PlanetSide Universe - View Single Post - Live Streams with Commentators In Lieu of ESports
View Single Post
Old 2012-07-12, 10:58 AM   [Ignore Me] #28
Flaropri
Sergeant Major
 
Re: Live Streams with Commentators In Lieu of ESports


Originally Posted by Aerothorn View Post
As someone who hasn't played WOW since early 2005, I had no idea they took that out.
They didn't, there are still PvP servers, just most people don't bother that much.



Anywho... Here's the thing, what are you accomplishing with Live Stream Commentating as the OP described?

There are several things that E-Sports does in a general sense:

1. It builds awareness and excitement for the game.
2. It gives a goal for (some) players to try and "go pro" or make a name for themselves and get noticed etc.
3. It supports the creation of sponsored teams/players and events, which essentially gets non player/developer money put toward the game (if not necessarily directly).
4. It (hopefully) showcases the more skill-based, intricate, or lesser known strategies that can be theoretically applied in the game by anyone.

Simple Streaming Commentary will probably get #1 done (albeit to a slightly lesser degree) and sometimes #4. It won't particularly motivate players, or draw in outside money however. The investment might be smaller, but the payout is also much smaller, and I have doubts that it would be particularly worth going out of their way to do it, particularly when (likely) a given Outfit or individual will likely do their own commentary albeit from a less omniscient format.

You also have far, far less control over what gets streamed outside E-Sports. Yes, this is a bad thing. It could end up show-casing how someone can cheat, how there were fewer players than expected, or otherwise put the game in a negative light. Even in showmatch or tournament settings you have technical problems and other errors that make the production as a whole less than ideal.

Is Streaming Commentary good? Yes, but it isn't something that would work weekly without a greater investment than they'd get back considering that it doesn't accomplish. It can still be good ways to introduce new vehicles or introduce players to the game, but it won't keep the same viewers because of the lack of human interest (other than the personality of the caster).

We jump on any stream now because of the lack of information and ability to play the game for ourselves, but that won't be the case when the game is released or likely even when Open Beta starts.

Leave it as an occasional thing, like for particularly large patches or promotional stuff.
Flaropri is offline  
Reply With Quote