The E-Spectator

Inactivity

2007-01-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all the inactivity as of late but the holidays have kept me very busy. For those of you who do not know I am now employed by Cyber Globe E-Sports Association (CGESA) CGESA is shaping up to be a great organization and it has tremendous potential. This league really is pushing the envelope of what I thought was possible. Unfortunately I can not go into any details at this time you will all just have to wait until the site goes live.

With all the work I will be getting into with CGESA I will not have much extra time. Once everything gets rolling and I get settled in there I will likely fire the ole blog back up. Until then I wish all my readers the best.

CEVO Casting Rights

2006-12-05T07:50:00.000-08:00

I had said that I would inform you all as soon as I found out more information and thats what I am here to do. From what I am hearing when RadioiTG acquired InviteGamer they did not get the CEVO-P CS 1.6 rights due to sponsorship conflicts. I am not certain but I would assume this means either CEVO or Radio iTG has sponsors that don't agree with each other. CEVO had to get the rights back out there in order to continue good exposer for the league. One of the problems they faced in doing this was finding the right company. The shoutcasting company carrying the Premiere league not only had to be good quality but they had to be e-popular in order to ensure CEVO gets the maximum amount of exposer possible.

I had thought with the recent falling out between TSN and CEVO that they would not partner back up again. I think CEVO felt as though they had no choice with the lose of the wildly popular InviteGamer and the resulting sponsorship conflicts with Radio iTG. I am going to assume TSN managed to nab the CEVO-P CoD2 rights aswell. All this means TSN is back on top and last weekends casting schedule showed they are ready to go at it full force.

TSN Back on Top?

2006-12-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed as I did that TSN is once again casting CEVO-P. I thought CEVO was done with TSN completely after their falling out. Once TSN published that letter to the public I had figured there was no going back. InviteGamer once held the CEVO-P rights to CS 1.6 & CoD 2. I had assumed that those rights would then fall to Radio iTG when it assumed control of InviteGamer. I guess I assumed wrong.

If anyone has any info on TSN and what CEVO rights they have I would love to know. I will try to keep everyone up-to-date on casting rights as the information becomes available. At any rate, TSN will be casting the CEVO-Pro Season IV : LayeredX Championships this weekend so be sure to tune into that if you are a 1.6 fan. I should arrive home in time for the later matches on Saturday...I hope.

BF2 4 CEVO

2006-11-22T05:13:00.000-08:00

Despite having to pay to participate CEVO has established its self as the premiere online league in esports. Many players prefer a pay to play system as it allows the league to handout better prizes and at the same time it encourages dedication. A while back I was hearing a lot about CEVO's consideration of BF2. Recently I found myself wondering what happened to this movement also known as BF24CEVO. So I decided to investigate a little and find out what was up. What I came across is that BF2 is still under consideration by CEVO. For those of you who did not know CEVO setup a forum under its “games under consideration” section.

BF2 as of late has begun to make some changes and demonstrate signs of improvement that I hope will get it a CEVO début. Larger esports multi-gaming organizations have begun to take notice of this. As a result some have become interested in adding BF2 to their line-up. Organizations like Check-6. Check-6 added BF2 to its list of games picking up team Fadeight.

Other organizations such as Eximius Sports are also on the lookout for a good BF2 team to pickup. Eximius is offering some nice perks to go along with the Eximius name. Some of these incentives include travel, lodging, and hardware support. I asked Fairbanks of Eximius Sports about their organizations BF2 plans.

kmouser: What has drawn Eximius to BF2?

Eximius | Fairbanks: Well, as always Eximius is looking to make a diverse organization, we wanted to find a team that could represent us well in a game that we believe still has a spark of interest to the eSports community. Overall we just think that the game has potential in the esports community.

kmouser: If Eximius picks up a team for the CPL BYOC Tournament will Eximius continue to support BF2 after CPL?

