By now, you've probably heard the whispers and backwards glances when your boss or teacher isn't looking. The immistakable 
mating call that is e-sports, or, as oddly dubbed by carmac, V-sports, trying to set itself free. Like it or not, gaming is increasingly moving into the mainstream, and whether or not calls for gaming to be introduced into the next olympic games is taking the issue too far, the fact remains that there is some real drive behind the movement, from some of the top people in the scene, a list which includes no less than Ted Owen, chairman of the Profesional Interactive Entertainment, the company that owns GGL, Clanbase and Radio iTG. Clearly, much power can be placed behind this drive, with mega-bucks up for grabs in this emerging industry in times to come. But with one of the major obstacles still in place the stigma gaming as a hobby carries, namely it is for socially depraved, obese, World of Warcraft t-shirt clad half-goblins, well the task is easier said than done. There is a growing realisation and consensus of this negative image amongst gamers, which is why you have the whole idea of taking gaming out of the bedroom, and into the mainstream. Yet with such developments as the recently announced affiliation between Pizza Hut and the CPL / CAL, are mixed messages being given off in terms of stereotyping, or are deals like this a required part of proceedings at this stage for helping development to occur? Let's explore.
Upon hearing of this 'news', you probably had the emotion of amusement, or you thought it was a pretty novel or cool idea. It makes a change from all the serious stuff happening at the moment, and helps your intrepid reporter recover from losing about half of his article by closing Opera prematurely. Nevertheless, while it is a genuine venture, the odd laugh does tend to be raised, and if you're feminine enough, a giggle too. Certainly esreality user thelawenforcer agreed, stating that, "yeh, i laughed a little too, but still great news, ill do my bit and support the CPL by supporting its supporters...ie eating pizza". The casual bedroom gamer won't see anything special here, and there is little reasons they should, either. But now have a look at the official CPL statement regarding the deal: It is this last statement, to make this a professional worldwide sport, which particularly interests me, insofar that large gaming companies forming partnerships with pizza chains can stimulate the synapses - i.e, not great, but let me explain, or rather, ask a question. Why, with companies like the CPL who would benefit from the introduction of mainstream gaming, would you want to actively want to link yourself with a fast-food chain, whose products are a contributing factor to the negative image gaming has of current, when you are trying to market your industry for those who have already made up their minds about what the occupation holds? Or is it just another baseball, where hotdogs are seen as much a part of the sport as the homeruns and webbed-gloves? Is this part of a big scheme to link gaming with a recognisable product, which people will look at and instanty think of a LAN. I think not. Of course, I'm blowing the whole situation out of proportion for just a little pizza order, but you have to ask yourself the question, why do it?
It may be a rudimentary example, but at the Olympic games, you have althletes, not pizza guzzling keyboard bashers who consider themselves skilled. You see, I'm stuck in two minds. Part of me says, great, we're just adding to the problem of getting to acceptability, but the nagging wife in me claws back that thought, telling me that if gaming is linked to pizza, soft drinks (Sprite at the HHGL anyone?), and basically sponsors in general who to a mainstream audience do not equal geek, then lets face it, you'd rather tell your mates you're sponsored by Pizza Hut than Intel, AMD or Logitech, to which you'd be confronted with a "err..who?", followed by the rapidly dissapearing sound of scurried feet into the distance. I also think we have to be pretty careful with who we chum up with, because you can see the possible conotations this one company and their product has. Get Nike on board, no problem. But pizza? You see the worry.
Now hopefully you can see that I don't actually believe that one pizza deal between a tacky brand of pizza and some American gaming outfit is going to bring along the downfall of modern gaming society. However, if there is one fact to be learnt in all this entire irreverant article, it must surely be this. Hard crusts really aren't good at all.
mating call that is e-sports, or, as oddly dubbed by carmac, V-sports, trying to set itself free. Like it or not, gaming is increasingly moving into the mainstream, and whether or not calls for gaming to be introduced into the next olympic games is taking the issue too far, the fact remains that there is some real drive behind the movement, from some of the top people in the scene, a list which includes no less than Ted Owen, chairman of the Profesional Interactive Entertainment, the company that owns GGL, Clanbase and Radio iTG. Clearly, much power can be placed behind this drive, with mega-bucks up for grabs in this emerging industry in times to come. But with one of the major obstacles still in place the stigma gaming as a hobby carries, namely it is for socially depraved, obese, World of Warcraft t-shirt clad half-goblins, well the task is easier said than done. There is a growing realisation and consensus of this negative image amongst gamers, which is why you have the whole idea of taking gaming out of the bedroom, and into the mainstream. Yet with such developments as the recently announced affiliation between Pizza Hut and the CPL / CAL, are mixed messages being given off in terms of stereotyping, or are deals like this a required part of proceedings at this stage for helping development to occur? Let's explore.Upon hearing of this 'news', you probably had the emotion of amusement, or you thought it was a pretty novel or cool idea. It makes a change from all the serious stuff happening at the moment, and helps your intrepid reporter recover from losing about half of his article by closing Opera prematurely. Nevertheless, while it is a genuine venture, the odd laugh does tend to be raised, and if you're feminine enough, a giggle too. Certainly esreality user thelawenforcer agreed, stating that, "yeh, i laughed a little too, but still great news, ill do my bit and support the CPL by supporting its supporters...ie eating pizza". The casual bedroom gamer won't see anything special here, and there is little reasons they should, either. But now have a look at the official CPL statement regarding the deal: It is this last statement, to make this a professional worldwide sport, which particularly interests me, insofar that large gaming companies forming partnerships with pizza chains can stimulate the synapses - i.e, not great, but let me explain, or rather, ask a question. Why, with companies like the CPL who would benefit from the introduction of mainstream gaming, would you want to actively want to link yourself with a fast-food chain, whose products are a contributing factor to the negative image gaming has of current, when you are trying to market your industry for those who have already made up their minds about what the occupation holds? Or is it just another baseball, where hotdogs are seen as much a part of the sport as the homeruns and webbed-gloves? Is this part of a big scheme to link gaming with a recognisable product, which people will look at and instanty think of a LAN. I think not. Of course, I'm blowing the whole situation out of proportion for just a little pizza order, but you have to ask yourself the question, why do it?
It may be a rudimentary example, but at the Olympic games, you have althletes, not pizza guzzling keyboard bashers who consider themselves skilled. You see, I'm stuck in two minds. Part of me says, great, we're just adding to the problem of getting to acceptability, but the nagging wife in me claws back that thought, telling me that if gaming is linked to pizza, soft drinks (Sprite at the HHGL anyone?), and basically sponsors in general who to a mainstream audience do not equal geek, then lets face it, you'd rather tell your mates you're sponsored by Pizza Hut than Intel, AMD or Logitech, to which you'd be confronted with a "err..who?", followed by the rapidly dissapearing sound of scurried feet into the distance. I also think we have to be pretty careful with who we chum up with, because you can see the possible conotations this one company and their product has. Get Nike on board, no problem. But pizza? You see the worry.
Now hopefully you can see that I don't actually believe that one pizza deal between a tacky brand of pizza and some American gaming outfit is going to bring along the downfall of modern gaming society. However, if there is one fact to be learnt in all this entire irreverant article, it must surely be this. Hard crusts really aren't good at all.
