Professional gamers draw big-name sponsors

Just thinking about...

In Asia, rock star-like fame; in the U.S., mostly curiosity so far

NEW YORK - Is "frags per round" going to be the batting average of the 21st century?
Professional computer gamers certainly hope so. Players of Counter Strike, a popular title in competition at the U.S. finals of the World Cyber Games last week, count their prowess in how many enemies they can shoot to pieces, or "fragment," in a frantic two-minute round of virtual gunplay.

Time and demographics, boosters say, argue for videogame tourneys becoming the next big spectator sport in the United States, where more than 108 million Americans now play computer games, according to the Yankee Group.

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story at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9329248/

I'm not convinced this will become really big unless someone comes up with a better way to view the games. The first-person shooter perspective from multiple players is not condusive to easy viewing. Now, if someone comes up with a way of doing an integreated overhead view so you can see all the action on one screen and watch things develop, maybe that would be more interesting.

But, I'll probably end up being proven wrong.

So, let's think about some of the non-electronics sponsors:

Ciba-Vision: Refresh Tears eye drops

What else?

Might work for me in one way... Cut scenes in video games are one reason I play, but I'm pretty bad at video games.

Thornir Alekeg said:

I'm not convinced this will become really big unless someone comes up with a better way to view the games. The first-person shooter perspective from multiple players is not condusive to easy viewing. Now, if someone comes up with a way of doing an integreated overhead view so you can see all the action on one screen and watch things develop, maybe that would be more interesting.

But, I'll probably end up being proven wrong.

So, let's think about some of the non-electronics sponsors:

Ciba-Vision: Refresh Tears eye drops

What else?

Click to expand...

Maybe vitual FAN roles, buy ticket to be in the perfect seat to watch the event.

non-electronics sponsors:
Lazy-boy chairs
Mello-Yellow

Thornir Alekeg said:

I'm not convinced this will become really big unless someone comes up with a better way to view the games. The first-person shooter perspective from multiple players is not condusive to easy viewing. Now, if someone comes up with a way of doing an integreated overhead view so you can see all the action on one screen and watch things develop, maybe that would be more interesting.

But, I'll probably end up being proven wrong.

So, let's think about some of the non-electronics sponsors:

Ciba-Vision: Refresh Tears eye drops

What else?

Click to expand...

Jolt cola and Red Bull energy drink?

Thornir Alekeg said:

I'm not convinced this will become really big unless someone comes up with a better way to view the games. The first-person shooter perspective from multiple players is not condusive to easy viewing. Now, if someone comes up with a way of doing an integreated overhead view so you can see all the action on one screen and watch things develop, maybe that would be more interesting.

Click to expand...

I think you're right on the money here. I also think the key will be taking advantage of the computer's ability to create an interactive viewing mechanism. In particular, it seems to me that if every viewer could control their own perspective in a "god mode" kind of capacity, fans could just follow their favorite player around -- zipping in and out to see him take somebody down, get fragged, or whatever.

Thornir Alekeg said:

So, let's think about some of the non-electronics sponsors:

Ciba-Vision: Refresh Tears eye drops

What else?

Click to expand...

Bawls
Mountain Dew
Army recruiters
Axe body spray
...pretty much anybody already advertising in the likes of Maxim.

The other aspect to this is product placement within the games. This is already happening, but right now the only audience for the ads is the players. As the chance of exposure to spectators grows, you'll see the market for product placements within the game environment grow too.

Carl

Man, I just got done playing that game.

I could see it now: a professional league complete with draft.

In the first round the Fresno Fraggers select,from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Freshman Ed Woodson.

"Woodson has great potential. He's proven himself to have great reflexes as well as amazing group tactical ability on Ghost Recon. And those freaky double jointed fingers he has allows him to do some amazing key combinations."

"You're right John, although who would've thought the Fraggers would have gone with someone so old in the first round."

Interesting.


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