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IeSF News
Inside IeSF
IeSF 2013 Asia Conference to be held during 4th AIMAG
- International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) announces that IeSF 2013 Asia Conference will be hosted at Incheon city, Korea.
By Alex Lim / Editor at International e-Sports Federation
A s informed via G&e for several times, 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games
(AIMAG) which is hosted by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) will be held at
Incheon from 29th June until 6th of July. e-Sport is included in this mega-sport
event as one of official sport disciplines, and IeSF is taking role of the official
The following is details of the conference:
1. Time and Period: 14:00 ~ 18:00 (for 4 hours) on 2nd of July, 2013
2. Venue: Room # 107, Songdo Convensia, Incheon, Korea
3. Agenda
supervising organization as an international federation with recognition of OCA.
Subject
Detail
Time
As maximizing the efficiency of this opportunity, IeSF has decided to host IeSF
Introduction
- Introduction of Attendees (NFs / NOCs / Other VIPs)
- Promotional Movie
- Introduction of General Businesses of IeSF
- Progress of IeSF 2013 World Championship
1hr
Sport Accord
- Vision of IeSF’s affiliation to Sport Accord
- Progress of Sport Accord affiliation project
- Cooperation with other International Sport Bodies
1hr
2017 AIMAG
- Operation strategy for 2017 Turkmenistan AIMAG
- Operation plan of e-Sports Game titles
- Necessary support of NFs NOCs
1hr
Asia e-Sports
Confederation
- Strategy for establishment of Asia Confederation
- Schedule for future steps
1hr
2013 Asia Conference during the period of 4th AIMAG.
Distinguished from the conferences in the past, the list of attendees is remarkable.
Basically, the representatives of all IeSF’s 12 Asian member National Associations
will be participating in 4th AIMAG as officials: either team leaders of each nation’s
e-sports delegation or Juries for e-sports competition. Officials of National Olympic
Committees (NOCs) related to IeSF’s member associations will also attend the
conference in company with the representatives of member associations.
IeSF will send out RSVP for other NOCs who are interested in e-sports as well as
RVIPs from international sports governing bodies such as EOC and OCA. With
approximately 80 attendees, diverse important issues related to e-sports scene in
Asia will be handled at the conference, and it is planned to be broadcasted.
Total
4hrs
Opening the Door of Anti-Doping in e-Sports
- As adopting WADA Code and International Standards for Doping Control, International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) is one more step getting closer to the Global Sport
Society.
By Alex Lim / Editor at International e-Sports Federation
A s one of its major tasks, International e-Sports Federation (IeSF) is keeping its
all staffs busy with wrapping up the Sport Accord membership application in order
to raise the status of e-sports as one of official sport discipline with recognition of
global sport society.
Then, as one of the requirements for the application, IeSF has faced issues to
become an Anti-Doping Organization (ADO) as an international sport governing
body and to get recognition of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Now, IeSF is one more step closer to the global sports society as following its
standard, and will keep endeavoring to make e-sports as one of the official sport
discipline with its recognition.
All materials related to Anti-Doping program will be disclosed after they are
finalized with the evaluation of WADA.
In furtherance of its role, IeSF started dedicating its efforts to ensuring that the
spirit of Fair Play prevails in e-Sports, and takes measures with the goal of
preventing endangering the health of e-sports players. Therefore, with the
consensus between IeSF’s mission and the requirement of Sport Accord
membership application, IeSF decided to accept the World Anti-Doping Code and
its International Standards, and to lead the fight against doping in e-sports.
In a bid of answer to this issue, IeSF Secretariat has established the IeSF AntiDoping Regulations and IeSF Doping Control Guide Book. First drafts of all
necessary documents and structures are finalized, and have been sent to WADA for
its evaluation and feedbacks.
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
2
WORLD REPORT
Russia
TECHLABS CUP RU 2013
- On 23 March, the Moscow final of TECHLABS CUP RU 2013 took place. TECHLABS CUP is the annual
International cyber-culture festival, which includes e-sport competitions, videogames presentations,
overclocking contests, competitions for radio-controlled cars and hosts a bright, interactive show.
By Nina Shetciruli / PR Manager at Russian E-Sports Federation
T ECHLABS CUP – is one of the biggest e-sport
in Germany, France, Sweden and other countries.
organized. For this competition, organizers used cars
events in countries of CIS. Traditionally, this
More than 1 000 000 fans were watching the online
Mini-Z, and the competition was held on a specially
festival takes place in four countries: in Russia, in
broadcast of the competitions.
appointed road. Everybody could try to win the prize.
This year the main games in competition were
Traditionally one of the brightest components of the
CS:GO, Dota2, World of Tanks, StarCraft II and a
festival was the exhibition of IT-brands. During this
new game with fast growing popularity - Shadow
festival,
Company. Many famous teams like NiP, ESC-
technological news and visited the stands of partners
There are many participants in e-sports in Russia,
Gaming, Virtus.pro, NaVi, Empire, THE RED,
of this event, where they got the opportunity not
along with several important e-sport events that take
RoX.KIS took participated in the final competitions.
only to test the newest games and devices, but to
place in Moscow. For this event alone, over 25000
And there were more than 3000 players in the
win unforgettable prizes. Everybody could take part
lovers of videogames, overclocking competitions
qualifying round..
in these interesting and exiting contests.
Belorussia, in Ukraine and in Kazakhstan. Moscow
is the first city among these actions, the place for the
RU-part of the festival. This is the fifth year
TECHLABS has taken place.
the
viewers
could
acquaint
with
and radio-controlled cars came to Moscow.
Official videos from the TECHLABS CUP RU are
available at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/techlabscuptv.
The Festival in Moscow is over, but the next
championship, TECHLABS CUP, will be soon. It
will take part 18 May in Minsk. After it,
TEСHLABS CUP will be on 27 September in Kiev,
and on 23 November in Almaty. This year there was
planned the fifth concluding event - TECHLABS
The members of the teams communicate with
The organizers chose the main hall of the one of the
largest Moscow retail parks for this venue. During
the rest of the year, there is a skating rink there.
However, just for this event the ice was melted away,
viewers with pleasure. And several teams were so
CUP Grand final, which will assemble the winners
of fourth national stage.
popular that fans didn`t give them time to pass, with
crowds of people followed them, taking photographs
of these cult figures, asking them to give autographs.
and 3 grandiose stages were placed there with
several foot-bridges, stairs, chairs and platforms for
On the over-clocking stage showcase, the best
viewers.
masters of nitrogen, analyzer and other devices
proved that the computers were be able to work
Two of these stages were for e-sport disciplines and
better and faster than anybody could imagine.
the third one was for an overclocking competition.
Much of the event was broadcast to the Internet
from each stage. The guests saw exiting showmatches of famous sportsmen, displaying of the
games on big screen, and also the professional
speeches from experts in cyber-culture.