Eximius | Fairbanks: Well of course, as an organization we do not want to use a team and throw them away so no matter what we would keep the team after CPL. We are sending our team to CPL for the second time this Winter CPL and we are currently seeking a BF2 and a DOD team

With all this attention BF2 is receiving the face of BF2 competition may begin to change. Changes that could affect even the format. With CAL picking up the 5v5 format and CPL going the route of 5v5 for their BYOC we could be witnessing a change to a more manageable team size. While 5v5 has some advantages of the 8v8 format the fact remains the game was just not designed to accommodate this style of play. However help from the BF2Pro mod is improving this format.

With all this going on we have also have 2142 and it could significantly impact the BF2 community. Some people feel however that the impact it has on BF2 competition will be minimal. Feelings expressed by eskEMO in the CEVO BF2 forums have been echoed throughout the community. We will just have to wait and see how all these factors play out in the post BF2 CPL environment.

CoD on PSP!

2006-10-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

That’s right the Call of Duty title will be hitting the PSP in the spring of 2007! It will be an entirely new game with different single player missions and include some new maps. The official title is Call of Duty: Roads to Victory. If the PSP version of this legendary first-person-shooter is half as good as its PC counterpart it will be a hit.

Published by Activision and Developed by Amaze Entertainment it’s an all-new design from the ground up. The single player version will put you in the shoes of an 82nd Airborne Soldier, a Canadian First Army rifleman, and a British Parachuting Regiment commando. Multiplayer will support up to 6 players WiFi: Ad Hoc and you can chose from various modes like deathmatch, capture the flag, and king of the hill.

It’s said it will also include lots of unlockable content like new weapons; artillery, vehicles and armor, which I am sure will piss me off to no end. No word yet on how much money this is going to set us back but given my love for CoD this will definitely be on my must buy list.

Interview: [RoM]Burt_Flaxton

2006-10-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to sit down with Rebel Gaming's Burt_Flaxton the other night to find out more about this team that has become a battlefield series staple. Burt shared some insight into everything from the team name change to where he thinks the battlefield community as a whole is headed. He also shared with us some future plans of Rebels Gaming and new divisions he would like to see added under the RoM tag.

kmouser - To start off tell us a little about yourself and what your role is within Rebels Gaming.

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton – My real name is Travis Harshaw, I am 25 years old and live in NE Houston, TX. I am married and have one 2 year old daughter named Alaina.. I work at J.Christopher Pizza and attend school fulltime at Kingwood College. I am the co-founder of Rebels Gaming aka RoM. My background into gaming started before I can remember. I was raised watching my father and grandfather play Pac-Man and Pole Position on the Atari 2600. I eventually got my first NES system when I was 7. Competitive player vs player games like Street Fighter II, Twisted Metal II, and Tekken Series. The first game I played competitively was Battlefield 1942; my first match was BF42 5v5 vs inimical. We 2-0ed them. I became very active in the community after that; currently I am the head writer for the NA BF2 Division at GotFrag.com.

kmouser - What do you like to do in your spare time other than gaming?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - With work, Wife & Kid, Full Time College, and 4 matches a week…. Spare time… haha your funny Mouser. No, but really, if I have spare time I am spending time with my wife & daughter out in the backyard.

kmouser - RoM has a long history and has become a battlefield staple. What games has RoM played? Give us a little history.

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - We have played 1942, DC, a little 5v5 BFV, and BF2. We started out at first as group of people that gamed on a 42 server called “Berlin Jeeps & Planes” and then onto “Cookies 24/7 Berlin”. Liquid Tension came up with the name and I came on as co-founder.

kmouser - What titles does RoM.BF hold?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - I’ll give u the list off of our site.
Accomplishments:

