Tonights Eurocup match between asd and sublime had all the ingredients needed for any game to be compelling viewing, however they are ingredients that in order to replicate require fundamental change in the way in which gaming communities as a whole operate.
I refer to two things in tonights match, 1 the characters and the story line and 2, the fact that you couldnt question how much both teams cared about this match. I'll deal with the second point first as its the most straight forward. Tonights match was between two teams who didnt have any players who had been there and done that, they both were looking to make a name for themselves, they both wanted to qualify for the EC and they both practiced their arses off. That is always going to deliver something to the narrative of a match regardless, but the importance of point 1 is what was truly fundamental to tonights entertainment.
That is of course Hype/Kamz vs Baggiez and the 'battle for to be the UKs #1' - now this is ofcourse completely ignoring the fact that neither player are actually the best player in the UK (that would be me of course...) - but its the fact that it had all of the binary oppositions of a great story. To bore you briefly with some basic Media Studies theory, a nice chap called Straus (I think!) listed off that stories are built around binary oppositions, and the more of them you have the stonger the storyline. So in Baggiez vs Kamz it was good (Baggiez - doesnt cheat, been to lan, relatively popular) vs evil (Kamz - cheater, most hated, server killer) - each one of their characteristics polarised them and it was simply an easy rivalry to build, that rivalry was one they of course built themselves with constant flaming, but from a storylines perspective it could have been done even without that. For many people tonight, irrelevant of the fact this wasnt a top match of skill, it was a top match of entertainment as a result of the characters.
One of the few things that the CGS (a televised gaming league in the USA) did well, was creating stories. So for example there was an Irish player who sold everything he owned to afford the ticket to go to the event to qualify as a player, and the TV producers picked up on this instantly and made a sob story video about it to endear the audience to him. They didnt go as far as to pit him against an 'evil' character, as this was still family TV and these were still kids for the most part. However wherever they could, they'd pit rich vs poor or young vs old, anything to create that opposition for the audience to tag onto and pick a side.
I've written a column before outling how its done in both poker and wrestling and how they are examples of how good TV executives have made the most boring subject matter from a spectator perspective into entertaining TV and tonight you saw it in ernest. My girlfriend listened (briefly) into tonights cast and when I talked to her afterward she asked who won, hype or baggiez and then said, "that was the good guy right?"
For ET, a 5 year old game, this is a trend that HAS to continue so that entertainment value can be derrived because as much as I love the Winghaven vs Night rivalry, you cant lie to me and tell me either of them give a damn about the game anymore (hense why they're not in EC). Rivalries like this (kamz vs baggiez), as reactions to tonights match have proven can be equally compelling to the viewer as a big match between BB and Mamut.
That or I just over enjoyed tonights match...
I refer to two things in tonights match, 1 the characters and the story line and 2, the fact that you couldnt question how much both teams cared about this match. I'll deal with the second point first as its the most straight forward. Tonights match was between two teams who didnt have any players who had been there and done that, they both were looking to make a name for themselves, they both wanted to qualify for the EC and they both practiced their arses off. That is always going to deliver something to the narrative of a match regardless, but the importance of point 1 is what was truly fundamental to tonights entertainment.
That is of course Hype/Kamz vs Baggiez and the 'battle for to be the UKs #1' - now this is ofcourse completely ignoring the fact that neither player are actually the best player in the UK (that would be me of course...) - but its the fact that it had all of the binary oppositions of a great story. To bore you briefly with some basic Media Studies theory, a nice chap called Straus (I think!) listed off that stories are built around binary oppositions, and the more of them you have the stonger the storyline. So in Baggiez vs Kamz it was good (Baggiez - doesnt cheat, been to lan, relatively popular) vs evil (Kamz - cheater, most hated, server killer) - each one of their characteristics polarised them and it was simply an easy rivalry to build, that rivalry was one they of course built themselves with constant flaming, but from a storylines perspective it could have been done even without that. For many people tonight, irrelevant of the fact this wasnt a top match of skill, it was a top match of entertainment as a result of the characters.
One of the few things that the CGS (a televised gaming league in the USA) did well, was creating stories. So for example there was an Irish player who sold everything he owned to afford the ticket to go to the event to qualify as a player, and the TV producers picked up on this instantly and made a sob story video about it to endear the audience to him. They didnt go as far as to pit him against an 'evil' character, as this was still family TV and these were still kids for the most part. However wherever they could, they'd pit rich vs poor or young vs old, anything to create that opposition for the audience to tag onto and pick a side.