The Moscow final interested an incredible quantity
of viewers – thousands came, including many
children. Even the organizers didn’t expect the same
influx of visitors. Thousands of people all around
the world were watching the live stream-broadcast,
Besides the usual videogame disciplines and
which was organized on popular game web-sites not
overclocking competition, for viewers of the festival
only in Russia and in countries of the CIS, but also
there was a championship for radio-controlled cars
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
3
WORLD REPORT
South Africa
Team South Africa’s Nations Cup Dream
- South Africa’s national Battlefield 3 PC team has displayed incredible dedication and talent, going up
against the best international teams on the scene. They’ve played their last game in the Nations Cup and are
now ranked in the top eight best teams in the world.
By Mind Sport South Africa
T he Nations Cup - Team South Africa’s first match was against Russia, where
Team South Africa’s stay in the top eight
they gave them a good run for their money, but unfortunately lost the game due to a
ticket difference. Both teams won a map, but Russia managed to have the better
Just getting to the top eight of this cup is an
score. The second match pitted our team against Spain, where the team proved why
incredible achievement in itself, being
they deserve to be in the tournament with a very convincing victory. After
ranked higher than countries like the USA,
Indonesia forfeited and dropped out of the cup, Team S.A had Bulgaria lined up
France, the Netherlands, and Italy. 28
next, not losing any momentum, they went on to dominate them, securing their
teams started out in this cup and only the
second win in the cup. This win secured our team an already impressive third place
best of the best got past the group stages.
spot in their group.
Our team was one of those “best of the
best”.
Team Captain “Barry Louzada”
Our first seed in the top eight was no joke; we were seeded against last year’s
second place winners and current best ranked infantry squad in Europe: Finland.
No matter what the odds were, Team S.A gave it their all, but couldn’t beat this
incredibly skilled team. This is what Team S.A’s Captain Barry ‘Anthr4xZA’
Louzada had to say about the match:
“…We played a 50/50, which means we played one round per map on either server.
We started with Damavand nice and strong and really played well to hold them
back for a first round win. We then moved to the Finnish server where they
managed to show us why they are the best infantry team in Europe and took a loss
by tickets.
The next match was not going to be an easy one; S.A had to play Germany, the
Moving onto Caspian, we started on the Finnish server where lessons of what it is
undefeated team in their group. Even though they gave it their all, they lost the
like to compete with the cream of the crop followed.
match after a very intense battle. Picking themselves sup and dusting off the hard
loss, they went into their game against Italy full throttle, even though they outcome
We may have gotten raped on Caspian, but we played better on that map than we
would not prevent them from going through to the top eight stages, Team S.A was
have against any of the other teams so we are improving amazingly. I am really
determined to stay right on the winning path. After beating Italy, S.A were to
proud of my team. In the words of the German,Finnish and Russian team captains
progress to the to eight on a high note, but not after some accusations from the
‘You have NOTHING to hide from, you have done your country proud’…”
Italian team captain, furious that his team had lost, he started accusing our team of
hacking, and just about anything else he could think of. There was nothing to his
And that they have. This team has come a long way and made a great name for
accusations though, our team played completely by the book.
themselves on the international scene.
Team South Africa
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
4
WORLD REPORT
Korea & Turkey
Tekken League is back to Korea
- Tekken League is coming back to the scene of Korean e-Sports with Nicegame.tv..
By Alex Lim / Editor at International e-Sports Federation
T ekken league which disappeared in Korea with the end of Ongame.net’s “Tekken Busters” is
rising from the ashes as the name of “Tekken Strike” featured by Nicegame.tv.
Tekken Strike which will be operated with Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will be running until April
2014 for 4 seasons. Also, at the end of the 4 seasons, Grand final will be held with the best players
for the year competing each other.
Especially, as distinguished from other Tekken leagues in the past, local preliminary tours are
planned for players resident in local area. Thus, it is expected to be positioned as whole new concept
of Tekken league.
The old fashioned Tekken leagues hosted by MBC Game and Ongame.net were operated as 3:3
team matches. However, since Tekken Strike is planned to be operated with 1:1 individual matches,
it is expected to provide distinguished entertainment to the e-sports fans.
Tekken Strike Season 1 is planned to be on-air from May 11th, and is receiving applications at
Nicegame.tv website (http://nicegame.tv) and via e-mails (albatiny@nicegame.tv) until April 17th.
For more details, it may be referred to Nicegame.tv website.
April’s Turkish e-Sports Highlight
- Go4LoL Turkey 14-15-16-17
- 11th Conventional SilverSoldier CS1.6 Tournament
- Riot Games Spring Season Tournament
- 15th Conventional 4Fun CS Tournament
- SteelSeries LoL Tournament
By Furkan Faruk AKINCI
L eague Of Legends
Riot Games Spring Season Tournament
Spring season tournament of Riot Games started on March 9, 2013. Grand Final
Go4LoL Turkey 14-15-16-17 were held
The Turkey division of Go4LoL, very popular online weekly tournament series in
Europa and America, is at full steam. With is prizes, including plenty of Riot Points
will be on April 27-28 and among 8 teams, which will succeed in their local finals
and online tournaments. The prizes will be 200.000 Riot Points and 27.500 Turkish
Liras as cash.
and 450 Turkish Liras as cash, the tournament witnessed tough rivalry. Teams were
awarded with Riot Points and money. After the tournament that will be held
SteelSeries League of Legends Tournament
between 8 teams, which gained the most points in March, 1100 Turkish Liras will
On Sunday, March 17, the winner HWA team were awarded 7240 Riot points and
prizes from SteelSeries during the tournament which was held in the popular
tournament venue, Gameekstra.
be given out.
Counter Strike
11th Conventional SilverSoldiers CS 1.6 Tournament
The last leg of the Counter Strike prize tournament, a conventional tournament of
Gameextra, was held on March 10, 2013. The winner team was Team of
Revolutions and they were awarded prizes from SteelSeries.
15th Conventional 4Fun CS Tournament
The last leg of the Counter Strike tournament, which is a conventional tournament
of Gameextra and appeals to little teams, was held on March 31, 2013. The winner
team was '3Harfli'.
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
5
NEWS BOARD
Headline News
GAME DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE 2013
- GDC 2013 (2013 Game Developers Conference), the world's largest and longest-running event for game professionals, was held in San Francisco’s Moscone Center
from 25th~29th March, 2013.
By Sophie Jeon
M any people said that every game industry is on
the wane, but GDC 2013 contradicts the bias
showing ‘Game industry is exceptional and
promising’. The host of GDC, UBM Tech Game
Network, announced they drew 23,000 industry
professionals.
The 2013 conference kicked off with two days of
tutorials and summits focused on specific emerging
platforms and topics: a newly introduced Free to
Play Design & Business Summit, the Smartphone &
Tablet Games Summit, and the Independent Games
Summit.