BATTLEFIELD 1942
TWL 5v5 Ladder - 1st @ 19-6 | Dethroned @ 22-7
TWL 8v8 Ladder - 1st @ 17-6 | Dethroned @ 20-7
TWL Season#1 5v5 League - Quarter Finals (4th)
TWL Season#2 5v5 League - Quarter Finals (4th)
NGL Season#1 2v2 League - 1st & 3rd Place
NGL Season#2 2v2 League - 1st

DESERT COMBAT
TWL 5v5 Ladder - 1st @ 12-2 | Dropped after reaching

BATTLEFIELD 2
TWL 5v5 Ladder - 1st @ 1-0 | Dethroned @ 15-1
TWL 8v8 Ladder - 1st @ 11-2 | Dethroned @ 17-2
TWL 8v8 I-League Season#1 - Quarter Finals
TWL 5v5 League Season#1 - Playoffs (seeded 1st)
TWL 5v5 League Season#2 - Playoffs (seeded 5th)
TWL 5v5 League Season#3 - Championship (2nd)
Global Crisis 8v8 Tourney - Quarter Finalist (3rd)
CAL 12v12 Season#1 - Playoffs (seeded 6th)
CAL 12v12 Season#2 - Playoffs (seeded 9th)
CAL 12v12 Season#3 - Playoffs (seeded 3rd)
CAL 12v12 Season#4 - Playoffs Still seeding
CAL-M 8v8 Season#2 - Playoffs (seeded 6th)
CAL-M 8v8 Season#3 - Lost wildcard match
CAL-M 8v8 Season#4 - Currently (4-1) ranked 6th out of 25
MLO NA 5v5 Seeding Tourney - 1st Place
MLO NA 5v5 Seeding Tourney - 2nd Place
MLO NA 5v5 Seeding Tourney - 3rd Place
MLO NA 5v5 Championship - 5th Place
MLO NA 5v5 Championship – 3rd Place
HTGN Season #1 - Quarter Finals (4th)
HTGN 8v8 Tourney - Quarter Finals (3rd)
World Tournament - 3rd Round of Playoffs
TXGF BF2 8v8 LAN $1000 pot - Champions (1st) -UNDEFEATED- 2006

kmouser – Wow that is a big list! What prompted the name change from Rebels of Mankind to Rebels Gaming?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - Well, recently we have been seeking out sponsorships and have named our current teams for our sponsors. The name “Rebels Gaming” applies to all of the sponsored teams: Team ICYDOCK, Team Zboard, Team Saitek, and our newest; Team CyberSnipa. We are still and will always be RoM “Rebels of Mankind”. This name just encompasses all of our multi-gaming networks.

kmouser - What are your feelings going into the Dynamic game tonight on Daqing
Oilfield?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - We are very comfortable on this map; we run a solo chopper who is stronger than most crews. That gives us 1 more person and the advantage on the ground, which is our best asset. We beat Dynamic last Main season on Fushe, we beat them in the Quarter Finals of this last 5v5 League Playoff, but they managed to squeeze us out of the Fast Attack 8v8 Infantry Playoffs. I think we can win this one, but it is going to be our toughest battle yet. I love Steve Loven so I might get caught batting my eyelids while at Cisterns, but we’ll have to see. We scrim a lot to maintain a decent presence in CAL-M, and this is easily the toughest season we have seen yet. We have taken rounds from top teams for side choice, and 2-0ed enough of the other teams to feel confident in our strategy. Dynamic is in my opinion the team that is most equal to us in skill and dedication. This match could easily go either way with one headshot on a squad leader, or a clutch TV from their helo crew. However I personally don’t consider this a “helo” map because so much of this map relies on a good commander and tanker. I’m pretty sure we stack up against any team in that area. This is going to come down to infantry and squad work, the up close in your face way it was supposed to be played. Will nova be able to take out scorp, will scorp be able to take out Cam? We’ll have to see. Much love to Dynamic, they are by far my most favorite team.

