Ex MMO competitor looking for advice. - Page 4

On June 22 2012 00:26 Razith wrote:
Well considering we are talking about your career, I think you need to consider many variables outside of just 'which game is more fun'. Granted that this is important, I believe you already have a passion for video games. That, combined with your ambition, will find SC2 / DotA 2 / LoL all very satisfying, and should not be the / only main driver in your decision making. Each of these games go very deep at the top-end skill level.

What I think you need to look at is the company behind each game. Unlike a sport like hockey, where the rules can be difficult to change and are more or less concrete, eSports are still games, are under control of a single entity, and can change things as they see fit. While the companies do have incentives to not introduce knee-jerk changes that would ruin their game, you still run this risk as all decision making is out of your control, especially if all decision making falls onto one person.

Where you should start is looking at Valve, Blizzard and Riot, and look into their management / development teams. Ask yourself questions like "Are they public / private, what are their incentives, do we share similar views in the long term, etc." You are investing your time into one of these companies, and it is an important investment philosophy that you align your investments with your own personal views and incentives. That way you can better understand them, and better predict their outcome.

Next I would consider transfer-ability of skill. Obviously LoL and Dota2 are going to be the closest comparables. You can't invest all your time into something which, if goes sour, you lose all of your investment. You need a plan B.

Consider the pro-scene / viewership of each game. This is your market, and you need to make sure its big enough and experiencing solid growth. You are going to take a piece of that market, so make sure there is enough for you to be satisfied and still have room to grow. I must stress that this should be measured in dollars. Popularity doesn't always dictate wealth, you need to make sure the scene you are entering has lots of equity and that viewers are willing to pay to watch the games. You need to secure payment; living paycheck to paycheck wondering if they'll keep coming is not a good way to live your life.

And then lastly, consider the game. What's the meta-trends like? How accessible is it to people (this is why soccer is so popular)? Is it fun at all levels of play? Is the game so played out its like chess? These are very important questions to ask yourself as well.

I hope these help. They should guide you into your decision making and assist you; there are many more factors to consider.

And because everyone is picking and I haven't played Dota2, I would pick League of Legends over SC2.

Edit: Also where can I get a key to try Dota 2?