The show featured hundreds of roundtables, panels,
workshops, and lectures covering every aspect of the
industry, from game creation to monetization. GDC
also ran a show floor with 350 exhibitors, as well as
a Career Pavilion.
All game related professionals participated in the
various sessions sharing ideas and opinions for the
bright future of game industry. GDC 2013 suggested
not only general discussion but also the new release
of blockbuster games like Team Portress 2,
BattleField 4, Destiny and World of Tanks General
etc. It was also a big year for independent
developers and ThatGameCompany's Journey
sweeping the Game Developers Choice Awards.
Let’s look into the new release of blockbuster games
first.
#Highlights of Blockbuster Games at the GDC
“League of Legends hit a new milestone, now
regularly exceeding five million peak concurrent
players globally.” (www.riotgames.com)
At GDC2013, Riot Games opened 4 sessions: It’s
raining new contents: Successful rapid test iterations,
The science behind shaping player behavior in
online games, Counter-play and team-play in
multiplayer game design and Both sessions of the
game design panel: Riot Games tackles this
significantly compressed QA cycle problem with a
three pronged approach: utilizing our specialized
skills and knowledge, having diverse and frequent
feedback loops, and automation in the QA track.
From the player-driven Tribunal to the Honor
Initiative, Jeff Lin talks about how science can
reform toxic players, and reinforce positive player
behavior in the design track. This lecture discusses
how single-player design approaches must be
modified for multiplayer experiences by including
the creation of counter-play and team-play in the
design track. Additionally, intensive two-day
workshop explores the day-to-day craft of game
design through hands-on activities, group discussion,
analysis, and critique.
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
Patrick Miller, an editor from game developer
magazine, shows his opinion on the Gamasutra.com
that competitive games are blowing up thanks to a
wider global audience and easily-accessible live
video streaming tech or that Riot Games' careful
nurturing of League of Legends's competitive
community was integral to its success over the last
few years. But he said that he felt something missing
as he heard more people talking about e-Sports at
the tech shows.
Wargamingnet which is famous for MMO strategy
game developer and publisher introduced the latest
version World of Warplanes, an action MMO game
dedicated to the golden era of military aviation.
World of Warplanes will include military vehicles
from several key periods in the history of aircraft from 1930s era biplanes to the jets of the Korean
War.The game will allow the player to choose from
three basic classes of vehicles: fighters, the most
effective in dogfighting; heavy fighters, multiengine aircraft with a more powerful armament; and
ground-attack aircraft, the main hunters of ground
targets. For each type of aircraft, there will be
several types of weapons and a variety of options for
the airframe and engines available. The games
entered closed beta testing.
World of Tanks Generals, free-to-play collectible
card online game, focused on World War II
gameplay. Being browser-based, World of Tanks
Generals doesn’t require installing a game client.
Simultaneous strategies as well as collectable card
gaming can grant the player a new dimension of
strategy to game play..
They released the newest version World of
Warplanes, World of Tanks Generals and 8.4
version of World of Tanks at GDC 2013.
#GDC Awards: 15th annual Independent Games
Festival (IGF) &13th annual Game Developers
Choice Awards (GDCAs)
GDC 2013 hosted the 15th annual Independent
Games Festival (IGF) and the 13th annual Game
Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs) on the
evening of March 27. Cart Life creator Richard
Hofmeier won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize
award at the IGF and its associated $30,000 grand
prize, as well as the award for Narrative and the
Nuovo Award.
At the GDCAs, thatgamecompany's emotionallycharged Journey won six of the evening's eleven
main awards, including Best Audio, Best Game
Design, Best Visual Arts, Best Downloadable Game,
the Innovation Award, and the coveted Game of the
Year Award. ThatGameCompany's Journey won six
awards among eleven main awards, winning more
than half of the main GDC Awards given out this
year: Best Downloadable Game, Best Visual Arts,
Best Game Design, Best Audio, Innovation Award
and Game of the Year.
Best Downloadable Game: Journey (ThatGameCompany)
#New Release of High Tech Engines’ Festival
Audience Choice Award: Dishonored (Arkane Studios)
Havok released the end-to-end mobile 3D game
production engine, Project Anarchy. It includes
Havok's Vision Engine, Physics, Animation and AI
tools, game samples and tutorials and will be free on
a number of leading mobile platforms. Havok's tech
can already be found in some of the AAA titles,
including Halo 4, Assassin's Creed III, Guild Wars 2,
The Elder Scrolls V and Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Best Narrative: The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)
Kojima Productions revealed Metal Gear Solid 5,
showed off its photorealistic FOX engine, and
confirmed a brand-new game development office in
Los Angeles. Mozilla has revealed a partnership
with Epic Games, which will bring the latter's
Unreal Engine 3 to web browsers very soon.
Innovation Award: Journey (ThatGameCompany)
Although it seemed that the next installment in the
Battlefield series would use DICE's Frostbite 2
engine, the company has revealed that the Frostbite
3 engine will debut later this year.
Additionally, several exciting video game hardware
debuts were shown off at this year’s event, like the
Oculus Rift VR headset, PlayJam’s GameStick and
the Ouya (both Android-based game consoles), and
Sony’s PlayStation 4 next-gen console.
Best Visual Arts: Journey (ThatGameCompany)
Best Technology: Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft)
Best Game Design: Journey (ThatGameCompany)
Best Mobile Game: The Room (Fireproof Studios)
Best Audio: Journey (ThatGameCompany)
Best Debut: FTL: Faster Than Light (Subset Games)
Game of the Year: Journey (ThatGameCompany)
GDC 2013 left hot issues and shows us the very
promising future. We can expect 2013 will be the
next golden age of game industry again. Next year's
Game Developers Conference will see the show
return to the Moscone Center for March 17-21, 2014
Quotes:
http://www.gdconf.com/
http://gamasutra.com/
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
www.riotgames.com
http://na.wargaming.net/
6
NEWS BOARD
Games & e-Sports
Path to Pro
T he
2013 Path-to-Pro will be wrought with cut-throat competition as teams
battle for the ultimate prize: a spot in the League Championship Series, a Riot
BLIZZCON® 2013 Tickets on Sale
Massive Warcraft® , StarCraft® , and Diablo®
community gathering coming to
Anaheim Convention Center November 8–9
salary, and realization of the dream to play League of Legends professionally.
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced that tickets for its seventh BlizzCon®
gaming convention will go on sale in two batches on April 24 and April 27. Set to
tear through the Anaheim Convention Center this November 8 and 9, BlizzCon is
a thundering celebration of all things Warcraft® , Diablo® , and StarCraft® . The
annual two-day community gathering features in-depth discussion panels with
Blizzard developers, hands-on play time with the latest Blizzard games, and tons
of other exciting events and activities. As announced earlier this week, BlizzCon
2013 will also host the StarCraft II World Championship Series Global Finals—a
high-stakes showdown where the top pro players in the world will battle for the
right to be crowned StarCraft II World Champion.
