We often talk about eSports in the context of a niche interest. That niche may be growing, but eSports hasn’t exactly gone mainstream. That could soon change, if this excellent mainstream eSports reporting continues.
HBO’s Real Sports, part of the incredibly popular HBO channel, did a documentary looking at League of Legends and MLG. I was honestly impressed with the quality of reporting on this. Sure, there are some glaring errors and patronizing terms, but for the most part, this is a really solid documentary. Plus, it’s great to see it on a sports channel. Check out the full video:
In answering the question – is eSports really a sport, it’s great to see Soledad O’Brien give a resounding yes. She may not have understood it going into this report, but she certainly grasped the extent of skill and training required to become an eSports pro. Now, we just need to get some of those “gamer houses” in South Africa.
Last Updated: October 30, 2013
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| was reviewed on PC | |
TiMsTeR1033
October 30, 2013 at 14:05
Look it can be a sport, if done well! not only this LOL and DOTA 2 kak all the time… Do others show, games like Battle field 3 or now 4, Cod for those kinds of people…. Fifa 2013 or 14 or hell even Gta online! Think of the bigger picture!
Weanerdog
October 30, 2013 at 14:16
The language on the COD stream made the people at HBO Blush.
Gerhard Davids
October 30, 2013 at 14:19
I think the main reason is because LoL for example has the most players of any competitive game out there. It’s the same reason you don’t see basketball coverage so much locally. (Exaggerated example but it makes the point)
DarthofZA
October 30, 2013 at 14:39
I think that is THE reason. I only watch streams of games I actually play. Really not interested in watching anything do with COD or BF…
Gerhard Davids
October 30, 2013 at 14:47
Indeed, same here. All the games are on twitch or your streaming service of choice. I think Timster was eluding to media coverage but that is an assumption on my part.
RangerMossel
October 30, 2013 at 14:55
Exactly. I will watch the games I’m currently playing, but anything else will bore me to tears.
Matthew Holliday
October 30, 2013 at 15:08
if CoD and BF had real spectator modes like LoL and Dota, the streams would be much more popular.
Matthew Holliday
October 30, 2013 at 15:07
nah, main reason is that LoL and Dota have ingame spectating modes.
we dont have to go to twitch to watch games.
we also get ingame rewards for watching tournaments.
HeniQpotter
October 30, 2013 at 14:19
I know a couple of guys who are trying to establish a BF3/4 gaming league, things are still in the spawning stages but maybe deserves a look at. https://www.facebook.com/legionofchaoshq
John's (JJ's) grand endeavour
October 30, 2013 at 14:22
With games like BF/COD they have to keep it to teams because these guys that are just all for themselves kind of defy the fun of it. Being good in a team, like physical sports, is a much bigger accomplishment.
Matthew Holliday
October 30, 2013 at 15:05
bf3 got fairly extensive coverage at the Do Gaming Champs.
its just the spectating mode in LoL and Dota, with ingame spectating options, is so much more convenient in comparison.
RangerMossel
October 30, 2013 at 14:54
It will be just as much of a sport as chess is. Look gaming is super fun, but I just cant see myself actually watching teams play every weekend like rugby.
Lardus-Resident Perve
October 30, 2013 at 15:16
This was a very well done segment. Thanks for the article Zoe.
Damian
October 30, 2013 at 18:59
For eSports to be successful in the mainstream it needs to be engaging and ordinary people need to grasp the games. I think the types of games that can be successfully translated into viewable eSports is very limited.
Starcraft 2 is the most successful, because there are well known gamers we can follow and the 1vs1 format is easy to follow and understand.
There is a reason you do not see 4vs4 games on Esports, is because there is no test of skill and its hard to watch as there is to much happening.
Me personally I cant think of anything more boring that watching someone play a FPS and you cant see who they are shooting at and what they are doing half the time.