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Casters making money off games - Page 6

Forum Index > SC2 General
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flodeskum
Profile Joined September 2010
Iceland1267 Posts
January 19 2011 22:18 GMT
#101
Wow, I had no idea some people actually felt this way about casters.
IdrA: " my fans are kinda retarded"
Chill
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
Calgary26004 Posts
January 19 2011 22:19 GMT
#102
On January 20 2011 06:50 iNcontroL wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 20 2011 06:33 Torpedo.Vegas wrote:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they don't earn nearly as much as you may think they do. Ad revenue is minimal especially when you consider the cost and time put into the cast itself and all the associated equipment.


Yeah the programs associated with casting alone cost nearly dozens of dollars. Have you guys factored that in at all?

lol i was straight faced in this thread until this comment haha
Moderator
ReachTheSky
Profile Joined April 2010
United States3294 Posts
January 19 2011 22:20 GMT
#103
On January 20 2011 06:10 TotalBiscuit wrote:
Oh this will end well.

A fairly massive thing you've failed to take into consideration is that without casters, you literally have no professional eSports. Sponsors will not pay a cent for something that isn't going to get publicised. It's not just 'oh the games would be boring without casters', it is the 'oh, nobody is getting paid because the sponsors can't get their brand out there because we don't have any prominent casters'.

There are 4 vital elements to eSports and without even one of those, eSports doesn't work. Looks something like this.

Players <> Casters <> Viewers <> Sponsors

Take one of those out of the equation and you have no professional eSports. Probably best not to fuck with an element of it on that basis.

Consider this. In eSports, a 'caster' such as say, Husky, is not merely a commentator, he is an entirely television network in and of himself. If you're talking about 'buying the rights' to a series or tournament, then this already happens, though it's usually through a beneficial arrangement to all 4 elements of that equation. The caster uses his prominence and audience to bargain with the sponsors, to secure money for the players. He does not take money from the prizepool for himself (unless he is a complete dick and I really hope this doesn't happen), he is compensated via the ad revenue that his channel generates (and could easily generate from something that isn't Starcraft if need be). The players get paid, the sponsors get their brand recognition, the caster is compensated and the viewers get their entertainment without paying a dime.

I couldn't possibly not be biased on this subject, but I would like to think people wouldn't want to mess with that system, lest it fall apart and benefit no-one at all.


well said.
TL+ Member
floor exercise
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Canada5847 Posts
January 19 2011 22:20 GMT
#104
Let's be honest they probably pirated all the software they use to record and edit videos with
Keldrath
Profile Joined July 2010
United States449 Posts
January 19 2011 22:21 GMT
#105
honestly dude, someone making money by working should be banned right?

User was warned for this post
If you want peace... prepare for war.
MetalFace
Profile Joined September 2010
United States75 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-01-19 22:23:42
January 19 2011 22:22 GMT
#106
On January 20 2011 07:03 neo_sporin wrote:
For me I am drawn by the casters not the players of tournament..so yea i agree they should make more money because they are the people gaining viewers like me.


I've gotta disagree. The players are far more important for me while watching. I'll even mute a match that's being casted by bad casters and just watch with music playing.
Elp
Profile Joined September 2010
Netherlands86 Posts
January 19 2011 22:23 GMT
#107
I think technically Blizzard owns the commercial rights to content generated by the game. The EULA you have accepted in order to play the game says you may only use the game for non-commercial purposes, unless you have explicit consent from Blizzard. So i guess that rules out players selling replays?
Direct quote from the EULA:
"Exploit the Game or any of its parts, for any commercial purpose without Blizzard’s express permission, with the sole exception that you may use the Game, or copies of the Game, on the Service at a cyber cafe, computer gaming center or any other location-based site to play on your own Account;"
ReachTheSky
Profile Joined April 2010
United States3294 Posts
January 19 2011 22:23 GMT
#108
So this is kinda off topic, but whatever happened to HDH2?
TL+ Member
Torpedo.Vegas
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States1890 Posts
January 19 2011 22:24 GMT
#109
On January 20 2011 07:12 resilve wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 20 2011 07:09 Torpedo.Vegas wrote:
On January 20 2011 07:04 MythicalMage wrote:
On January 20 2011 06:50 iNcontroL wrote:
On January 20 2011 06:33 Torpedo.Vegas wrote:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they don't earn nearly as much as you may think they do. Ad revenue is minimal especially when you consider the cost and time put into the cast itself and all the associated equipment.


Yeah the programs associated with casting alone cost nearly dozens of dollars. Have you guys factored that in at all?

And don't forget SC2 by itself costs FIVE dozens of dollars.


Well take into account the cost of the software/hardware, the time spent casting and not out doing other things for money, and all the other ancillary costs with spending a significant time putting together and doing everything associated with casting. I don't think they are rolling in the dough off of ad money or even the few sponsors some have.

How much do you guys think the top casters make? At least to get a starting baseline for the discussion.