“We love having the opportunity to hang out with our players at BlizzCon, and
it’s always awesome to see the greatest gaming community on earth swarm
The beginning of the LCS saw challenger teams rise to compete on the world-stage.
Anaheim,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.
This split, ambitious teams have had their eyes on the prize while competing at
“We look forward to delivering two full days of gaming, activities, and other
Challenger Series events and rising through the ranks of the NA and EU ladders, all
entertainment, and we can’t wait to show some of the exciting projects we’ve
the while the professionals have been waging war in the limelight.
been working on.”
The mid-season break threatens to bring an upheaval to the league. With the 7th
Tickets to attend the convention will be priced at $175 USD each and will be
and 8th place teams automatically forced to compete in the Promotion/Relegation
available for purchase from the official BlizzCon website (www.blizzcon.com) in
tournament to maintain their spot in the LCS, the 3rd through 6th place teams will
two separate batches. The first batch goes on sale Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
compete in a brutal tournament series, with the bottom two joining the 7th and 8th
Pacific time, and the second batch goes on sale Saturday, April 27 at 10 a.m.
place teams in the Promotion/Relegation tournament. This win-or-go-home
Pacific time.
tournament will pit the four LCS teams against four challenger teams, with the
winners earning qualification for the second half of the LCS season.
Tickets to the BlizzCon Benefit Dinner, which include admission to BlizzCon,
will be priced at $500 USD each, with proceeds going to Children’s Hospital of
But before LCS berths are put on the line, the best eight challenger teams in Europe
Orange County (http://www.choc.org). Taking place the evening of November 7,
and North America must battle each other in a tournament to decide who gets the
this exclusive event offers guests an opportunity to /eat, /drink, and /lol with
chance to take down the best.
Blizzard game developers, community managers, and other folks from Blizzard
before the show. Approximately 200 tickets to the benefit dinner will be available
In Europe, Alternate and Meet Your Makers qualified directly to the
for purchase beginning Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. Pacific time through
Promotion/Relegation Tournament through the LCS Roadshow in Lille, France
www.blizzcon.com.
with convincing performances. Another two teams will be decided via an online
competition hosted by the ESL .
Gamers from the far reaches of Azeroth, the Koprulu sector, or Sanctuary looking
to enjoy BlizzCon from the comfort of their own home will once again have the
In April, four more EU teams will qualify through a European online tournament
option to order a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering comprehensive live coverage
held by Riot Games, bringing the total pool to eight. These teams will finally
of the event via a multi-channel Internet stream. Further details on the Virtual
compete against four EU LCS teams on May 3-5.
Ticket, including pricing, availability, and programming information, will be
announced at a later date.
In North America, Quantic and Velocity e-Sports qualified through thrilling
victories at MLG Dallas. The conclusion of the tournament in replacement of the
As BlizzCon draws closer, more information about the show will be posted at
now-defunct IPL6 will occur at the NA LCS studio on April 11-12, bringing two
www.blizzcon.com. To keep pace with the continued growth of World of
more qualifying teams to the fray. The final four teams will be decided through a
Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment games, the
future online Challenger tournament. The North American online tournament will
company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on
determine the four teams that face the NA LCS teams on May 10-12.
available career opportunities can be found at jobs.blizzard.com.
Quote: http://na.lolesports.com/season3/split1/articles/path-pro
Quote: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/press/pressreleases.html?id=9425561
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
7
NEWS BOARD
Games & e-Sports
TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT™ takes the fight to the streets
- NAMCO BANDAI Games’ free-to-play cross-platform card battler out now for Smartphones, Tablets and Web Browsers, Physical Cards in stores soon
NAMCO
BANDAI Games Europe took the wraps off TEKKEN CARD
TOURNAMENT™, the first ever free-to-play game based on the TEKKEN
universe offering explosive cross-platform online play.
.
In TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT, players will customize their decks, use the
fusion system to create new cards, then strategically chain Focus, Strike and
Block moves to take down opponents with blistering KO combos. Train in solo
play then challenge matched opponents around the world to climb the global
rankings, with extra rewards to be won in themed contests and weekly battles.
Have you got what it takes to become world champion?
Bringing real-world crossover to the online gameplay, physical booster packs of
TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT Game Cards will go on sale in stores in early
summer. With a total of 191 to collect, each card will feature a unique QR code to
let the player instantly add the card to their digital in-game deck. Using the app on
portable devices, players will be able to scan the character images to unleash
Augmented Reality effects and bring the characters to life, with the ability to take
cool snapshots.
The card-based battler is available now as a free downloadable app from the
following stores: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id596424376
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.namcobandaigames.tekkencard
The game is also available for instant free play in web browsers at http://www.cardtournament.com/tekken.
The seamless cross-platform play of TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT lets
fighters challenge each other online no matter where they are or what device
they’re using, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC. The game features
the amazing 3D visuals players expect from TEKKEN, with electrifying turn-based
card battling that’s fun right from the start and loaded with satisfying depth.
TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT for smartphones, tablets and web browsers is
available now via
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id596424376
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.namcobandaigames.tekkencard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C4FS5E2
http://www.card-tournament.com/tekken.
Physical booster packs of TEKKEN CARD TOURNAMENT Game Cards are set
to arrive in stores soon.
For more information on the TEKKEN universe, please visit:
http://www.namcobandaigames.eu or http://www.tekken.com.
Find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Tekken or follow us on Twitter
at http://www.twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN
Story of EVIL GENIUSES: Suppy to South Korea
- Conan “Suppy” Liu takes his journey to South Korea.
Conan “Suppy” Liu has been on plenty of exciting trips since he joined EG last
That being said, a trip to South Korea is an intimidating prospect. Suppy, like
July. His most notable adventure, when he attended the 2012 Battlenet World
any foreigner facing his first stay in a Korean progaming house, could be excused
Championship in China, was a tremendous success: he finished 5th-8th, the highest
for feeling a bit of apprehension. But if the young Zerg has proven anything, it’s
of all the North American contenders. Along the way, Suppy did the impossible,
that he thrives off of adversity. Expect to see Suppy take South Korea by storm.
holding off then-Startale ace PartinG’s infamous Sentry/Immortal all in. That
performance earned Suppy international acclaim.
