Video games have been played competitively since their birth. American organization, Twin Galaxies, tracks video game world records since 1983 and it also has a program of gaming promotions. In the early PC-era the first game to introduce us to multi-player death matches was nothing else than Doom, of course. The multiplayer-scene around Doom grew rapidly and first newsgroups, chat rooms and IRC-channels dedicated for gaming were born.
Electronic Sports, often abbreviated as e-Sports, is a term generally used for describing playing video games competitively. Most common genres for this are real-time strategies (Starcraft), fighting-games (Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter, Tekken) and mass-multiplayer online games (World of Warcraft). Then there are first-person shooters (Counter-Strike, Halo, ET:QW) which concern us ET-players more. As you may notice, the easiest way to play an electronic sports match is over the Internet. General online play is subject to the lessened ability to detect cheating and the more unpredictable network latency not being the ideal environment for high level competition; however, due to its convenience, even players who are used to LAN games use Internet games for fun and exhibition games.
Just like any other normal sport, e-Sports can be a real hogger of your free time. From 2 evenings a week to 6 days a week and one LAN a month, it depends on how much effort you put in it. In some sports, like olympic lifting, the best of the best lifters dedicate their whole lifes to enhance their performances. They sleep, eat and recover in their training centers. Normal Sunday-lifters can’t do that and same thing happens in e-Sports. You can tell apart the amateurs from real professionals by telling if they make their schedule so that it syncs with their daily job or school, or if they almost live in the internet-cafeterias and LAN-centers.
How does the demanding lifestyle of e-Sports happen in Enemy Territory? Many respectable head-members of the community have said that ET’s ”e-Sportsy” side is merely blossoming and the best is on its way. I did a little research and even though I had my doubts and suspicions about their statement, I have to say I was most impressed. Here are the results:
As you can see, many serious clans are rising their heads and on top of that, rumours say that there is 5 different LANs coming this year. I couldn’t see that coming, not even in my wildest dreams. I just hope everyone can afford to enter all those LANS. Sponsor-deal is always one solution, but besides Dignitas, there aren't much sponsors in ET who can afford to pay the travels of their players.
LANs are on their way, but what about online-e-Sports? I don’t play ET so much anymore but I still like to follow what’s going on in the community. Germany has provided lot’s of rising stars, just a year ago the situtation looked really bad because of absence of butchji and snoop and no promiseful players were seen anywhere. Finland, the superior dominator of online e-Sports, has dug themselves deep in their trenches and it seems there is no-one to drive them away. On the other hand, United Kingdom is quickly rising to be the flagship of ET’s e-Sports. With R0SS, Tosspot and eVo as their naval captains, they are a force not to play with. Same thing can also happen in online, last time they placed as 3rd in NC and this year they are coming for more. Netherlands and Belgium have Aza, mAus, perfo, Lightning and many more missing in action. One could say that the four big ones are Finland, UK, Estonia and Poland.
I respect the white knights of Crossfire who keep promoting ET in the bottomless sea of e-Sports. It's good to show them some respect but you should also ask yourself: how far are YOU ready to go in electronic sports? Are you man enough to face the fatigue?
These are just my random thoughts on Sunday-morning. I didn't edit this text much, I just let my mind flow. (like usually)
Electronic Sports, often abbreviated as e-Sports, is a term generally used for describing playing video games competitively. Most common genres for this are real-time strategies (Starcraft), fighting-games (Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter, Tekken) and mass-multiplayer online games (World of Warcraft). Then there are first-person shooters (Counter-Strike, Halo, ET:QW) which concern us ET-players more. As you may notice, the easiest way to play an electronic sports match is over the Internet. General online play is subject to the lessened ability to detect cheating and the more unpredictable network latency not being the ideal environment for high level competition; however, due to its convenience, even players who are used to LAN games use Internet games for fun and exhibition games.
Just like any other normal sport, e-Sports can be a real hogger of your free time. From 2 evenings a week to 6 days a week and one LAN a month, it depends on how much effort you put in it. In some sports, like olympic lifting, the best of the best lifters dedicate their whole lifes to enhance their performances. They sleep, eat and recover in their training centers. Normal Sunday-lifters can’t do that and same thing happens in e-Sports. You can tell apart the amateurs from real professionals by telling if they make their schedule so that it syncs with their daily job or school, or if they almost live in the internet-cafeterias and LAN-centers.
How does the demanding lifestyle of e-Sports happen in Enemy Territory? Many respectable head-members of the community have said that ET’s ”e-Sportsy” side is merely blossoming and the best is on its way. I did a little research and even though I had my doubts and suspicions about their statement, I have to say I was most impressed. Here are the results:
As you can see, many serious clans are rising their heads and on top of that, rumours say that there is 5 different LANs coming this year. I couldn’t see that coming, not even in my wildest dreams. I just hope everyone can afford to enter all those LANS. Sponsor-deal is always one solution, but besides Dignitas, there aren't much sponsors in ET who can afford to pay the travels of their players.
LANs are on their way, but what about online-e-Sports? I don’t play ET so much anymore but I still like to follow what’s going on in the community. Germany has provided lot’s of rising stars, just a year ago the situtation looked really bad because of absence of butchji and snoop and no promiseful players were seen anywhere. Finland, the superior dominator of online e-Sports, has dug themselves deep in their trenches and it seems there is no-one to drive them away. On the other hand, United Kingdom is quickly rising to be the flagship of ET’s e-Sports. With R0SS, Tosspot and eVo as their naval captains, they are a force not to play with. Same thing can also happen in online, last time they placed as 3rd in NC and this year they are coming for more. Netherlands and Belgium have Aza, mAus, perfo, Lightning and many more missing in action. One could say that the four big ones are Finland, UK, Estonia and Poland.
I respect the white knights of Crossfire who keep promoting ET in the bottomless sea of e-Sports. It's good to show them some respect but you should also ask yourself: how far are YOU ready to go in electronic sports? Are you man enough to face the fatigue?
These are just my random thoughts on Sunday-morning. I didn't edit this text much, I just let my mind flow. (like usually)
Used to arrange my gaming schedules to fit (ex) gf's evening work-schedule. And nowadays I often schedule wars to fit my drinking evenings, no wars after 21:00 on mon/wed/thu (obviously none fri/sat), unless I got work at the next day.
So I guess I am a serious e-sportster!
rofl
why not go with ET in the first place(or rtcw) instead of mentioning etqw?
you show a list of random clans and then say "As you can see, many serious clans are rising their heads"... what? relation?
delete plz
I don't get that list either though.
I doubt many ET-players even want to be 'professional'. I think most just play to have fun with others they have met trough the game. At least that's the way I feel about online games. But hey, if you attract more amateurs you will also get more pro's in the scene.
Go Professional