Pretty sure a 4 player map is mined out within an hour.

I dont see a daily commitment of 1 hour a day to be completely absorbing to the point where you cant run another job if you wanted to - let alone a 'normal' lifestyle.

There was a post a couple pages back with good ballpark figures for at least Husky (est. $80-100k p.a.).


$80,000 - $100,000 ..p.a. (per...annual? )?! That sound really high compared to what I thought was the case. That kind of forces me to rethink my stance a little, but still, if they have the ability to make that kind of dough off of some Youtube clips. Wow...

Also, I think its a bit more then one hour. Day[9] for example repeatedly mentioned he spends numerous hours per day along with help from his voluntary staff of sorts, sifting through submissions and looking for quality games. The final product is only a fraction of the time that went into producing it.
Shootemup.
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States1044 Posts
January 19 2011 22:24 GMT
#110
I think most people here have a misguided sense of what is "right".A lot of people on these forums see HD and Husky and feel they don't deserve the views, and thus the ad revenue, that they get. From there they postulate that the current system is unjust.

However, that is the beauty of capitalism, if it was up to someone who didn't like HD or Husky, they wouldn't be able to provide content for the hundreds of thousands of people who do enjoy their casts. The fact that so many people like their content means that HD and Husky deserve every penny that Youtube decides they want to give HD and Husky. In fact, it doesnt matter what HD and Husky make. It just so happens that those several hundred thousand people who subscibe to Husky ad HD like their content, even though you may disapprove, and Youtube feels that they deserve some compensation for their work.

As for the OP, if the players want to sell the replays, and the casters want to buy them, then great! That exchange benefits the players and the casters, as the players get some money and the casters get a good replay. However, the players better be prepared in case the casters feel the replays are not worth the money to buy them.
"Dirty Timber Picker" Mity Teem Larquad. "I am a baddie and tango is a smartiepants." -KwarK "When you said you didn't play Invoker I thought you were just being modest"
MythicalMage
Profile Joined May 2010
1360 Posts
January 19 2011 22:24 GMT
#111
On January 20 2011 07:23 ReachTheSky wrote:
So this is kinda off topic, but whatever happened to HDH2?

HD and Husky don't like each other anymore.
2v2SNAX
Profile Joined October 2010
Canada97 Posts
January 19 2011 22:25 GMT
#112
It's a you scratch my back I scratch yours kind of deal. As players they rely on a public fan base to fuel their income, mainly in terms of streams (ad revenue) and many players now coach. Only popular ones are able to charge high for their time, and so they've got to be famous. Getting your games casted is one great way of people valuing you.

Realistically though most gamers don't make much by the way of tournament winnings, so they need other ways to fill up their income and if you're well known then sponsors and the like can really make life easier...

So I mean yeah the casters benefit but they are doing work essentially for free. In the end it's not us who pays them but advertisers, and gamers benefit from people watching their games, and getting popular and in turn using that popularity to further their own carers.

Although TLO has dropped of the map lately his entire fame bubble was entirely thanks to casters.
Hasire
Profile Joined February 2010
United States125 Posts
January 19 2011 22:25 GMT
#113
I wasn't going to post in here anymore, but there was something I needed to say.

Biscuit, I consider myself a "higher knowledge" player compared to what your casting is aimed at, and you are definitely in my top 3 casters. Don't ever stop. You have an amazing impact on bringing new players into the game with your style and funny accent and then educating about the game.


I don't understand this all this hate.
emythrel
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United Kingdom2599 Posts
January 19 2011 22:25 GMT
#114
On January 20 2011 07:12 relyt wrote:
aren't the reps property of blizzard anyway? if anybody should want a cut of the money its blizzard.


thing is that they aren't being paid for the content, they are being paid for the page hits. So blizzard has no claim to any revenue in that sense. Infact people like TB, Husky and HD are good for blizzard as they bring in people who might else not buy SC2.

There are alot of my old wow friends who have shown up in SC2 after seeing TB's casts, so while TB made money on page hits, blizzard made money on game sales.
When there is nothing left to lose but your dignity, it is already gone.
dmillz
Profile Joined November 2010
Canada270 Posts
January 19 2011 22:25 GMT
#115
Why do people care how much they make? How popular do you think e-sports would be without them?

I know I certainly wouldn't be nearly as obsessed with it as I am without HD/Husky/Day9. Your complaining that the 3 top casters in the world (most likely...this is just a guess!) shouldn't be making much money? Not to mention that the amount of money they earn is directly based on the impact they have on e-sports and the promotion of starcraft 2.