Suppy expressed his feeling about this opportunity, “I’m very excited and nervous
at the same time. First and foremost I think this is a once in a lifetime experience,
This summer, Suppy is set to embark on another voyage, this time to the EG-TL
and really the best chance for me to see where gaming is going to fit into my life.
house in South Korea. There, he will train alongside the EG-TL Proleague team,
That said, going to Korea could be a complete success or a complete failure, and
further honing his already impressive skills. While the trip will only last five weeks,
of course I am quite scared of the latter. Many people have gone to Korea before
it will be a rare chance for Suppy, an entirely home-grown talent, to immerse
me with mixed results. Everyone says it’s hard. Stephano recently talked about
himself in training with EG’s world-renowned StarCraft division, including top
how difficult it was with the language barrier in particular. I’m hoping that I can
players like Lee “Jaedong” Jae Dong, Kim “Oz” Hak Soo, and Han “aLive” Lee
take the opportunity to learn a little bit of Korean and some of the culture, while
Seok.
experiencing what it’s actually like being able to devote 100% of my time to
Starcraft. The stay is short but I hope to make the most of it!”
The trip comes at a fortuitous time for Suppy, who is working on balancing
Quote: http://evilgeniuses.gg/suppy-to-south-korea/
his course load at UC Berkeley with the brand-new StarCraft II expansion Heart of
the Swarm. Transitioning to the new game has been tough for everyone, but
particularly tough for those who can’t afford to play Heart of the Swarm full-time.
In Korea, Suppy will get a chance to do just that. It’s exactly the opportunity North
America’s most promising up-and-comer needs to take his game to the next level.
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
8
NEWS BOARD
Global Tournaments
WCS America Season 1 - Operated by Major League Gaming (MLG)
- Major League Gaming has released details for Blizzard’s WCS America Season 1. Season 1 includes: Qualifying Tournament, Premier League, Challenger League
WCS America Qualifying Tournament:
WCS America Challenger League:
Registration opens Friday, April 12 at 5pm ET.
The format of the WCS America Challenger League is very similar to the Code A
The WCS America Qualifying tournament on April 20 and 21 will feature 256
format popularized by GSL, with a Single Elimination Bracket followed by a
players competing online in a double elimination bracket.
Group Stage. The Challenger League provides Players with the opportunity to
qualify for the WCS Season 2 Premier League. The Challenger League will
Registration:
include 40 players - 16 from the Qualifying Tournament and 24 Players who drop
Players worldwide can register beginning Friday, April 12 at 5pm ET online.
out of the Premier League. All Matches will take place online and be best of 3
Registration will close on Friday, April 19 at 5pm ET.
games.
Prizing:
WCS America Season 1 Broadcast Schedule:
Top eight players earn a spot in the WCS America Season 1 Premier League.
All broadcasts begin at 8pm ET at http://www.majorleaguegaming.com
A second qualifying tournament will be held to determine the 16 spots in WCS
and http://www.twitch.tv/mlgsc2 and will be cast by Axslav, Axeltoss and special
America Season 1 Challenger League. Details will be released soon.
guests. The broadcast schedule is available at www.majorleaguegaming.com/schedule
Broadcast Schedule:
WCS America Premier League:
The format of the WCS America Premier League is very similar to the Code S
format popularized by GSL, with two Group Stages followed by an Eight-Player,
Single Elimination Bracket called the Regional Finals.
The Premier league will include 32 players – 24 invited players and eight players
Monday, April 22 - Thursday, April 25: Qualifying Tournament
Monday, April 29 - Thursday, May 2: Premier League, Group Stage 1
Monday, May 6 - Thursday, May 9: Premier League, Group Stage 1
Monday, May 13 – Thursday, May 16: Challenger League Bracket
Monday, May 20 – Thursday, May 23: Premier League, Group Stage 2
Monday, May 27 – Thursday, May 30: Challenger League Bracket
advancing from the WCS America Qualifying Tournament. Players will be divided
Weekend of June 1 – Premier League Regional Finals (details TBD)
amongst eight groups with four players in each group.
Monday, June 10 – Thursday, June 13: Challenger League Group Stage
Monday, June 17 – Thursday, June 20: Challenger League Group Stage
Group Stage 1: Players will compete online.
Stay tuned for additional updates regarding WCS America Season 1.
Group Stage 2: Players will compete LIVE, in-person from the MLG Studio in
New York City. See schedule below.
WCS America Premier League Regional Finals:
Players will compete LIVE, in-person the weekend of June 1. The top five finishers
will advance to the WCS Season 1 Finals. Additional details will be provided soon.
DREAMHACK: Official Tournaments & New e-Sports Arena
- DreamHack announced the first official e-Sports tournaments at DreamHack Summer 2013. The World’s largest digital festival is back in Jönköping, Sweden 1518 June to show some of the very the best tournaments in the world.
.
DreamHack has already announced its International championship DreamHack
Open 2013 in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm that will have its’ second tour stop
All e-Sports fans can stay there and both enjoy live matches in the tournament
areas, and also see amazing production on two different stages.
of five at DHS13. And they also have presented the Swedish Championship,
ESPORTSM featuring 4 games that will have the Grand Finals of the 2012/2013
Season at DreamHack Summer 2013. Now, DreamHack just announced five
additional official DreamHack tournaments for DreamHack Summer 2013,
including Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Heroes of
Newerth and Super Street Fighter Arcade Edition. Detailed information about
registration and tournament format will be released in the upcoming weeks.
The only exception will be DreamArena Extreme that will stay at its classic
location, said Tomas Hermansson, Head of e-Sports at DreamHack The area
includes two giant audience stands, featuring 850 seats each. In front of these
giant stands it’ll have two stages, which will have a seating capacity of 1,0001,200 people each. Adding this to the already existing and classic eSports arena
DreamArena Extreme with a 1,100 seating capacity, this gives DreamHack
Summer a total seating capacity of around 3,500 – every event day.
This summer, in the newly built expansion of Hall B, DreamHack will build a new
and improved e-Sports area covering 4000 square meters, including all tournament
“This is definitely the biggest change in the lay-out of our eSports Areas since
areas, stages and stream locations. This will give all visitors a better experience on-
DreamHack started to produce their own professional e-Sports tournaments,” said
site since people will find all e-Sports action at one single place.
Hermansson.
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
9
GAME LIFE
Jay’s Game Analysis
Jays’ Game Selection of April: Need for Speed
By Jay Shin / Editor at International e-Sports Federation
- My Game Selection on April is “Need For Speed” (NFS). Although few e-Sports
tournament based on Racing Genre, NFS has been selected as one of the official
titles in 2013 Asia Indoor & Martial Arts Games e-Sports discipline. Keeping
up with this, I hope to investigate the history of NFS series and why NFS series
are regarded as unchallenged racing game. Getting information of NFS series, I
was quite surprised at its number of series. So, I will divide the column about
NFS to 2 parts.
Need For Speed Series
NFS is an Arcade Racing Game, developed by EA and has been published with PC, Console and Mobile
version. Since 1994 when the 1st content was released, there have been 21 series. As I could not play 21 series
all and acquire the information of games, let me introduce some parts of series which were landmarks in NFS
history with support of Korean NFS online community. What made me interested was that developers of each
series were different. Because these difference, there were gaps in game engine, and it drove competition to
them.
