Esports — Not My Thing, But It’s a Big Thing
It may or may not have been implied that I enjoy playing League of Legends, as much as I’m also trying to cut down on it and constantly failing at that. I keep writing more articles about it, about languages, of course, but I have already done one article about the ever-so-popular MOBA. But this time, it’s something that relates to the game and all the other MOBAs out there. And there were a lot of MOBAs some eight years ago, most of which ended in the games shutting down.
It’s an interesting story of how a fad got so popular, and many game developers wanted to join in on the cash parade. Little did they know that due to the nature of this genre, there wasn’t much room for additional challengers (no pun intended) because those that came first could potentially last forever (and it kind of shows). So, all those half-assed MOBAs were shut down as if trying to put a robot out of its misery because they’re on life support. But I guess that’s what had to happen for everyone to understand that there is only room for very few. But even though there are very few MOBAs to consider (mainly because they came first), they all have one thing in common (among many other unrelated things), and that is the competitive scene.
It’s not my thing since I only ever play these games for a good pastime, but I assume the majority is against me in that regard, in that they like it. The concept of turning games, designed for fun and how I recognise it into competitive material, is not something I attune with, but I want to take a look at it for a second and talk about it. It’s surprising how they manage to make it look so exciting, seeing all the pro players pull off a “pro” move by moving their fingers fast on the keyboard and then witnessing whatever explosion there was in the game shown from a giant screen displayed at the audience. Yes, that’s true! They prepare entire stages for these things, as it is actual sports. And that’s also something I’m critical of because they overinflated the concept beyond proportion. But each person likes different things, so that’s that. What’s even more surprising is that this game is probably even more popular in China and Korea, and there’s a lot to say about that…
Cultural boundaries amidst a cultural phenomenon
It might not be too apparent for those who play on the English-speaking servers, but League of Legends is probably a bigger thing in China and Korea, each for their own reasons. China has so many players to its player-base (not surprisingly) that the country has its collection of servers to accommodate all the people playing at once, in contrast to every other region that only has one server per location. On the other hand, Korea has some of the best players in the game, with the best one being Faker, at least according to the masses. But it’s because that League of Legends is more emphasized in those cultures (for whatever reason), it tends to create an inclination towards a particular demographic.
Some people are critical of Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, that they consider the Asian markets more than the ones found in America, which is where they’re at. I don’t blame businesses trying to appeal to a particular market as a business strategy. Frankly, I could not care less how a company designs their game based on which people they want to impress, as long the game is fun and practical. But such “discrimination” usually leads to communication problems between fans and developers.
By leaning towards a particular audience, it tends to create a rift between the different regions. The American fanbase wants this; the Eastern fanbase wants that; everybody wants something different. But that’s ok because developers are inclined to appeal to the Eastern market. After all, it’s a better way of making money. And then you realise that it also appears in the game’s design, as certain characters are dressed to appeal to what the Asian player base finds attractive. Eventually, one too many YouTube videos appear that explain how their favourite game is slowly dying. Of course, an American would feel that way. The next thing you know, the entire game is in Mandarin, in all the regions. But that’s highly unlikely to happen.
Maybe a riot will do the trick (pun intended)
This is hardly just a language problem. I have no idea how the languages that the different players speak contributes badly to the professional scene. It doesn’t bother anyone if someone is speaking Mandarin because all they have to mind is the characters in the game.
That being said, I think that if someone has a problem with a company’s business model, they can either leave or continue enjoying their products because it’s good. If you’re pissed about this, you should try hunger strikes because that might just get their attention.
In all honesty, I don’t think this is anything that anyone other than the developers themselves can solve.
I don’t know jack about business
When it comes to business or Esports, I’m not one to ask since I excel at neither. I pretty much believe that there isn’t much to do in this regard since it’s all up to the developers. But I assume you probably know Esports better than I do. So, go ahead and say what’s on your mind.
In Conclusion…
This is the paragraph where I give my opinion regarding the subject, which, in this case, is Esports. But I already established that I’m not keen on the matter, despite talking about it. Since I don’t do it, I would say that I can’t tell you whether you should look at it for yourself or not. But give it a whirl and see where it goes.
Many YouTube videos are trying to explain the gradual death of the game stemming from Riot Games’ poor decisions. Whether you believe it or not, maybe try to find what makes the game cool instead of the direction it is going since, in essence, it is still League of Legends, even if it tries to brown-nose a particular region. I think the arguments presented in these videos hardly matter since I only ever play for fun, but some people take it too far. That’s something that I have even less of an idea of what to do with.
Anyways, I think Ima play one game of League of Legends just before calling it a day. An unprofessional game… because that’s how I like it.
