Episode 14 - The Competitive Gaming Scene

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In this episode, Chris and Aaron track the rise in competitive gaming over the course of the last two decades. They relive early memories of head-to-head battle across multiple genres that undoubtedly laid the eventual groundwork for today's E-Sports scene. The gamers highlight an exceptional competitive Overwatch player, Seagull. Finally, Aaron and Chris give their impressions of two early Playstation classics: Spyro and Crash Bandicoot.

Show Notes:

  1. BCG Discussion Topic - The Competitive Gaming Scene
    -What are early memories of what "competitive gaming" meant?
    -Early days of Street Fighter II in the arcade and on console, practicing to beat your best friends
    -Competitive scene was limited to a 5 mile radius--a very stark contrast to today's global influence
    -Blockbuster World Video Game Championships, covering Clay Fighter, TMNT Tournament Fighters, and NBA Jam
    -The Wizard became the "live the dream" moment for many kids of the time. (Go watch this movie, despite the fact that it's basically a paid Nintendo commercial)
    -The Rise of Competitive Games
    -Four primary competitive genres emerged: First person shooters, real-time strategy, fighting, and MOBAs.
    -South Korea has been a world leader in many areas: professional teams with sponsorships, TV coverage, commentary. They've been the basis for expansion into the US and Europe in recent years.
    -PC and console games have taken very different paths in terms of prominence in the "pro gamer" scene. Consoles still largely still relegated to community-driven events such as Evolution. DOTA, Starcraft 2, League of Legends, etc are on a much different level in terms of international prominence.
    -How does the community sustain itself?
    -Activision Blizzard purchase of Major League Gaming (MLG) may be a good indicator of willingness to continue to pour resources into a budding market.
    -A different approach/perspective is needed to really find ways to monetize while speaking to the fans across a number of age groups and demographics.
  2. Found it on Twitch - Seagull (https://www.twitch.tv/a_seagull)
    -Very fun an interesting competitive Overwatch player
    -Great commentary and compelling opinions on approaches in games
    -A good source for learning nuances to the game that really help drive home the team aspect; focuses on some non-obvious uses for certain characters that have a large impact
  3. Game Assignments
    -Last Episode's Assignments: Chris - Spyro; Aaron - Crash Bandicoot
    -Next Episode's Assignments: Chris - Street Fighter II Turbo; Aaron - Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3