1. Road & Track Presents : The Need For Speed (1994) / Need For Speed II (1996)
Road & Track Presents The Need For Speed / Need For Speed II
In 1994, the 1st series of NFS, Road & Track Presents : The Need For Speed (TNFS) was released, developed
by Pioneer Productions. TNFS was highly popular to game users, regardless of DOS base, with high quality of
graphic and simulation factor. In fact, what made users excited was its video clips (considering the era) rather
than game itself. NFS II released in 1996 was based on Windows, not DOS and expressed better effects on
racing. However, most of users were complained to its excessive specifications to play compared with its
contents.
2. Need For Speed III : hot Pursuit (1998)
Need For Speed III : Hot Pursuit (NFS 3), released in 1998 was regarded as a product which marked an era by
adopting “car chase” (Hot pursuit) and applying Direct 3D. In Chase mode, there were “Being pursued” as
well as “Pursuing” mode. NFS 3 guaranteed a fantastic graphic (considering the era) with the 3DFX emulator.
However without the emulator, users can not play the game at all. Opening video clip, one of the enjoyments
The Need For Speed (1994)
of NFS series, was combined between game scene and actual image, but it was evaluated less impact
compared to previous series. The NFS 3 was a monumental product which led next NFS series.
Need For Speed II (1996)
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998)
10
GAME LIFE
PC/Online Game Zone
3. Need For Speed : Porsche Unleashed (2000)
In 2000, departing from dream car racing, Need For Speed : Porsche Unleashed (NFS
PU) was released. In this game, users could see only Porsche. It applied a full 3D
point of sight which described driver’s hands. Unlike previous series, NFS PU had a
physical engine highly closed to “Servey Racing Game” which was the 1st attempt in
NFS series. This factor often made players who were used to simple physical engine
of previous series feel difference, but this factor also made NFS PU evaluated as one
of the masterpieces. NFS PU is often played until now.
4. Need For Speed : Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)
Need For Speed : Porsche Unleashed
In order to boost up NFS series, EA Seattle released Need For Speed : Hot Pursuit 2
(NFS : HP2) with crowd of dream cars. EA Seattle produced games for PS2, XBOX,
PC and Nintendo Game Cube platforms. PS2 version was only product which
developed by Black Box, others were produced by EA Seattle. However, there was
big gap between PS2 version and others in play mode and graphic, enough to consider
they are different games. In PS2 version, players excited its brilliant light effect and
this effect made users who played other version depressed. After Black Box produced
this NFS : HP2, Black Box was taken over by EA and full responsible for producing
next NFS series. From this series, famous music of big celebrities were used for BGM
in NFS series
5. Need For Speed : Underground (2003) / Need For Speed : Underground 2 (2004)
Need For Speed : Hot Pursuit 2
In 2003, Need For Speed : Underground (UG) hit again treating the “Street Racing”,
getting out of Super Car System which looked fixed model in NFS. It seemed to be
effected by movie – “Fast & Furious”. UG showed various game methods such as drift
and drag and it does not look old fashioned until now. The motion blur was first
adapted in the game so that provoked better graphic.
In 2004, UN 2, sequel of UN was released. “Out-run” mode based on Free-Run
system which had been a requirement of UN version as well as replay mode was
applied.
Need For Speed : Underground & Underground 2
6. Need For Speed : Most Wanted
Need For Speed : Most Wanted, released in 2005 received fervent response, applying
Super Car System again. NFS Most Wanted was developed in various factors
compared to previous versions. Drift and “Out-run” mode were deleted, and “Speed
Breaker” system which made game scene like slow motion was adapted. Also,
“Challenge Series” mode was added so that users can enjoy the game after watching
ending scene.
Pursuing Mode was also enhanced. In fact, lots of fans were confused if NFS Most
Wanted is a game or movie while they were playing Pursuing Mode, giving police’s
pursuer the slip with Speed Breaker in the game. As the storyline of the game was to
be No.1 in illegal street racing, there were some funny modes such as breaking as
many patrol cars as possible and being caught by speed camera as much as possible.
With these kinds of reasons above, Most Wanted is one of the favorite versions in
whole series.
Need For Speed : Most Wanted
(To be Continued in next volume…)
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
11
INTERVIEW
Focus e-Sports Star
Vietnamese Team “Freedom”
- Although the team has just formed and gathered players from the previous most famous teams, but Team
‘Freedom’ playing Cross Fire did not show nervous or difficult at all. Conversely, this team has quickly
upraised its name and class by winning, and has many titles both the domestic and international
tournament. .
By Pham Van Thanh /Vietnam Recreational eSport Association
T eam “Freedom” won the champion in Vietnam
Q: Time to live and play in WCG2012 is probably
gamers’ consciousness and form the spirit in
eSport Championship (VEC) in 2012, and after
the most unforgettable day. What could you say
competition. I think the standard and skills of
short- time, they won overwhelming victory and bet
about your feelings at that time?
Vietnamese gamers are not lower than those of
a
gamers from eSport developed countries.
The First in playoff battle to have a chance to
represents CrossFire Vietnam's participation in the
Freedom: when we beat the Russian team in the
e-Sports world- World Cyber Games (WCG) 2012.
Semifinals to go to the final, the team was really
Q: Could you share with us your plans and goals in
excited. Goal to win a medal become true. Before
2013?
Team Freedom goes to Kunshun in China, they as a
Chinese team- they are very strong but we keep our
representative Vietnam CrossFire and Freedom guys
mind comfortable and fight my best. There is little
really make international friends to change their
regret when we lose in the final, but stood on the
look of the Vietnam eSport generally and Vietnam
awards podium, waving the national flag and hear
CrossFire in particular.
commentators promote Vietnamese name is feeling
which difficult to express in words. Finally, the flag
Having the spirit increased from match to match,
of Vietnam has representatives the eSports Vietnam
Freedom consecutively overcome other teams to
can fly with six flags of other countries in e-sports
reach the final match, and after that, finished a
festival World Cyber Games (laughs).
successful tournament with the runner-up title after
Freedom: Definitely, we have to pay attention and
do our greatest efforts to be the team that represent
for all Vietnamese “to revenge” upon the Chinese
and “change the color of the medals” so that
Vietnamese eSport can be named as a greatest
eSport over the world. Besides, we are happy to
share our experience and skill to other gamers for a
better Vietnamese Cross Fire community.
Q: What do you want to do to contribute to the
Chinese team – IG.
development of CF in particular and Vietnamese
eSport generally?
We have a short conversation with the typical CF
team and hear them share about their future plans.