kmouser - Is RoM looking at competing in any upcoming LAN events?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - RoM will be at the CPL BYOC 5v5 Tourney in Dallas, representing CyberSnipa our newest sponsor. We will be attending our usual local LANs in Houston, and hopefully making the 2142 Release Party @ Howies in California. We will definitely be at the next TXGF LAN in Austin as well. We look to take home the gold again.

kmouser - RoM is really multi gaming it up now. What games and leagues are you all competing in as of now?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - We are currently competing in BF2, 1942, CoD2, FEAR, Madden 07, and a little CSS for fun. The leagues we are in are CAL, CPL, MLO, TWL, and The 06” Madden Challenge.

kmouser - I know you are a “hands on” kind of guy and compete in several different games. What all game are you personally competing in?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - I am competing in each game RoM is a part of except CSS, which means: BF2, 1942, CoD2, FEAR, and Madden.

kmouser - Any plans for adding new gaming divisions in the future under the Rebels Gaming name?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - I don’t have any current plans other than a Halo 2 division. I’d like to get divisions set up for every competitive game there is, but that is beyond my ability.

kmouser - With 2142 on the horizon do you think it will positively or negatively affect the BF community?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - Well, I think the community grows with each game, so it will become stronger. The community will move onto other games as a group with respect each other after all we have been through. I see it strengthening the community as a whole, but I see many people giving up on EA as a game developer.

kmouser - In your opinion will 2142 bring competitive BF2 to an end?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - Well, I think after seeing it that if has the full potential to beat BF2 out. This will rely on 1 thing and 1 thing only. If unlocks are allowed on unranked private server then BF2 is doomed. The reason we all play BF2 is because of the squad work and teamwork the game provides. The game itself isn’t that great, the BF2Pro mod is though. 2142 will provide the same squad based play but with the unlocks, there will be a whole different aspect of game play included. So many different unlocks/weapons will provide such a great aspect of strategy and game play I don’t think BF2 can compete.

kmouser - Thanks for taking the time to set down with me and help fill us in on what’s going on with yourself and RoM as a whole. Any final shout outs?

[RoM]Burt_Flaxton - I’d like to thank my wife, Katherine, for being the most beautiful, loving wife and mother to my daughter.
I’d also like to give a shout out to all of our sponsors.
www.icydock.com
www.cybersnipa.com
www.saitek.com
www.zboard.com
www.milehiservers.com
www.flexiglow.com
And last but not least, big shout out to my buddies Schetter & Narco @ FragTV.net

Got Bias?

2006-10-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

What started as news has become so much more. Gotfrag has expanded into another market...again. Gotfrag has continuously pushed the envelope of esports news and has once again taken things to a new level with GotComms. Does this affect their objectivity though?

GotComms is Gotfrag's Team Speak and Ventrilo hosting service. That’s right, now you can get Vent and TS servers from Gotfrag. This has left some people to flame Gotfrag concerning their pricing. Some saying they can get the same service cheaper by buying direct from the place Gotfrag uses to run this service. Scott Smith from Gotfrag TV had this to say to some of the pricing critics, "As for anything for sale in this world, there are always price differences for similar if not the exact same items. If you are in need of a voice server and you want to support GotFrag, which in turns allows us to send more people to cover events, add more things to the website, etc, then check out the service. If you do not need one or choose to shop somewhere else, by all means go for it."

The upside to the GotComms service is that there are no codec restrictions and instant setup. Despite the price critics the rate isn't too outrageous. These few critics are nothing compared to the hissy fit some people had when Gotfrag announced the creation of Gotfrag TV with the CPL deal. Shoutcasters initially went bonkers when they learned they would have to play a 15 second Gotfrag ad or lose their coverage rights to CAL. I saw Gotfrag TV as a natural step for this gaming news agency.

However the real issue is does this affect their objectivity? As of yet I don't see that it has. I think we will continue to have a safe and relatively unbiased Gotfrag so long as they don’t start sponsoring teams. If they begin sponsoring teams with servers and giving those teams news coverage, a bias could develop and then things will have gotten out of hand. All this is my opinion of course and you know what they say about opinions. Feel free to leave some comments/opinions on what you guys (the community) think about this issue.

