EPTThe underlying theme of most of the posts (which tipped the negative scales) were about "professionalism" and the idea that eSports is doomed without it. I wanted to speak on the idea of "professionalism" from my perspective having nearly a decade of experience in this particular industry.
However, before I do go into it... I wanted to address the show itself.
First and foremost, I thought it was fucking excellent. Having a nearly unlimited supply of amazing talent at the party made it the BEST location to do exactly what we were aiming to do. Our goal was to provide the community a post-event content piece that leveraged the players, community members, and fans with a very casual and friendly environment.
After the post on TL, I received tons of emails from people who really enjoyed the show... and most of them had concerns that because of the negative responses in that thread we would discontinue shows "like" this one.
DO NOT WORRY. It'll never happen. Ever. Because it goes against everything that I believe in and that LO3 believes in. If the MLG Dallas event was the Super Bowl, the LO3 which followed was the reality show which gave insight to the Super Bowl that you would not have seen otherwise.
I'm happy to answer specific questions about the show itself, but it's time to move onto the main focus for this blog:
PROFESSIONALISM
Or more importantly... why it doesn't really fucking matter. (Yet).
Don't get me wrong. I think being professional is an important part of one's success. But if I decided to take a strictly professional approach to Pro-Gaming, I would not be where I am today, nor would I had the experiences in gaming that I've had over the past 12 years.
People need to realize that we are not under a microscope of scrutiny right now. And it's going to be quite a long time before we are.
If you want to see "Professional", go look at the amazing work of the MLG Broadcast team (from casters to production) for the Dallas Finals. Three days of great content presented in a professional manner while retaining the "fun" factor of games.
If you want to see "Professional", go watch one of the 100 LIVE shows that CGS did.
I've been successful in this business because I know how to turn on the "Professional" switch. MLG hired me despite the fact that I had been verbally open about their league, competitions, and mistakes in the past. They hired me because they knew that I could provide the "Professional" Anchor role that they needed. CGS hired me despite the fact that I was actively involved in a daily gaming show called Epileptic Gaming which featured an often vulgar look at video games and guests who included porn stars and Playboy bunnies.
I just want to make it very clear to everyone who thinks otherwise, that you CAN straddle the line... and I'll do it till I die.
Of course, it's not quite as simple as that. Gaming is DIFFERENT. Gaming feeds off a culture of individuals who is actively involved in the internet, their respective communities, and the personalities who consistently engage their audiences. Because of this, gaming can be a little bit more edgy, a little bit more creative, and maybe even a little bit "unprofessional".
Now let me explain the "straddle". For those who know of my work outside of casting, you know that I do 3 shows a week that certainly border on "unprofessional". However, I don't see it that way.
Obviously, the "professional" line is the easy one to explain. I've been fortunate enough to share my "professional" side with many different organizations, and as a result, I don't have much trouble finding work with said organizations. They know that when it comes to their event, I have their best intentions in mind and I will put on the show they want. Never once have I heard this, "Man Wheat, we'd love to hire you, but in the last episode of Epileptic Gaming you called Peter Monyleux a douchebag and said the word FUCK 18 times." At this point people may be thinking, "God Wheat you're talking about yourself alot..." but I want to use my history to prove that I've always maintained a standing in the industry while jumping back and forth between the "professional" and "unprofessional" line. I've been on both sides of the fence, and both of them are EQUALLY important to the success of Pro-Gaming.
So now I want to explain that "unprofessional" side of things. And this is a little tougher to explain.
The reason I do things like the LO3 Post-MLG Show, Epileptic Gaming, Weapon of Choice... is cause I'm a nerd just like you guys. That's my outlet. That's where I get to yell and bitch about this horrible game I played, vent about a developer who I think has screwed us over, argue the finer points of micro-transactions, etc. My outlet also happens to best convey my own personality which is loud, a little obnoxious, and (hopefully) entertaining.
But I also feel like these sorts of shows speak to the community and audience of gamers much more than a post-produced shitbag of a show that you'd see on G4 or IGN. It's not real. Not genuine. And it's mostly fabricated bullshit. Do these shows on these mentioned channels grow community? Fuck no. State of the Game grows community... Weapon of Choice grows community... these types of people and shows who funnel their passion into content... that's what grows community.
AND THAT'S GOD DAMN IMPORTANT FOR US RIGHT NOW. Before SC2 and gaming in general blows up to be a true spectator sport, we have to prove that we have a community of people who will support it.
As a community our #1 focus should be to support the growth of said community, the introduction and education of new members of the community, and activities/shows/tournaments which encompass the growth of the community. We should not be worrying about the "professional" image of Pro-Gaming because there's not a terrible amount that we can do to help or hurt it. We need to let companies worry about professionalism (MLG, WCG, GSL, etc) while we ourselves remain aware of it. We cannot let the illusion of "professionalism" hinder community growth.
Now... when Mountain Dew wants to pay me $10 Billion dollars to be clean-cut Wheat, that's when I'll jump the line to "professional".
But until then, I'm going to continue to walk the line. To provide "professional" services to those organizations who want and need it... while growing the community with entertaining content that is meant FOR the community.
Questions/Comments are welcome!