Freedom:
Gamers,
who
want
to
become
professional, are all happy when receiving attention
Q: Hello Team Freedom, 2012 was a memorable
from authorities and community. VTC Game is now
year with Cross Fire to you. You can share a little
striving to make the tournaments and others
bit about the memories in the past year?
activities become perfect. We hope that, with our
greatest efforts, the Vietnamese eSport, along with
Freedom: 2012 was a very memorable and
The team decided to change color of medal at WCG
successful year for us in particular and the
Q: Could you leave us a few comments about the
nation. Our team also hopes that CF, in the future
Vietnamese community Cross Fire in general. It was
recent status of the eSport in Vietnam as well as the
can be an official eSport subject of competition like
a very exciting year with a lot of different
opportunities and challenges for the problem of
FIFA Online 2. Hope that Vietnamese eSport will be
tournaments and thus Freedom has achieved success
worldwide assertion of Vietnamese eSport?
interested
in the big arena in the last months.
other sports, can contribute victory and glory to our
and
develop
to
provide
a
good
recreational entertainment environment for gamers
Freedom: Through the WCG 2012, I saw a lot of
community.
opportunities for development as we have a large
scale of community with enthusiasm, passion and
victory desire. It is absolutely an advantage of
Vietnamese team we saw after experiencing
previous friendly matches. However, the most
difficult factor that prevents the Vietnamese eSport
from the development is the lack of professional
gamers. We are now doing great effort to overcome
this situation by organizing tournaments, for both
amateur and professional participants to raise
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
12
INTERVIEW
Zoom In
Global Sales& Marketing Vice President, Havok
Interview with Brian Waddle
By Sophie Jeon
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA—March 26, 2013—At the 2013 Game Developers Conference, Havok™unveiled
Project Anarchy, a complete end-to-end mobile 3D game production engine. Havok announcedthat
developing and releasing a game with the technology will be free on many leading mobile platforms, without
commercial restrictions on company size or revenue. The free download will also include a broad range of
game samples and tutorials to help the mobile development community hit the ground running.
As a part of this initiative, Havok will launch an online community to proactively promote and support
developers through all stages of production via a dedicated website.
The issue pays lots of attentions as it encourages independent developers to develop various games on their
own.
Q1. What is the main purpose of participating in
Q3. Will the existing middleware not be sold
Q5. I would like to know what level of
this GDC 2013?
separately in the future? If not, what is the sales
smartphone games developers can develop with
Each year the entire company drives technology
plan for existing middleware?
Project Anarchy free version.
updates to our products. This is where we roll out
You’re right! Project Anarchy includes Havok
There is no limitation on the size of teams or on the
new features, new platform support and new
Physics, Havok Behavior, Havok AI, so it’s a
types of games that can be developed. Development
products. We do two sizeable releases to our tech
complete tool-kit for mobile developers. Project
is allowed on PC and in fact it will be possible to
each year but GDC is where we set the direction for
Anarchy also includes extensive tutorials and
develop for many mobile platforms but free
the coming year.
samples. For Developers that are interested in
distribution rights are for iOS and Android only.
We have two places on the floor this year where
purchasing licenses of any of Havok’s middleware
Havok’s technology presents endless possibilities in
Havok is represented. We have a presence in the
products with source and support, we will certainly
terms of maximizing creativity and we are really
business area and one on the show floor. In the
continue to sell these products individually. That
looking forward to seeing some great innovations
Business area we meet with existing and potential
said, it’s worth pointing out that the direct
result
new customers to talk tech! We take a dive in the
integration Project Anarchy offers can help make
comprehensive toolset.
technology and compare to the customers’ use cases
development faster and more efficient because all of
to make sure we are on target and can help them
our tools are designed to work together.
make better games faster. This is what we have done
Q4. Could you explain the differences between
every year and we have found that it helps us stay
the free version and the paid version?
close to our customers and the market needs. It has
from
empowering
developers
with
a
Q6. I would like to know the license policy of
Project Anarchy paid version to be distributed in
the future.?
I don’t know how we can get more competitive than
been a long time since Havok has been on the show
Project Anarchy is a free development toolkit that
free for iOS and Android. We haven’t solidified the
floor where we are announcing and showcasing
will ship with a basic amount of source code and
program at the time of this interview. However, we
Project Anarchy C++ Game Engine targeting
will be actively supported through an online
prefer to use a flat fee when possible, we haven’t
Mobile Development. We are very excited about
community where developers can promote their
gone down the path of royalties much. We aren’t
new technology offerings and are looking forward to
work, give and receive support to and from peers (as
opposed to royalties but it is the exception. So when
showing it off to mobile game developers. The tech
well as from Havok staff) and benefit from a
we do license for mobile the budget of the developer
comes with new tutorials and a sample game to be
continual stream of new training materials. With
tends to be much smaller so we work with the team
shipped with the engine. We will be offering a free
Project Anarchy, developers can ship on iOS and
by establishing a percentage of their budget. This
development kit for mobile developers coming this
Android platforms for free. To ship on other
way it is a fixed cost and we remain a partner in the
spring on platforms that will be announced at GDC.
platforms or to gain additional source or support
development of the game and not the distribution.
We have been working very hard and have a lot
there is a nominal fee and it’s these extensions to
going on this year at GDC as you can see.
Project Anarchy that differentiate free and paid
versions.
Q2. What are the advantages of Project Anarchy
compare to [other] existing mobile engines?
Q7. Can you share your insight regarding the
worldwide mobile market trend?
For us genre isn’t as important as other engines.
The tech is designed for freedom to customize and
Truly Free. Cross Platform. Truly extensible: C++
Engine with the ability to extend the entire engine
through C++ based custom plugins. Best in class
physics, AI and animation technology : Havok
Physics, Havok AI, Havok Behavior. Not restricting
any of our functionality or differentiating between a
paid or “almost free” version. Strong collaborative
build whatever the team needs based on their use
case. This is a huge strength of the tech as teams get
familiar with the pipeline and workflow they can
move in and out of genres with the tech easily. They
can leverage the tech in whatever genre is driving
the market.
editing support
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
13
OPINION
e-Sports Columns
Screen stars: Playing games is a serious sport
- For the new e-sports stars, playing computer or video games can bring fame, fortune and even national colours
By Faranaaz Parker / Reporter at Mail & Guardian
There was a time when a sleepless weekend would flit by while I stayed in my
pajamas, eating Marmite on toast and building pyramids in the city construction
computer game Pharaoh. Now I have a job, a husband and a toddler, and the days
of non-stop gaming are a thing of the past. One thing’s for sure. I’ll never play for
the national team. Because you can do that now, you know.
Since the late 1990s, the e-sports governing body Mind Sports South Africa, an
affiliate of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, has
awarded provincial colours for gaming and national colours followed in 2005.
Once considered the preserve of socially awkward teenaged boys, players at the top
of their electronic game are increasingly getting official recognition for a
specialized skill set that, for the very best, can bring fame and money.
