Mini-Doku: The Rise of Competitive Gaming & E-Sports
Schöne neue Minidoc von PBS Off Book über E-Sports, unter anderem mit dem Street Fighter II-Champion Damien „Damdai“ Dailidenas. Ich lebe ja seit ein paar Wochen in einer neuen WG voller Zocker, die teilweise WoW aus Weltklasse-Niveau gespielt haben, da gab’s schon superinteressante Gespräche und da kommt auch noch ein Interview, wenn’s zeitlich passt. Will sagen: Ich bin grade ein bisschen drin in dem Thema, da kommt mir diese Minidoku grade recht…
As games have increased in sophistication, they have become a stage for ever higher displays of human skill and brilliance. The result is a tier of the gaming world filled with startling disciplined, talented, and highly competitive players. Born out of arcade tournaments and LAN parties, the world of competitive gaming is now entering a mature phase, featuring major global events attended by thousands and watched by millions online. With valuable sponsorship and prize money of increasing value, competitive gaming is claiming a space similar to that of traditional sports.
This new industry is still in its early stages, developing broadcasting models and negotiating the culture of its widening audience. But whether it’s fighting games or MOBAs, the players and spectators are passionate, and individuals and leagues are working hard to elevate e-sports into the highest echelons of human achievement.
Vorher auf Nerdcore:
We ❤ Retro Media: Vinyl, VHS, Tapes & Film
Mini-Doku: The Creativity of Indie Video Games
The Art of Glitch
The Evolution of 8-Bit Art
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PBS-Minidoku: The Evolution of Music Online
PBS on Generative Art
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Pro-Gamer-Doku: Razer: The Hax Life
(Youtube Direktstarcraft, via Onur @Twitter)
Ich habe mir grade die Mini-Doku „Razer: The Hax Life“ über koreanische Pro-Gamer angesehen, oben der 10-Minuten-Cut, hier gibt’s noch eine halbstündige Version: „So you think being a professional gamer is easy? The guys from WeMade FOX have poured virtual blood, sweat and tears into their careers as licensed professional gamers in Seoul. The Hax Life takes you behind the scenes of these keyboard cowboys as they talk about their training, careers and their life outside of gaming.“
Die Doku ist nicht komplett unkritisch, aber richtig interessant wird das Thema erst mit diesem Artikel über die Arbeitsbedingungen der Jungs, die in Camps leben und praktisch 24 Stunden am Tag nichts machen, außer essen, schlafen und spielen:
What has not yet received attention, however, is the dark side of anxiety and adverse working conditions facing many players amid this rapid growth in e-Sports. During a policy talk Thursday entitled “The Current Situation and Problems in the Gaming Industry and Game Sports,” organized by the Center for Culture & Society and the minor opposition New Progressive Party, StarCraft columnist Kim Jeong-geon made reference to a professional gamer development system he called “the chicken coop.”
First Video Game World Championship, 1983
(Youtube Direktgames, via Dangerous Minds)
Hier die Übertragung der ersten Video Game World Championships auf ABC im Jahr 1983.
Twin Galaxies’ first Coronation Day Tournament is recognized as history’s first video game “World Championship”–held January 8-9, 1983 at the the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard in Ottumwa, Iowa, USA.
Co-sponsored by Twin Galaxies and ABC-TV’s That’s Incredible, the event featured nineteen of North America’s top players competing on five current titles: Frogger, Millipede, Joust, Super Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong, Jr.
Billed as the “North American Video Game Olympics,” this contest continued onward as Twin Galaxies’ Coronation Day Tournament, an “invitation-only” Player-of-the-Year contest which features competition between hand-picked superstars. Every invitee was a record holder on at least one video game title.
