popular! I love gaming"

That's great but whatever.

Why is the afl doing this? What's the strategic goal?

It all seems very strange.

"Oh it's to make money!"

Ok great... so what... just go into whatever to make money now? Maybe the AFL could do a mining co-venture with Gina Rinehart? Plenty of money there.

 

[Kick Behinds]

Imagine how good the atmosphere would be at a full Etihad Stadium with the crowd cheering as they watch people play Kicking Behinds.

 

[Wooljay]

Average person wouldn't take esport seriously.

Good.

 

[Lockyer24]

It's a smart strategy - gaming (particularly FIFA) is a massive educational and promotional tool, and makes a lot of money. It remains to be seen whether they can develop games good enough to capture the imagination of the kids though.

 

[jdz101]

you clearly haven't watched an esports event, the crowds go absolutely nuts

I definitely have. They don't start vomiting all over the arena and start throwing chairs and tables at each other though. Which is what happened at the Etihad darts event.

 

[Fire]

It's not the same thing. It just isn't. Actual sports are a spectacle of athleticism, determination, mental fortitude and skill. Video games are just some dude sitting on his ass twiddling his thumbs to a couple of pixels on a screen. Yes eSport competitors do it to a higher degree of skill than the rest of us but in the end it is just some dude sitting on his ass twiddling his thumbs to a couple of pixels on a screen.

It's not the same thing. It just isn't. E sports are a spectacle of strategy, determination, mental fortitude and skill. Physical sports are just dudes running around, yelling and falling on their ass while chasing a ball on some grass. Yes physical competitors do it to a higher degree of skill than the rest of us but in the end it is just some dude running around, yelling and falling on their ass while chasing a ball on some grass.

 

[ApplecrossWC]

lol eSports

Imagine being a woman at a sold out Esports event at Etihad. You would be spoilt for choice. You would have your pick of 50,000 men who have no idea how to please a woman.

 

[rumply]

will admit I had to look up what an 'eSport' is, dont mind me

 

[Bunk Moreland]

For all this "it's a massive money maker!!" stuff... is it really?

There's basically no elite sports in the world that make money, why is esports different?

They might make revenue, but they don't make money.

 

[sprockets]

Well when you've just coughed up 200 million + on a venue and probably hundreds of millions more on upgrading it in the future, it's about consolidating a return on your investment where possible. It doesn't have much to do with profit at Etihad right now.

If the AFL were about keeping their balance sheet in the black, they would have waited 3 and half more years and got etihad for a gold coin.

It's called investment.

 

[Infra Ted]

It's not the same thing. It just isn't. E sports are a spectacle of strategy, determination, mental fortitude and skill. Physical sports are just dudes running around, yelling and falling on their ass while chasing a ball on some grass. Yes physical competitors do it to a higher degree of skill than the rest of us but in the end it is just some dude running around, yelling and falling on their ass while chasing a ball on some grass.

yeah good one.

 

[Donakebab]

And to turn this all on its head:
It's also no weirder than 100,000 people packing out a stadium to watch 36 grown men kick an oval ball from one end to another of a huge patch of grass. And all the more, of those 36 men who we've never met - we somehow decide that we will cheer on 18 of them, and boo the other 18, just based on a particular pattern on their shirt.

This clip will continue to be relevant until the end of time.

 

[THECHIEFTON]

Who the **** - in their pastime - watches another person play a video game?

Honestly..

Me....I probably watch more than I actually play. It's no different than turning on the TV and watching any sport. I generally watch CSGO and it's awesome to watch. Watching pros and seeing the skills they have and how they play is great. These pros play 6 days a week and 8-9 hours a day. I'll never be close to what they can do. I like watching it played at the highest level.

I watch it a lot more than I do AFL that's for sure.

 

[Donakebab]

Can highly recommend the doco movie King of Kong, about the battle for the high score between Steve Wiebe and the ultra douche Billy Mitchell. Even if you're not into gaming it's pretty damn interesting, but if you are a gamer then you'll just seethe with hate at Mitchell and the ways he went about protecting his record.

 

[Jordie_tackles]

Who the **** - in their pastime - watches another person play a video game?

Honestly..

I don't ,

But those that do ask why you watch other men play football.

 

[Easton Thighs]

Nostalgia! Oh XP how I miss ye.

 

[The_Wookie]

For all this "it's a massive money maker!!" stuff... is it really?

There's basically no elite sports in the world that make money, why is esports different?

They might make revenue, but they don't make money.

Outlay is relatively small to run a team, for greater reward.