If they are making the est. $80k-$100k/yr that people estimate that means they are reaching a whole f***ton of people and generating huge ad results, which means more companies will want to advertise and sponsor starcraft 2. I fail to see why (other then jealousy or a possible mental handicap) people have a problem with the casters making money for something they are good at, that also generates money and interest for e-sports.
Deleted User 108965
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
1096 Posts
January 19 2011 22:26 GMT
#116
On January 20 2011 07:24 Torpedo.Vegas wrote:
Show nested quote +
On January 20 2011 07:12 resilve wrote:
On January 20 2011 07:09 Torpedo.Vegas wrote:
On January 20 2011 07:04 MythicalMage wrote:
On January 20 2011 06:50 iNcontroL wrote:
On January 20 2011 06:33 Torpedo.Vegas wrote:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they don't earn nearly as much as you may think they do. Ad revenue is minimal especially when you consider the cost and time put into the cast itself and all the associated equipment.


Yeah the programs associated with casting alone cost nearly dozens of dollars. Have you guys factored that in at all?

And don't forget SC2 by itself costs FIVE dozens of dollars.


Well take into account the cost of the software/hardware, the time spent casting and not out doing other things for money, and all the other ancillary costs with spending a significant time putting together and doing everything associated with casting. I don't think they are rolling in the dough off of ad money or even the few sponsors some have.

How much do you guys think the top casters make? At least to get a starting baseline for the discussion.


Pretty sure a 4 player map is mined out within an hour.

I dont see a daily commitment of 1 hour a day to be completely absorbing to the point where you cant run another job if you wanted to - let alone a 'normal' lifestyle.

There was a post a couple pages back with good ballpark figures for at least Husky (est. $80-100k p.a.).


$80,000 - $100,000 ..p.a. (per...annual? )?! That sound really high compared to what I thought was the case. That kind of forces me to rethink my stance a little, but still, if they have the ability to make that kind of dough off of some Youtube clips. Wow...

Also, I think its a bit more then one hour. Day[9] for example repeatedly mentioned he spends numerous hours per day along with help from his voluntary staff of sorts, sifting through submissions and looking for quality games. The final product is only a fraction of the time that went into producing it.


i dont think anybody really knows the figure, but really it isnt exactly our business either. as far as i know husky also works at the game station to do stuff with their little company and channel, so the misconception that he just wakes up casts a 15 minute game and then goes out and does what he wants all day is pretty off base
Disciple....Top 3 control in Clarion County
MythicalMage
Profile Joined May 2010
1360 Posts
January 19 2011 22:26 GMT
#117
On January 20 2011 07:24 Shootemup. wrote:
I think most people here have a misguided sense of what is "right".A lot of people on these forums see HD and Husky and feel they don't deserve the views, and thus the ad revenue, that they get. From there they postulate that the current system is unjust.

However, that is the beauty of capitalism, if it was up to someone who didn't like HD or Husky, they wouldn't be able to provide content for the hundreds of thousands of people who do enjoy their casts. The fact that so many people like their content means that HD and Husky deserve every penny that Youtube decides they want to give HD and Husky. In fact, it doesnt matter what HD and Husky make. It just so happens that those several hundred thousand people who subscibe to Husky ad HD like their content, even though you may disapprove, and Youtube feels that they deserve some compensation for their work.

As for the OP, if the players want to sell the replays, and the casters want to buy them, then great! That exchange benefits the players and the casters, as the players get some money and the casters get a good replay. However, the players better be prepared in case the casters feel the replays are not worth the money to buy them.

Yep. The argument is like saying Justin Beiber doesn't deserve all the money he's making because I don't like his music.
Consolidate
Profile Joined February 2010
United States829 Posts
January 19 2011 22:26 GMT
#118
If HD and Husky made ten times as much money as they do now, it would still be a good thing.
Creature posessed the the spirit of inquiry and bloodlust - Adventure Time
Redmark
Profile Joined March 2010
Canada2129 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-01-19 22:30:51
January 19 2011 22:27 GMT
#119
There's no such thing as "they're bad casters and so they don't deserve to make as much money as they do" and it actually boggles my mind that people would say this. They get viewers, and they take advantage of having viewers, therefore they deserve to be paid. Day9 or whoever is free to upload their stuff onto Youtube at any time, and I doubt that they'd have hard times getting partnerships. If players believe that their play is the more valuable part of the experience (compared to the casting), they can simply upload VODs on Youtube. They would of course have to compete with other players, same as casters compete with other casters.
It may seem like Totalbiscuit is being a dick here, and he pretty much is, but I find that in these instances you pretty much get back out what you put in. And yes, I'm referring to TL and not Youtube; Youtube is pretty much dick-filled regardless.

edit: lol someone else basically said it better. But yeah, if the players don't like it they can just put up their own stuff. Casters can't profit off players if at least one player doesn't allow it.
Chill
Profile Blog Joined January 2005
Calgary26004 Posts
January 19 2011 22:28 GMT
#120
On January 20 2011 07:21 Keldrath wrote:
honestly dude, someone making money by working should be banned right?

Can we not make stupid ass comments like these please? FUCK. It's a complicated issue with many viewpoints, and your dumb ass is going to come in here and ask a fucking retarded rhetorical question like it should be inherently obvious to everyone?
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