The e-sports manifesto - Our vision of e-sports beyond the 'industry'
What is this sorcery? Another blog by TaKe!? Masaka! (TL note: „Masaka“ means „Well I never“)
Well, since our beloved leader is currently busy working close to total exhaustion, in order to give you the best possible entertainment (HSC V is drawing near!), the rest of the crew also tries their best to stay involved and support the project in every way conceivable.
So... what is the purpose of this entry?
We see ourselves, the project, TaKeTV, as something unique. As something, that withstands the ever-growing pressure of the so-called e-sports „industry“. What we represent is a homely idea of e-sports. And even though it's growing constantly, we think e-sports should never lose its soul. It should never move away from the base of the community, you, all of you. And it should never deteriorate to become this picture, this scenario, that so many people are now trying to force into our throats: e-sports as an industry, with players and casters as mere machines, doing their „job“.
No, we refuse to let this idea of e-sports take over. TaKeTV is and always was about this comfy feeling you get, when you see people do what they love to do most, without any pressure, without forcing themselves to be something they are not.
Our casters don't wear expensive suits nor ties. Our studio is nothing but a big apartment, packed with equipment stuffed in closets and cupboards, with the bedroom serving as the master control room.
We try to preserve that homely feeling. We try that to be a counterpoint. We support the growth and flourishing of e-sports, but not for any price. No, it doesn't have to be like this.
And so, because it is our deepest desire, this right now will officially be declared to be the first entry of a weekly new format. A commentary about e-sports. A handle for all of you, who fear to be sucked into the gloomy vortex of the „industry“. We will be there for you and we hope you support our idea.
This prologue may now end, but promised: It won't be the last you'll see!
On June 01 2012 23:44 TaKeTV wrote: Our casters don't wear expensive suits nor ties.
Interesting on the whole, this part is especially important to me, I really don't understand why every caster thinks he has to wear a tie and suit nowadays. Once Esports is on TV, they might wanna consider wearing suits, but right now this is just way over the top, I agree with the style the Korean GSL casters wear, which is only a tie with a shirt but no suit AFAIK.
I was thinking about writing something like this and refer to HSC as an prime expample of how I want esports to be like. I hate when people compare e-sports to traditional sports and make statements about the lack of professionalism and so on. E-sports should never lose its soul and TakeTV got this perfectly right. In the end we are a bunch of nerds caring for the game and we should never lose track of that idea.
So few posts on TL make me genuinely happy these days, and this is definitely one of them. Glad to see that someone's heart is in the right place at least.
The simple solution: narrow it down. Everyone including the guy up above has a different notion of what eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-sports means to them. There is no consensus and that is why we should avoid broad words at every turn. Make it your own.
haha I see what you guys are doing..turning this low budget home feeling tournament into 'something different and esports roots etc etc' I see this rather more a convenience than anything else but still though TakeTV remains one of the few tournaments that I still really enjoy. too many tournaments these days will replicate what MLG/IPL and I must give credit where credit is due by sticking to their guns and staying true to their fans.
So glad to see another HSC coming up, i shall definetly tune in for that!
HSC is still the best tournament outside of the GSL in sc2, imo. Keep doing what you guys are doing and you will continue to be one of the most watched and anticipated tournaments. Don't change a thing.
This is a wonderful you guys. As many people need to hear this as possible. If there's anything I've learned throughout my travels its that the primary purpose of the internet is not to distribute paid professional content but to forge connections between people. We as an industry and as a community have a unique opportunity to create a new type of business model that recognizes this important idea. The day that E-sports is no longer open to all competitors or that players, personalities, and free streams are no longer readily accessible to the public is the day we have failed as an industry. We will have not only failed to differentiate ourselves from the other professional sports that are currently in existence and the way that they do business but we will have lost everything that makes us unique and valuable as a community.
I don't know about fighting the spirit of esports but I do think that different groups offering different angles, projects, ideas etc.. is a really good thing for everyone and if that is true then TakeTV is a hugely important part of the gaming world we live in
I think he's just using the home story feel due to budget constraints and masking it as not selling out to the man. They're good for one off events, but too much will be overkill. It feels like a basement lan and the only reason I watched the last home story cup was due to mc/mkp. Otherwise, it's a tournament I can easily pass on.
If you really want to go grassroots, then you should just refuse all sponsors and put up like a $100 prizepool and then see how many players show up. It just irks me when people spout anti esports stuff and talk about staying true to their roots, while at the same time accepting sponsors to provide the laptops the players play on and money for the prizepool.