You can get more information regarding GotComms and find some of the community comments/opinions I used in this article HERE.

*EDIT* I had used part of what Scott Smith had said earlier and at his request included the rest of the statement.

CPL PlayLinc Review

2006-09-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well the CPL has finally released their PlayLinc client that we heard about so many months ago. I had initially thought I would not get this thing and stick with xfire until I looked over the features it was offering.

I'll get started by telling you what I hate most about PlayLinc. When you download this thing and get ready to log in you discover that it is linked with AIM and ICQ. You log in with your existing account you have with either AIM or ICQ. You have the option of course to create a new account. I wanted to create a new one that all the people I game with would recognize but this proved to be a very hard task. The over saturation of AIM on the IM market means every possible name is taken or so it seems. When you do get logged in you get an intro movie for PlayLinc that is nifty however after the 40th or so login I just can’t seem to hit the "skip intro" button fast enough to avoid being pissed off.

Once you get all setup and logged in you have lots of options. From the Profile menu you can setup your general information such as name, email, and location. You can add extra notes like idle my IRC channel etc etc. You also get a running tally of what games you have played and for how long, much like xfire. However the thing I have noticed with PlayLinc is that you have to join a game through PlayLinc in order for it to record your times. Additionally you can see on the right side of your PlayLinc gui your buddy list, here you can add and remove friends so long as they use either PlayLinc, AIM, or ICQ.

The games menu in PlayLinc automatically populates with all the games you currently have installed. To join a game you simply click on the desired game on this screen. Clicking on the game takes you to the Games Lobby, which is much like a chat room where you can talk to others before you jump in the game. According to CPL the game lobby was designed to make it easier to find scrims without having to use IRC. From the game lobby you can browse servers via the built in server browser. You can also setup a free game server for CAL matches through the client customizing all the game settings including admin password. This feature also allows you to chose the location of the server (West, Central, or East).

PlayLinc offers VOIP (Voice Over I.P.) as well for both in and out of game chat. This is a great feature and in theory is suppose to save teams money by eliminating the need to pay for traditional VOIP servers. I don’t see this as eliminating the need for other VOIP programs. What are teams to do if the PlayLinc servers are offline? I worry about how quickly complaints would be dealt with on this issue given that this is not a paid service (You get what you pay for?).

There is also a team management section to Playlinc. Here you can setup and manage a teams roster. This manager has functions that are useful to both the competitive team and the larger more pub-oriented teams. When you create a team in the team manager Playlinc adds a buddy group to your buddy list with the same name and populates with everyone on the teams roster. This is very handy for keeping up with friends and teammates.

Also available on PlayLinc is access to the CPL forums. I like this function because while in the PlayLinc client there is no logging in to access the forums it is already done for you. Some are already using the forums to post bug reports and problems with the client. PlayLinc received its first update early this morning and they are already seem to be hard at work correcting problems and issues the players are having.

As of right now PlayLinc seems to be in its initial trial stages. While I love the concept of the program it has a beta feel to it. There are more things I would like to see with this client such as the ability to customize/skin the GUI, built in AC (Anti-Cheat) for supported games, and the ability to display an alias name instead of using your account name as your handle. For those of you who want to know more you can head on over to the PlayLinc site.

E-Sports + School = Mainstream?

2006-09-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

Is esports in schools the key to going mainstream? More importantly is esports in schools even possible? I think it is possible it will just require a business savvy individual to get it there. The initial movement into schools would be hard for esports. There are a lot of hurdles that need to be overcome.

