Spreading the Gospel: What You Can Do To Build eSports
I think we can all agree that eSports is a weird and wonderful thing. @LaxxSC recently made a post on reddit about 'what its' like being an esports fan' that nearly moved me to tears.
I've been thinking, for a long time now, about what I can do to contribute to esports; to pay it back for all the laughs and surprises and joy its given me. I love eSports a lot, more than I probably should, so this is a taller order to fill than it may first appear. What can I really do?
Besides the obvious absurdity of people getting paid to play video games, one thing that sets eSports apart from more traditional sports is its level of community involvement. eSports has been built from the ground up, by fans, for fans either in spite of, or specifically because of, the fact that no one thought it could work. Blizzard has been reluctant to officially support it in any substantial capacity (though they have been getting better!) and sponorships grow at a slow (albeit steady) rate thanks to a few key companies who shoulder most of the eSports burden. Even people who are deeply devoted to the scene express doubts in private. Maybe the world isn't ready for eSports. Maybe they were right about us.
But eSports gets bigger and bigger every year. More and more people are tuning in and the prize pools grow larger and larger. MVP, MC, and Nestea alone have nearly racked up a million US dollars in combined career earnings. One of the promises of eSports is 'if you build it, they will come'.
One of the other promises of esports is 'no matter what your skills are, you can contribute'. What makes the eSports community so electric for many is its personalities. Yes, there is a game going on (which we know and love intimately), but the game is being played by real, accessible people with stories and lives which we care about and can relate to. The people putting on tournaments and hosting shows and writing articles who live and love esports just as much as you or I do. The community churns out content faster than we can consume it sometimes (which is virtually the best problem we could have) and everything goes into the big esports potluck, and the good stuff rises to the surface.
Think you can't contribute to eSports? You're wrong. Think about your skills; what you'd put on a resume, what you're good at, what you do better than everybody else you know. If you can't think of anything, you're lying to yourself and probably have some self-esteem issues. (But that's okay, keep reading!)
Love the game? Hit that 'find match' button. You're not gonna beat ladder anxiety by posting about it on reddit.
Like competing? Become a pro player. Start streaming.
Are you an artist? A whiz at photoshop? Make some streamers some overlays. Post some fan art. Create some graphics for tournaments.
Musician? Make a music video. (If you're in the recording industry, figure out how to fix the 'music on streams' conundrum, cause this one is really a stumper.)
Video editor? Make a nice highlight video. Create some content.
Language skills? There's always bits of Korean to be translated. Help manage players at foreign tournaments.
Like to teach? Coach your friend and get him into the game.
Like to get drunk? Start a BarCraft. Go to one and meet people.
Like to bring people together? Start a LAN event in your area.
Got some money kicking around? Host a tournament.
Got an idea for a new map? Make one.
Got a cool build you're working on? Post a write up.
Social networking guru? Help make sure #GSL keeps trending every season.
Into photography? Go to tournaments and snap photos that will give us all nerd chills.
Run/work for a company in the tech industry? See if you can secure a small sponsorship for a smaller team or lesser known player. I've given TLAF more of my money than I should. I'd love to give your company some of my eSports dollars too next time I have to make a purchase.
Got a good voice and some performing chops? Cast a game or host a show. (This is pretty well tread territory at this point, but hey, if you can do it better than everyone else, you should! Competition breeding excellence is a cornerstone of our scene.)
Know a guy who makes shirts? Get him to print some eSports apparel.
Do you like writing? I'd like to see more original content on the message boards and less silly Flash memes. I'll start. :)
Stumped and need some leads? Head over to r/buildingesports and see if there's anyone who needs some help.
If none of these apply to you, I apologize for my lack of imagination, but I promise you, there is something you can do to help if you really thought hard about it.
If you 'built something' and then found out it wasn't very good, try again. We have very high standards (which sometimes even we have problems living up to) but if you ask for constructive criticism most people are willing to be helpful. We're all a part of this big eSports family. We may not always get along, and sometimes a crazy cousin drops an n-bomb at the dinner table *ahem*, but we know he means well, even if he is a bit misguided.
Women are an important part of our family too. Females are starting to take positions in an community often thought to be 'too masculine' for its own good. Granted, not many female pro gamers are competing a Code S level right now, but more and more girls are finding their own ways to get involved which are perhaps less testosterone-y; whether its translating, reporting, hosting tournaments, running production, managing players, streaming, or just spectating, the fairer sex is starting to creep into eSports through the back door, and we are all the better for it. I hope I live long enough to see a female Code S champion.
When you listen to the lovely ladies of StarCraft talk about how they got involved with eSports, their stories often start the same way: "My brother/boyfriend/father/whoever was really into video games." eSports is, apparently, infectious. That is a very good thing for us.
The question often pops up on Reddit: What videos can I show my girlfriend? How can I explain MLG to my dad? How do I share eSports with someone I love?
Don't be afraid to talk about it.
I call this the Tasteless rule, because Nick is, in part, why I became so interested in eSports. His story is very powerful to me. It's almost cliche to say, but in the olden days of the GSL Open seasons, the passion he and Artosis had for the game captivated me. The first time I saw a Tastosis video, I'm not really sure I could have articulated what exactly it was that was keeping me watching, but the more I heard, the more interested I became. Their honesty and love for the game is palpable and contagious. Spread the gospel to anyone who will listen. Don't be an asshole about it, and if someone says to shut the fuck up, then you probably should, but if you are speaking from the heart, and speak to people in terms they can understand, then people will be more receptive to what you have to say. The people that won't ever give eSports a chance can't be convinced by anything you have to say, but hey, why would we want someone like that around anyway? Show your girlfriend. Show your dad. Show your friends. Tell them about this wonderful thing you're a part of. Invite them to be a part of it too.
Don't overload them and don't force it on anyone, but be inclusive. Show them a video that means a lot to you (perhaps Thorzain's recent Dreamhack win, or the One Year Down recap). Open up a game of StarCraft for them and look around. If you post 'I love esports!' on facebook right now, how many of your friends would know what you meant and how many of them would ask you 'What is eSports?' What would you tell them?
Don't let anyone make you feel bad for loving eSports. If they don't 'get it', that's fine. Plenty of people don't like baseball. Don't get defensive. We're building an industry from scratch here. There's bound to be growing pains. Haters gonna hate.
This one is the hardest to do, something I struggle with personally, and many people will probably fail to do in the comments of this very article! Remember the family. Remember constructive criticism. A community of people telling each other they suck at building the community is not useful or helpful in anyway. We all want more or less the same things here. If you disagree with something, explain why. If you think something can be improved, explain why. When there's drama, try to keep it civil. It's hard when you care about something a lot, but its how progress happens. Don't email sponsors when you don't get your way like some kind of spoiled child. Give people second shot, and when someone gets out of line, give them the chance to make things right. We've been pretty good at policing ourselves so far, let's keep it that way.
Why haven't I seen an I <3 eSports bumper sticker yet? Do they make those? If not, shouldn't they? What are new ways to spread the word? I've outlined a few. I bet you can think of a few more.
I put it to you now: How will you contribute to eSports?
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