 

[underthestars]

Why is it so different to watching footy?
Its watching a group of people who are the best in the world at this particular activity.
We could use one particular set of standards and say because they are "pimply young men" who could be stereotyped as nerdy, or socially awkward - and that because of that they don't deserve our fandom.
But can't you just as easily use a different set of standards and say footy players are just athletic guys with good genes, who, stereotypically, may not be the smartest tools in the shed and can act like drunk pricks in bars and clubs? (again - Stereotyping).
And lets not get into actors, musicians or celebrities-for-no-reason-other-than-a-sex-tape.
Just because society has said we should value certain attributes over others doesn't mean it's right.

(and agreed - I personally don't enjoy watching esports... but theres no doubting that there are millions that do)

because in some cases it literally is 'watching pimply young men playing video footy'.

 

[Hellgood]

This was my point initially.

It seems to have turned into "hey, gaming is popular! I love gaming"

That's great but whatever.

Why is the afl doing this? What's the strategic goal?

It all seems very strange.

"Oh it's to make money!"

Ok great... so what... just go into whatever to make money now? Maybe the AFL could do a mining co-venture with Gina Rinehart? Plenty of money there.

I would have thought that the synergy with now owning Etihad and looking for opportunities to bring in additional revenue was pretty obvious. Do you stamp your feet and bark at clouds when music concerts are held at Etihad or Metricon? What's that got to do with football? How about clubs like Fremantle and Essendon building excess facilities like basketball gymnasiums or water parks on the back of innovatively finding ways to tie in to the community/other sporting groups helping generate extra revenue and/or reduce costs through government funding? What about clubs that offer cafes/restaurants/dining services at their home bases? Pokies?

Businesses cannot afford to be ignorant and have a blinkered closed minded mentality if they want to thrive these days. The AFL and our clubs cottoned onto this a long time ago fortunately, but I guess some supporters are still catching up. Seems to me as though thread is an attempt at harnessing the usual populist bash the AFL herd mentality, but has backfired with it being widely recognised as a reasonable idea. Seriously, give me one reason why renting out Etihad to host a massive gaming event is a bad thing?

 

[Jobe Watson]

That is not my qualm. I'm trying to grasp why someone would watch someone else play a video game?

Why do you watch some random blokes kick a football around for 3 hours on TV when you can go outside and do it yourself?

Yes eSport competitors do it to a higher degree of skill than the rest of us but in the end it is just some dude sitting on his ass twiddling his thumbs to a couple of pixels on a screen.

So? There are a lot of popular sports that don't require too much physical exertion (golf, cricket, darts).

The entertainment comes not from watching "some dude twiddle his thumbs", but from watching highly skilled teams in a competitive environment battle it out, executing plays that most normal players could not do. Just because the playing arena is virtual doesn't make it any less enthralling than a real sporting competition.

I don't go out of my way to watch eSports but is it really so hard for you to understand how a lot of people would find it entertaining?

 

[jdz101]

It's called investment.

An investment isn't an investment unless you can generate returns my man.

There is no point buying a multi purpose event space if you can't host different kinds of events there.

 

[underthestars]

It is no more sport than me turning on the tv and expertly changing channel, conttrolling contrast, volume, pitch, and hue in an effort to perfect the viewing experience, whilst challanging my brother to achieve the same quality outcome. There is a lot of skill in setting a tv perfectly for the particular entertainment put forth - whether watching a movie, music video, sport, video game, etc. Of course some of you less able types probably resort to using the presets like the amateurs you are. Like the pursuit of viewing perfection is not a sporting endeavour, so too the playing of video games. It is video gaming, not sport.
Yes, slightly tongue in cheek, but...
There is no direct physical interaction with the playing field, pieces, or opponents. Think about this - it is the crux of the debate. It is virtual gaming pure and simple. That doesn't demean it, rather it demeans its own worth by trying to affix the label of 'sport' to itself in an attempt to increase its self worth and grab a bigger slice of advertising revenue. Accept what you are.
ps - been an avid gamer (not sportsman) since the mid seventies!

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I would have thought that the synergy with now owning Etihad and looking for opportunities to bring in additional revenue was pretty obvious. Do you stamp your feet and bark at clouds when music concerts are held at Etihad or Metricon? What's that got to do with football? How about clubs like Fremantle and Essendon building excess facilities like basketball gymnasiums or water parks on the back of innovatively finding ways to tie in to the community/other sporting groups helping generate extra revenue and/or reduce costs through government funding? What about clubs that offer cafes/restaurants/dining services at their home bases? Pokies?

Businesses cannot afford to be ignorant and have a blinkered closed minded mentality if they want to thrive these days. The AFL and our clubs cottoned onto this a long time ago fortunately, but I guess some supporters are still catching up. Seems to me as though thread is an attempt at harnessing the usual populist bash the AFL herd mentality, but has backfired with it being widely recognised as a reasonable idea. Seriously, give me one reason why renting out Etihad to host a massive gaming event is a bad thing?

Errr it's not a bad thing.

The article is about the AFL starting an esports league, not renting their stadium for an event.

Maybe have a read before you take off on a rant.