Protea gamer Robert Botha, known as “PandaTank” in gaming circles, is South
Africa’s most famous video gaming professional and a grandmaster at StarCraft II
— a science fiction strategy game in which players build armies to destroy
opponents. While many of his post-grad peers take a gap year to travel and wait
tables, the 22-year-old information technology graduate from Johannesburg has
travelled as far afield as Cheonan in South Korea to play competitively. After
impressing at a Paris tournament earlier this year, where he almost beat one of the
world’s top-ranked StarCraft II players, “Stephano”, Botha moved to Los Angeles
for a three-month stint at the Razer Academy for gamers.
“You have to have a strong competitive drive as well as the desire to constantly
improve yourself at every-thing you do,” Botha told me in an email interview. “I
have personally put thousands of hours into practicing and trying to improve.”
Serious business
Rising to the top doesn’t happen by fluke. Competitive players study maps, read up
on strategy, scrutinise videos of their opponents’ games, analyse their own, then run
through play after play, doing drills. Botha hasn’t yet reached the level at which he
can make a comfortable living off gaming. “I have probably spent more money
trying to compete than I have made back in total,” he lamented.
Even on retainer with the cheekily named Portuguese StarCraft II team, Pwnanza
(“pwned” or “pwning” is a deliberate misspelling of the term “owned” or “owning”,
which means to dominate another team), he’s only managed to stay afloat this long
by dipping into his savings. But the payoffs of being a tournament player are
potentially huge: the winner of the recent Blizzard World Cup in Shanghai, China,
took home $100 000.
Tournaments can draw crowds in their thousands. Hundreds of thousands view live
streamed matches online and, in South Korea, where gaming is considered a
national sport, StarCraft games are broadcast on two dedicated TV channels,
complete with commentary and play-by-play analysis. Makers of high-spec gaming
computers are willing to fork out big money to ensure that the top gamers are seen
playing on their machines, with their headsets, keyboards and mice.
Said Botha: “With the backing of strong sponsors, well-known players can earn up
to R65 000 a month and travel to a different country nearly every week.”
But for South Africans like Botha, even spectacular talent is no guarantee of
landing such deals. Sponsors are mindful of the huge travel costs involved in flying
someone based at the tip of Africa to tournaments, he said. For now, Botha is riding
the wave of his recent success and focusing on improving his skills and profile
through competitive play. Players like Botha don’t materialize out of thin air.
Top guns
Although South Africa is a gaming minnow compared with South Korea, local esports leagues are becoming more sophisticated. In addition to school and club
leagues, hundreds of players are involved in Telkom’s commercial Do Gaming
league, which this year offered more than R1-million in prizes to the country’s top
guns.
“You don’t realize how good these guys are. It’s a genuine skill,” said Byron Rigby,
a competitive gamer and an account manager at games distributor Megarom. “It’s
not just running around and shooting because you won’t win like that.”
This year, Rigby’s “clan”, Monster Energy Gaming, beat perennial favorites
Bravado at the first-person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in the finals of
the Do Gaming league championship. They couldn’t have done it, he said, if the
team hadn’t gone into seclusion for a week to practice and work on strategy.
G&e vol. April / 2013. 4. 15.
Competitive gaming requires a competitive nature, and often those who excel in
e-sports excel in physical sports too. Springbok and former Sharks eighthman
Ryan Kankowski is a devoted player of Defense of the Ancients, a strategy
computer game in which teams of players, positioned at opposite ends of a map,
set out to fortify their positions and destroy their enemies.
Mind Sports South Africa president Colin Webster sees the same thing among the
country’s top school-aged players. “We have one [gamer] who has colours in
wrestling. In the Free State there’s a gamer who plays for the provincial cricket
team,” he said.
Webster, a swimmer in his youth, sees little difference between a competitive
athlete and a competitive gamer. “What’s the difference? At the one end [of the
spectrum], you have a highly trained athlete; at the other you have the person
sitting at the edge of the pool playing Marco Polo, with a six-pack of beers and
some friends,” he said. So it is with gaming. Webster hopes to grow the country’s
school gaming league but concedes that e-games are still a niche sport. After all, a
school would need a roomful of computers before it could even think of fielding a
team.
School sport
Last month I went to a friendly match between teams from two of Johannesburg’s
top private schools: it was a chance to gain the upper hand over their mutual rival
from Pretoria Boys High, which tops the league in Gauteng.
There were groans, whoops and frantic key tapping as the young team from
Roedean School was beaten at Defense of the Ancients by the more experienced
players from St John’s College.
“Strategy games build critical thinking skills, whether [children] are playing a
board game like Risk or a video game like World of Warcraft,” said Dorian Love,
the teacher who manages the gaming teams for both schools.
Still, schools don’t regard it with the same seriousness as traditional sports.
“Gaming has to compete with traditional sports like netball and hockey for time
on the school schedule, and the sports department is very jealous of its time,” said
Love. “Not everyone enjoys running around a field chasing a ball,” he said. For
many parents and teachers gaming is still seen as something kids shouldn’t be
doing, and often the same adults who can see the value of chess or chequers
struggle to see the value of gaming. “The thinking is that they should be studying,”
said Love. But as more parents realize the fringe benefits that come with highlevel gaming — such as university bursaries and the chance for international
exposure — this mindset is slowly changing.
Amanda Isaacs, whose 14-year-old daughter Gabriela is a devoted gamer is not a
fan. “We’re old school, and gaming isn’t going to get you a good job,” she said.
She’s not wrong. In the South African context, gaming probably isn’t going to get
you a good job. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have spin-off benefits. Isaacs knew
her daughter spent hours a day gaming but only realized how good she was when
she mopped up at the national trials and was chosen to represent South Africa at
an international championship in South Korea. Though her parents still don’t
quite see the appeal, Gabriela’s gaming is now a point of pride for the family. The
fact that she has her heart set on a career in biomechanics has kept things
uncomplicated.
Meanwhile, with the international travel and minor celebrity status it has brought,
gaming has, for Gabriela, provided an unexpected window of opportunity. Avid
gamer Alexandra Kayle (27), from Killarney, said she wouldn’t be where she is
today if it wasn’t for gaming. She was an obsessive gamer at high school. “On a
weekend, I could easily spend an entire day playing,” she said. Her first computer,
a gift from dad when she was nine, led her to a love affair with technology. This,
in turn, led to a career in technology journalism and eventually to her current job
in the global communications department at the global software corporation SAP.
Kayle insists that gaming is addictive, but in the same breath points out that it’s
just one of the things she does in her spare time, along with scuba diving and
volunteering at Lifeline as well as at a local wildlife rehabilitation centre. And yet
the stereotype of the rumpled, Shaun of the Dead-type slacker who lives in his
mother’s basement, amped up on energy drinks and permanently attached to a
controller and headset, persists.
Note: This article was originally published in the Mail & Guardian on 11 Jan
2013.
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