In the ever growing world of multi-gaming organizations and the general expansion of the eSports market, the internet seems to have become inundated with people moving into the management side of things for numerous reasons and motives. Sure, intentions can be good and for most of the time, they contribute heavily in some way into helping players get to LAN destinations in relative comfort and safety but really, when it comes down to it, are they really worth it?

We’ve all seem them in some shape or form; it’s hard to not notice them. Some like to keep themselves as bit players in the grand scheme, staying well away from the public eye. Others prefer a more involved and lucrative role but whatever the approach and strategy of a manager may be, the job description if pretty much the same however big the represented organization is/was.

For a long time I’ve felt the position is a redundant one, especially when relating mangers to ET. It just seems to be a platform for players/people to mingle within a scene they wouldn’t normally have access too, just to get a little bit of notoriety by association. Don’t get me wrong, it’s unfair to condemn all managers into the same category when clearly, a lot of good work can be done from the role but with it becoming increasingly easier to climb the eSports organizational ladder, it’s created a treacherous minefield to navigate through, when considering who and what to ask help from.

With bigger promises of cash and support coming from an ever varied range of sources and backers, more and more players are finding themselves victims of false premises and losing out in the long run. I wouldn’t necessarily blame the players for making the wrong choices, that’s unfair. It’s hard not to be lured by a free-ride when money for such activities is usually a scarce and precious amenity.

You could give numerous examples of how managers have done good and bad in online gaming but be careful what how you categorize these people. Within our tight knit community there have been a few cases so far, with well known managers from the Estonian and UK scene being implicated in some form or another. In both cases prize money still has not been distributed or received, with players out of pocket as a consequence.

There can be a significant difference between someone who runs an organization and someone who works for one, with both having access to the purse strings in which many a trip is based upon.

Here’s my point. Like everything in life, anything involving money can be hit or miss. No matter how big people may claim to be or how much influence they may wield within a certain sector, parting money from a potential sponsors hand is hard for anyone, so giving anything back to the players that so desperately need it can be daunting and perilous task with little fruition in some cases. With more and more people looking to attend Crossfire LAN events, pursuing financial support is becoming more of the norm rather than the exception, the number of cases involving “bad management” is on the up, with happy endings coming few and far between.

So I guess the point of my column is more of a warning or plea rather than a method to spark debate on the issue at hand. Anyone looking to milk the cash cow that comes in the form of an eSports organization and more importantly, the manager/mangers that will represent them, be warned. You may receive a big fat novelty check if you are lucky enough to perform well at a LAN event but be wary that the novelty check isn’t the only thing you go home with, if you were originally promised so much more.