Nothing like watching other people play video games on tv!! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/17/AR2006041700069.html Professional Video Gaming Set for TV Debut By MAY WONG The Associated Press Monday, April 17, 2006; 6:58 AM SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Professional video gaming is set to debut on cable television later this year, potentially paving the way for the kings and queens of game controllers to become as familiar to American households as the faces of Johnny Chan or Annie Duke in televised poker. Major League Gaming, the world's largest organized video gaming league, on Monday will announce a programming deal in which USA Network will air seven one-hour episodes in the fall, featuring the pro circuit and its players. Though video gaming fans have been able to follow competitions on game Web sites for years already, MLG's television deal marks the first time regular TV viewers would be able track the ups and downs of a pro tournament, watching video gaming as a new kind of extreme sport. "This is the sign that pro gaming has finally arrived to the mass market," said Matthew Bromberg, MLG's president and chief operating officer. "It's like poker was two years ago, or NASCAR 15 years ago." The upcoming televised series will aim to engage viewers with not only with the game play itself _ featuring top players of "Halo 2" on Xbox and "Super Smash Bros. Melee" on Nintendo _ but also sports-like commentary and profiles of the players. Among them: Bonnie Burton, also known as "Xena," a 15-year-old from Pennsylvania who is the only female in the pro league and one of the best "Halo2" players in the world; and Tom Taylor, who's known as "Tsquared," an 18-year-old from Florida and budding entrepreneur whose Gaming-Lessons business has already helped hone the video-gaming skills of numerous celebrities and star athletes. "I'm excited to compete on TV in front of an audience. This will take video gaming to the next level," Taylor said. Taylor, who gained more fame after he was recently featured on MTV's documentary series, "True Life," takes his sport seriously _ from keeping a healthy diet to daily practice sessions of three to four hours a day. He's also ended habits that could harm his hands, such as letting his pet dog routinely nip at his hands and using a knife to pick the bread out of the toaster. "It is an extreme sport," he said. "It's about quick reflexes and also outsmarting people." Some top players earn winnings in the range of a couple hundred thousand dollars a year, and the tournaments by MLG usually draw thousands of spectators at its arena venues and thousands more online, said Michael Sepso, MLG's chief executive and co-founder. But going before a mainstream television audience could raise video gaming's visibility, leading to more sponsorships and advertising. And drawing viewers shouldn't be a stretch, since "video gaming has always had a spectator-element to it anyway," Sepso said.
I tried to watch that show Arena on G4, there's just no way to enjoy watching other people play games. I mean, it's one thing, when you are chilling on the couch while your friends are doing it up on a fighting game, but watching people play SOCOM or Unreal Death Match is so freaking lame.
Yeah, I don't really see it working. Unlike Poker, where you can at least get caught up in the outcomes/possiblities of each hand, and having knowledge of what the players don't, there isn't much to translate onscreen in video games when you are just watching. Specific games, and specific moments, maybe. But I just don't think people enjoy watching other people play enough to matter. It would take a fine bit of storytelling to get it to work.
I could see it working if they made an effort to have only players with personality, regardless of whether or not they are the most skilled. I couldn't care less if the player I am watching can rocket jump over a wall and pull out his sniper rifle and tag an opponent that is half a level away before he hits the ground. What I WOULD care about is if the person that just got sniped was a 25 year old geek and the sniper was a 12 year old girl who would promptly tell the nerd that she has a bigger dick than him. It would be like Orange County Choppers. Those guys aren't the best chopper manufacturers in the country, but they all yell at each other and so people watch the show. You have to add that level of entertainment to this sort of thing if you want it to survive.
It will all be in the editing...poker is not all that fun without all those edits, believe me they don't show EVERY hand, it is one big ole grind. DD
alright!!maybe i dont need a college degree after all. and they should host battlefield 2, CS tournments.