The first problem would be getting school administrators interested in such an esports program. They would have to get something significant out of this. Schools have lot of needs and finding something they need/want should not be that big of a problem. Sponsors could likely be obtained for computers that could be given to the winning teams school. Given the fact that these computers would be used at school they would not have to be top of the line gaming machines and the cost on the sponsor would be significantly reduced. The sponsors would gain the added bonus of being able to say they are supporting youth and education programs through their sponsorship of this school league/tournament.

The whole thing could be pitched maybe as a program to keep youth out of trouble. While some teenagers are occupied with after school programs such as sports what about these kids? We have all heard an idle mind is the devils workshop. You would simply have to decide if this would be a high school, middle school or combined program. It would likely have to be ran in a larger metro area such as Dallas in order to have enough participating schools all located within the same area.

Another problem that would be encountered is availability of location for the matches/games. The participating schools are out of the question given their lack of high quality gaming machines. One possibility is that games could be played over the Internet from the participating students homes and on their own machines. You could try to get local LAN centers to sponsor a school and its team and all home games could be played in their sponsoring centers store. All away games could be played at the opposing teams sponsored LAN center or the teams could simply play from their sponsored center over the Internet. It shouldn't be to difficult to obtain LAN center sponsors given the amount of advertisement they would get within the local schools which I would think is ideal because that’s where their target audience spends most of their days.

One could also consider tournament format rather than a league format. If this were done in a tournament format it could potentially be done over the course of one weekend. This would only require one LAN center or venue sponsor to host the tournament. Finding a venue sponsor would likely end up being the least of ones worries as the prize sponsors will be the hard part. Looking back over these ideas we come again to our question of "Is this possible?” I think it is possible. Now as for it being the key to going mainstream...maybe. Maybe once parents see their kids getting small scholarships from playing video games which could also be gained from sponsors they would be more accepting and help us usher in a new age for esports. What are your thoughts? Feel free to leave some comments, share your ideas, or flame me for sharing mine.

The Future of BF2

2006-09-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

If you had asked me last season where BF2 was going I would have told you it was going down the tubes. CAL-Main Season 3 however is beginning to change my mind. We have finally moved to BF2Pro and things are shaping up nicely. I am however concerned about how well BF2 will weather such releases as ET: Quake Wars and BF2142. Many of us in the BF2 community will likely migrate to one of these new releases.

I am worried about the holes this will create in our community and whether or not it can survive. What can be done now to help the BF2 community survive these releases? This is a question I think we all need to ask ourselves. The survival of this community rests with the individuals with in it. We must all do our part to keep or perspective communities healthy whether it’s something as simple as posting in community forums, competing in multiple leagues, or running multiple teams. Lets all try to do our part to keep the community going strong, we can all contribute something.

For the Community

2006-09-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have all seen these companies in the various fields of esports say "We are doing this for the community." Next time you see that just ask yourself how’s what they are doing helping us, the community. I don't mean to paint all companies with this same brush. Some companies really are out there to help the community and then there are some that started with that intent and strayed a little. Sad to say I think TSN fell into the second category with their exclusivity contract with CEVO. This turned into one big flame fest on GotFrag when CEVO dropped the agreement with TSN.

I don't usually take sides in arguments like these and I really love TSN for their event coverage however I can't stand by TSN on this issue. I mean how did this exclusivity contract really help the community? I think Travis "Burt_Flaxton" Harshaw had it right when he said, "Exclusivity hurts the esports community". It was a good business move for TSN it gave them the advantage over the competition however this just really limited our coverage options as espectators and competitors a like. I don't claim to know what is going on over at TSN but as the espectator I am I can say things have changed at TSN. Weather this change is good or bad depends greatly upon your opinion and point of view.

Another thing that really bugs me is the GotFrag contract with CPL. Just think how cool it would be to have different companies all at CPL providing coverage. We would then have more options for what CPL stuff we want to watch. Even the BYOC tournaments would get some coverage I'm sure. Plus I really enjoyed the GotFrag videos from MFAVP at CPL which we will likely no longer see. So next time someone feeds you the "We are doing this for the community" line just use your head and think a little about that.

