Interview with Chair League's Superjova

I think Chair League is the result of a couple things. For one, I feel that I knew nobody playing Heroes of the Storm. Whenever I was playing with friends, I felt that they were the only real people in the game. I never added anyone I played randomly in Quick Match because I don’t think that’s how people connect. Video games used to lack the idea of a “Randomly find me a group” feature, which was great because I met so many people that way. Modern games are sacrificing player effort for player convenience and I think it’s to cater to larger audiences, which is great for the game, but bad for those who want to feel immersed in the community. Chair League’s goal is to bring a community back to a world of gamers who live through “Quick Match”. Even in ladder standings that may exist in StarCraft II, a player will only vs another player with a similar standing that is currently online. I think removing the idea of convenience and going back to a world in which players can become invested in a product is the way to go. Players can become invested in Chair League by finding other players to play with as well as rival teams to compete against.

As far as support, right away Josheb contacted me to cast Chair League before it had even started. I watched one single episode of the Monday Melee and was hooked! Not soon after, CavalierGuest had approached me offering a very analytical commentary that I also wanted in Chair League. A couple other casters came to support the league’s efforts that first week which got Chair League on the map. It got large enough that the Wednesday after the first night, Roftcopter brought up Chair League in the SolidJake’s Town Hall Heroes. SolidJake then made a video about why people should join Chair League which was a huge hit! Tons of people flowed into the league that week which was great to get the ball rolling. SolidJake, Cooby, and Zoia had even casted a couple Mondays. In general, the community of Heroes of the Storm seems very supportive of a league like Chair League. It’s funny because if I make a mistake on something, the community surely lets me know. It’s great to know other people besides me care about the league.

Being a player in the league benefited me a lot early on. Not only did I play on a team, but I played on a team full of people I’ve never played with or met before. I wanted to do this so I could see what everyone else was seeing, an ear to the ground if you will. I found out some things that were confusing to players. People had all sorts of problems I got to see and fix in the first part of the week. Later, it got a little harder to play and make sure all the teams were showing up in the same night.

Something that still surprises me to this day is how many people are so passionate about Chair League. It’s really cool to know that people appreciate what you’ve built and want to be a part of it. Currently, I’m under the gun with how the MMR system works, which I assure you works as intended. Chair League is an open league for everyone to hop in and out of how they choose. The way I’ve built it causes some people to grab a torch and pitchfork, but at the same time it’s good to know the community wants to help polish the sleeping beast that is Chair League. And I think that because it’s one of the first leagues to be community-driven, it’s a natural attraction for some people.

I didn’t see Squirtle Squad losing any time soon, so those were things that were surprising to me. Losing to Squirtle Squad myself and watching them get their first loss reminds me of the Star Wars quote “There’s always a bigger fish.” I think it’s quite an amazing feature to be the place harboring all sorts of big fish. Might as well be an aquarium.

Chair League has had over 30 matches in a day so I thought, 15 should be a walk in the park. After drawing a tournament schedule that weighted viewership over convenience, I quickly realized I had bitten off more than I could chew. I quickly reworked the schedule to be Monday | Thursday | Saturday. Monday and Thursday each have 4 games bringing down the amount that needs to be done on Saturday down to 7. That’s a lot more doable.
As far as the logistics of the tournament, it is best of 3, single elimination. I wrote a lot of rules here.

Season 1 left me with a full plate. I also would like to take some time off from the day-to-day operations that go with running a league of 3000 people. I can estimate about a 4-5 week break between Season 1 and Season 2. The date that twirls around in my head seems to be end of April, early May. It’s important too that the schedule doesn’t conflict with any large events, and I have to take a deeper look at that when coming up with a start date. In the meantime, sign ups for season 2 start March 12!

Oh, boy! Season 2 is another step closer to the product in my head. I want to break everything out into four divisions separating by level of play. These divisions would be Pro, Division 1, Division 2, Division 3. All four divisions have varying rules. You may find that the Pro division is actually always a best of 3, while Division 3 is a best of 1. Another unique thing about the divisions is that Pro is going to be locked to around 20 teams. These 20 teams are very dedicated to the craft and are the creme de la creme of Chair League. The separation of leagues should give a lot more victories to everyone. Season 1 really only had 1 victory and 16 teams qualified into the playoff tournament. Splitting it up into four divisions gives four times the more fun! Still not as much as Six Flags .

Casters are another change in Season 2. I also want to keep casters associated to a division. I think this will allow casters and team to get to know each other and have more information to talk about than just the game. I love the way the NFL talks about the players. I like hearing “You know, I got a chance to sit down with Favre the other day and he told me…” I think it brings a lot to the audience that currently Chair League is absent of. Having the casters be able to tell stories of the teams they cast is going to take Chair League to the next level. It’s really going to build a sense of community.