Esports Archives - Page 97 of 97

How to Fix Pro Gaming: Forget TV and Change the Commentary

Television is an odd medium. It is traditionally designed to appeal to the widest range of people, the greatest common denominator. It’s no surprise, then, that the televised competitive playing of video games hasn’t taken off worldwide. Gamers, as a whole, fancy themselves wise to the tactics of most marketing ploys and thus carry around…

Timothy Poon Published January 6, 2012

Esports

Take That, MTV: More than 240,000 People Watched Pro Video Game Players Compete to Be the Best

Some people like eSports. Others think the idea of broadcasting competitions of people going at it in Starcraft 2, Black Ops or Halo: Reach won’t ever get mainstream media attention. But it turns out that it may not be necessary, if the new numbers released by the Major League Gaming promotion are any indication. MLG…

By Evan Narcisse Published December 6, 2011

Esports

The Biggest LAN Party In the World Looked Amazing

Over the weekend, Dreamhack Winter 2011—the largest LAN party in the world—went down in Sweden. Here’s what it looked like. To give you an idea of the scale of the event, over 12,000 people turned up with PCs in tow, to not only play the LAN games of their choosing but also take part in…

By Luke Plunkett Published November 28, 2011

Esports

YouTube’s Original Programming Looking to Focus on Indie Game Development, Pro Competition

It’s been making the rounds that YouTube’s looking to ramp up the production of home-grown original content for users to consume. A report over at Forbes details what exactly will be airing on Start, the channel that centered on capturing the eyeballs of video game enthusiasts. The shows will be produced by a partnership of…

By Evan Narcisse Published November 2, 2011

Esports

eSports, Now Streaming to Your iPhone

TwitchTV, the eSports Web TV network, has released an iOS app with complete streaming and chat functionality. Now, you can get all your pro Starcraft watching done on the go

By Kirk Hamilton Published October 26, 2011

Esports

What is eSports? Let Team FNATIC Tell You

I’ve been fascinated with eSports for most of the nearly seven years I’ve been writing for Kotaku I’ve interviewed famous pro-gamers, even played against a few of them… and lost terribly. I went to the first ever pro-gaming draft at the Playboy Mansion. I even pitched and wrote up a big package for the Rocky…

By Brian Crecente Published September 8, 2011

Esports

Valve’s Not Getting Into Competitive Fighting Games Yet, As Far as Gabe Newell Knows

Now, more than ever, Valve Software seems to be getting serious about competitive gaming. The Team Fortress and Portal developer snapped up DotA: All-Stars developer “IceFrog” to create a sequel to that intensely competitive MOBA game. It’s also investing heavily on the competitive side of the next Counter-Strike and adding new Steam features tailored to…

By Michael McWhertor Published September 7, 2011

Esports

These Are the Best Pokémon Trainers in the World

Thousands of fans flocked to San Diego, California this weekend to determine which six trainers were destined to be the very best at the 2011 Pokémon World Championships. You wanted more eSports coverage, we’re bringing you more eSports coverage! Over the weekend more than 400 players from over 27 countries came together in San Diego…

By Mike Fahey Published August 15, 2011

Esports

League of Legends Season Two Flaunts the Largest Prize Pool in eSports History

In case anyone was looking for motivation to get involved in League of Legends‘ second season of competition, Riot Games has just presented five million convincing arguments in the form of the largest prize pool in eGaming history. The Defense of the Ancients-inspired arena battles of League of Legends will definitely heat up in the…

By Mike Fahey Published August 15, 2011

Esports

EVO Delivers Its Biggest Viewership Eva

More than two million viewers tuned in for the Evo 2011 World Finals last weekend, tournament organizers declared today. In a news release sent out this afternoon, the finals, held July 29 to 31 at Las Vegas, recorded more than 2 million unique viewers on its Ustream.tv feed, serving more than 1.9 million hours of…

By Owen Good Published August 4, 2011

Esports

Catch MLG Anaheim Live on Pro Gaming’s Biggest Weekend of the Year

Three huge events figure to make this weekend one of the biggest ever in competitive video gaming: the EVO World Championships, the GSL Finals and, underway right now, MLG Anaheim. Reminder: MLG Anaheim’s championship round is underway now. You may see it here. StarCraft 2, Halo: Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops are the…

By Owen Good Published July 31, 2011

Esports

Watch EVO 2011 Go Down from the Comfort of Your Couch

The world’s biggest, baddest fighting game tournament, EVO 2011, is fast approaching (it’s this weekend!), and if you can get there and see it in person, that’s awesome. If you can’t, that’s OK! You can still watch it from home. First things first, if you’re at a PC or are packing a laptop, you can…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 26, 2011

Esports

The StarCraft II and World of Warcraft Competition Comes to a Head at BlizzCon 2011

If you thought competitive StarCraft II in a bar was wild, wait until you see it amidst a throng of thousands of fans at BlizzCon 2011, home of the 2011 Global Battle.net Invitational and the 2011 Global StarCraft II League October Final. During my yearly sojourn to Anaheim for BlizzCon, I don’t often touch on…

By Mike Fahey Published July 12, 2011

Esports

Pro Gaming Fans Rush to Pro Gaming’s Defense

Yesterday, I wrote a post tweaking 27-year-old professional gamer David “Zaccubus” Treacy for his comments in an interview with Alienware, mostly for what seemed like an attempt to blame pro gaming’s lack of success in the mainstream on “cheesy” television productions. It sounded defensive, especially since, well, I don’t see the appeal of eSports at…

By Jen Schiller Published July 6, 2011

Esports

An English Voice For Korea’s StarCraft Madness

Korea is bonkers for StarCraft. So bonkers that we often quarantine the country’s love for the game as something to be avoided and/or ridiculed. Yet little by little, the Korean StarCraft scene is getting its dues overseas. Part of that is thanks to dedicated websites like Team Liquid, who cover the scene religiously, but part…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 30, 2011

Esports

The Sacrifices of StarCraft II Made In The Name of Sports

StarCraft II could have been a prettier game, with massive Zerg Ultralisks and screen-filling Protoss Motherships. It could have been stuffed with new units like the Cybercat and Hercules transport ship. Blame designer Dustin Browder and eSports for making StarCraft II what it is: clear, simple, uncertain and a game that demands skillful players. Browder…

By Michael McWhertor Published March 4, 2011

Esports

South Korea Rocked By StarCraft Betting Scandal

In South Korea, playing sci-fi real-time strategy StarCraft is a big deal. There are professional players and televised games. Throwing StarCraft matches and illegal betting, however, is a bigger deal. In what some are already calling the biggest e-sports scandal in history, the still-unfolding saga has seen pro gaming teams accused of intentionally losing matches…

By Brian Ashcraft Published April 13, 2010