I've written a column before outling how its done in both poker and wrestling and how they are examples of how good TV executives have made the most boring subject matter from a spectator perspective into entertaining TV and tonight you saw it in ernest. My girlfriend listened (briefly) into tonights cast and when I talked to her afterward she asked who won, hype or baggiez and then said, "that was the good guy right?"
For ET, a 5 year old game, this is a trend that HAS to continue so that entertainment value can be derrived because as much as I love the Winghaven vs Night rivalry, you cant lie to me and tell me either of them give a damn about the game anymore (hense why they're not in EC). Rivalries like this (kamz vs baggiez), as reactions to tonights match have proven can be equally compelling to the viewer as a big match between BB and Mamut.
That or I just over enjoyed tonights match...
wont read it yet because i want to watch the replay first
already downloaded ur shoutcast
It's not basic media studies, it's basic common sense - people be stupid :)
And it will only go so far aswell, you need both ingredients because should for (hypothetical) example meez's team, EC winners, do as well as they're expected to do and get to the finals but by that point baggiez has recruited an active Night and mAus into their team and then they could walk over an EC winners team who are unlikely to be practicing, you need people to give be active/give a damn.
"This match is important because..." - it's the entire package, and something Cash / Adacore / yourself appreciated - though I'd say the shoutcast played massively in tonight ^^
Edit: cleaned years of hair, drink 'n bodily fluids from the keyboard 'n now it be fucked ~/
Do you appreciate quite how active you were back then, quite how many casts you did - Sunday after Sunday, week after week? That was the story done; the centre piece right there, there was no greater thought to it, unlike now - given that you're less active / hardcore it seems an effort.
how do sports competitions get so big? The coverage is there every weekend. It is absolutely necessary for people to be "informed" constantly
nice column anyway
lol
You can try by making some stories about it, it certainly can work, but deep inside you know your watching 2nd rate players and so you don't care as much about it as with the top teams like dignitas/impact. At least that's how I feel.
btw: the battle of ' the best UK fops' (ok i know it was only to attract interest) would only have been interesting if the UK would have been a top ET nation like Estonia/Finland but it's not so not many people care. You are British so immediately you have more interest in it (understandable) but not every1 else does.
hear it the first time :o
anyway good coulumn
What made the match nice beforehand, and to actually watch it itself, was the whole thing around it. People talking about it, news and topics, you shoutcasting, it seemed like ET was 'alive' a bit. There was something happening at least.
Ofcourse it would be nice to see topteams that prac battle out who the greatest team is. But that ain't gonna happen anymore, ET is past that stage. It would be awesome, but the next best thing we will need to settle with is highskilled mixes playing against eachother and med+/high teams.
Those two teams were so close to each other, yet idle always seemed to manage to keep the upper hand. The build up to those matches to see whether zP would be able to take revenge was always so great.
I honestly can't remember them coming close against us in any 6on6 match.
Atleast not before SHG Open 2007, and especially not on the event itself (they didn't have butchji there though).
After that event the original lineup kinda fell apart anyway. :-d
Well, it was probably still the biggest rivalry between 2 teams at that time.
The reason was because those days idle was so strong that teams had to give all they got to come close to a victory. zP actually trained their asses off and idle still beat them. That meant that idle were like true e-talents, the kind that dominates :P
I still remember gifty in an interview saying "We tried everything, really everything, and they still manage to win" :D
This match reminded me to the idle vs deMi match, both teams were fighting so hard to win that quarter final (or were it the semi finals? correct me if i'm wrong). Thats something you almost never see in EC anymore.
I'm telling you this kid is wicked dumb
incorporate the message:
you're a peon
and that's for thinking you can save me out
lyric for lyric
your fat ass would have more of a chance in a straight dog fight
yo, you fucking wannabe all the gangsta, you disgust me
but the truth is you're as bitch as all people
you ain't a killer, understand that?
Go back to gimmick
Paint your face if it makes you feel wicked
but the bottomline is this:
You're a bitch and I can break your pride and bones in a minute
dissing you wasn't even worth production,
in either physical or verbal callback
I beat you like percussion
you fat whack motherfucker, end of discussion.
I DO NOT HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH ENGLISH SCOUSERS TRYING TO ACT TOUGH, FAGGIT.
Nice column :) !
Giev me EC team and put system6 in EC and we've got another epic moment for the ET scene.
btw any link, logs, soundfiles too that mighty flame war?
Have fun shoutcasting us Toss !
Btw as Kot said, the match was interesting and it got a lot of spectators because people love to hear you cast and you haven't done that for a long long time..