On June 02 2012 03:57 Canucklehead wrote: If you really want to go grassroots, then you should just refuse all sponsors and put up like a $100 prizepool and then see how many players show up. It just irks me when people spout anti esports stuff and talk about staying true to their roots, while at the same time accepting sponsors to provide the laptops the players play on and money for the prizepool.
If the sponsors agree to support the event the way it is, then refusing the sponsorship is nonsensical and doesn't prove their point any more than taking the sponsorship does.
It's a win-win situation for them - they get to run events in a casual/friendly gaming atmosphere the way they want to, and there are sponsors who want to pay for it as it is.
On June 02 2012 03:57 Canucklehead wrote: If you really want to go grassroots, then you should just refuse all sponsors and put up like a $100 prizepool and then see how many players show up. It just irks me when people spout anti esports stuff and talk about staying true to their roots, while at the same time accepting sponsors to provide the laptops the players play on and money for the prizepool.
If the sponsors agree to support the event the way it is, then refusing the sponsorship is nonsensical and doesn't prove their point any more than taking the sponsorship does.
It's a win-win situation for them - they get to run events in a casual/friendly gaming atmosphere the way they want to, and there are sponsors who want to pay for it as it is.
That's my point. To accept sponsors, already makes it "esports." To state otherwise, is just marketing. He's marketing it as the feeling you get when you and your buddies used to hold lan parties back in the day. The window dressing presents it as such, but underneath that coating is esports, supported by esports dollars. It's fine to run the event like that, but then don't try to pretend that this isn't esports and you'll never sell out to the man for any price.
I'm just tired of all the anti esports stuff and people wanting it to remain niche and underground. A scene like that can't support pros and heck pros are barely supported by the scene now.
On June 02 2012 03:57 Canucklehead wrote: If you really want to go grassroots, then you should just refuse all sponsors and put up like a $100 prizepool and then see how many players show up. It just irks me when people spout anti esports stuff and talk about staying true to their roots, while at the same time accepting sponsors to provide the laptops the players play on and money for the prizepool.
If the sponsors agree to support the event the way it is, then refusing the sponsorship is nonsensical and doesn't prove their point any more than taking the sponsorship does.
It's a win-win situation for them - they get to run events in a casual/friendly gaming atmosphere the way they want to, and there are sponsors who want to pay for it as it is.
That's my point. To accept sponsors, already makes it "esports." To state otherwise, is just marketing. He's marketing it as the feeling you get when you and your buddies used to hold lan parties back in the day. The window dressing presents it as such, but underneath that coating is esports, supported by esports dollars. It's fine to run the event like that, but then don't try to pretend that this isn't esports and you'll never sell out to the man for any price.
I'm just tired of all the anti esports stuff and people wanting it to remain niche and underground. A scene like that can't support pros and heck pros are barely supported by the scene now.
You keep using this word. I dont think it means what you think it means. Then again I use it as a completely silly word with no meaning whatsoever so there is that.
On June 02 2012 03:57 Canucklehead wrote: If you really want to go grassroots, then you should just refuse all sponsors and put up like a $100 prizepool and then see how many players show up. It just irks me when people spout anti esports stuff and talk about staying true to their roots, while at the same time accepting sponsors to provide the laptops the players play on and money for the prizepool.
If the sponsors agree to support the event the way it is, then refusing the sponsorship is nonsensical and doesn't prove their point any more than taking the sponsorship does.
It's a win-win situation for them - they get to run events in a casual/friendly gaming atmosphere the way they want to, and there are sponsors who want to pay for it as it is.
That's my point. To accept sponsors, already makes it "esports." To state otherwise, is just marketing. He's marketing it as the feeling you get when you and your buddies used to hold lan parties back in the day. The window dressing presents it as such, but underneath that coating is esports, supported by esports dollars. It's fine to run the event like that, but then don't try to pretend that this isn't esports and you'll never sell out to the man for any price.
How are they pretending that it isn't "esports"? The title itself very much points to the contrary.
On June 02 2012 04:29 Canucklehead wrote: I'm just tired of all the anti esports stuff and people wanting it to remain niche and underground. A scene like that can't support pros and heck pros are barely supported by the scene now.
Being one of those people, I'll explain why that argument doesn't quite work.
While I am glad that players can be paid for playing the game in the current scene, if the scene ignores or loses the things that I value the most, then I no longer have any reason left to care about it. By extension, I no longer have a reason to care whether people are making money off of it or not.
I don't necessarily want it to remain niche and underground, however I don't want it to turn into stereotypical American TV either (and it is very much on the way there). If there's no reasonable middle ground - and I still believe there is - then I'm perfectly fine with there being no full-time progamers and only having community-ran events.
At the end of the day, what I want out of my hobby is, for me, a much higher priority than somebody else's career.
EPT