Video vs. Audio

2006-09-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

It seems like everyone only wants video casts now days. No one is happy with just audio. If a company decides to do a cast in audio everyone wants to know why and if the next one will be in video. Some of us out there actually enjoy the audio only casts.

In theory video is perfect and there is nothing better than watching the matches live and in color. I only wish this was the reality of video casts. Many of the video casts I watch are either blurry or buffer so much it drives me nuts. I am no techie but I do understand that many factors affect the quality of a cast. Some of the factors that affect quality are my computer, my connection, the casters computer, the caster's connection, and the server streaming the cast. I know the casting companies invest a lot of cash into their infrastructure to deliver the best possible quality they can but some of the video casts out there are still blurry and you can’t read smaller text like who killed who. Some say its problems with our infrastructure here in North America but I have no idea.

Sometimes I just want audio. Occasionally I find myself torn between being on time for my raid in World of Warcraft and watching the latest match. I then end up listening to the match and playing WoW at the same time. I guess video eats too much bandwidth when it’s running in the background so I can hear it. I get a nice stuttering effect created by the constant buffering but audio only casts aren't so bad. Plus a good caster can paint a really good picture for you so you know exactly what’s going on. I also enjoy shows like Invite Gamer's Roundtable show and no offense to Coltrane but I don't want to sit there watching him talk or look at his desktop for an hour while I listen to the show. Also from what I hear it’s not that easy to find casters for video casts. Not only does it require the casters have the gift of gab their computer has to be better than the average Joes. I am not trying to down play the importance or the outright coolness of video all I am saying is sometimes I just like audio only. I would like to see more options with the casts. I would like the ability to stream only the audio portion of a cast if I want to. Later this week I'll be discussing everyone’s supposed "community focus" and how they disguise their business moves with "just doing what’s best for the community" Until next time feel free to leave me comments or even flame me if you wish.

Battle of the Shoutcasters

2006-09-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

There are to many shoutcasting companies out there covering esports today. It has gotten a little out of hand and the fierceness of the competition is only getting worse. There is TSN, EGLN, Source Radio, FragTV, and now Invite Gamer. Though admittedly I do believe Invite Gamer and FragTV are one in the same. I understand that variety is good but this is to much. I keep up with a lot of esports and when I have some spare time and I’m looking to watch a match or two I have to check four to five websites to see what all is going on. Its almost as bad as flipping channels on TV.

Invite Gamer is the latest to hit the scene and looks as though its going to be a huge success. They say they are powered by FragTV, and what this means I do not know. If this is one organization they should do well however if they are two companies partnered and the partnership isn’t seamless in its design and execution then we may just be witnessing another esports failure. The thing that will likely make Invite Gamer a success is its staff. Say what you want about them but Coltrane, Schetter, and Narco are all motivated and extremely active individuals. In this industry it’s the motivation and level participation of the staff that determines how successful a company is. Invite Gamer is getting off to a good start by partnering with other industry veterans like Schetter and Narco from FragTV and could pose a threat to similar companies.

Companies like TSN, EGLN, and others should all make moves to properly ensure they don’t get squeezed out. TSN has long been an industry leader in shoutcasting and event coverage however TSN is not untouchable. TSN should at this point begin to look into “take over” or merger targets to help strengthen their already experienced staff and beef up their infrastructure. EGLN would be the likeliest candidate for such a merger. EGLN has regularly pushed the envelope in the way of regular season play coverage, an area I see TSN lacking as they only cover the most popular match. However since the industry isn’t a huge cash cow I doubt that TSN has the cash to outright purchase a company such as EGLN. A merger between TSN and EGLN keeping the old more widely known name of TSN could be really beneficial for both companies and the esports community as a whole.

With new games on the horizon and new companies on the rise the remainder of 2006 could shape up to be a very exciting year for esports. I am looking forward to seeing where this all goes.