Beyond Games
By: Alberto Rengifo
Tags: Esport, Technology, Gaming, Future Technology, Philosophy

In esports we have this idea that we are fostering a new age of competition. An age where everyone can participate, where the physical requirements that traditional sports previously imposed could be removed. Where champions are made more by their hard work and dedication than by any other metric. Naturally, we compare esports to games like football and basketball. Even more so when professional gaming leagues were launched imitating sports' franchised models. I’ll admit, I got a kick out of seeing a decline in sports' viewership and a steady rise in esports interest. It reassured me that we were onto something big, it just took awhile for me to get my head out of my ass and see where the real value was at.

In 1993, there was an active streaming platform with live chat and video, with people playing games, making music, just talking, you name it. But in 93' having a computer wasn’t popular or accessible. Change takes time, and not only was the world not ready to point the camera at itself, the technology wasn’t even close to today’s standards of accessibility and functionality. So what took so long?

The first hurdle we needed to get past, was the idea of an online self. First came social media platforms. It was easy for the public to see how these were valuable, you could talk to people all over the globe, stay connected with friends and family, just as long as they also had a social platform. It was huge.

The more we got used to an online self, the more time we wanted to spend in this virtual world of hyper connectivity. You went from a place to stay in touch and meet new people, to a place where you could show off your personality with art and designs, and in extreme cases, be somebody else, all in relative anonymity. This showcasing of personality naturally garnered attention.

Simultaneously, computers and the technology for livestreaming was becoming much more viable. Part of this tech development was due to video games. Making games that pushed the capabilities of new computers, creating images, situations and intricacies that we had never seen before were all the rage. Now your computer wasn’t just strong enough to render exceptional games, it could also broadcast you and your game over the internet.

So on the one hand, we have social platforms garnering the attention of the world, as a way to further connect and educate us. And on the other, we have a frontier of technological development in the form of hardware and software that we just had to share with the world.

The collective efforts of these two generated a lot of buzz. New entertainment, competition, education, fame and best of all, kids getting filthy rich with parents in absolute disgust yelling "Back in my day!!!" blah blah blah. To that I say:

"Alexa, what year is it?”

As we increasingly enter the virtual world, with more people having access to the internet and all of its joys, we get to see the growth of esports and social media going hand in hand. Coming from an esports background I can’t help but ask "What would the world be like if everyone knew about esports?"

But that’s like asking, "What would the world be like if they knew about The Disney Channel?" The specific channel pales in comparison to the value of the medium of television. So the right question is "What would the world be like if they knew about live streaming"

Imagine a world where there is high speed internet EVERYWHERE. Where a handheld device can connect to a live streaming platform and instantly generate a connection with hundreds of thousands?

Deep sea explorers, scientists, race car drivers, the list is endless. Everyone could be involved with the depth of our cultures. Imagine the first manned mission to Mars, imagine the astronaut waiting for liftoff, not nervous, clutching away at his seat. Instead, he’s livestreaming the whole thing, and he’s laughing it off as the chat just posted a really good copypasta that lifted everyone’s spirits.

So you wonder, in a world where everything is capable of being live streamed, would gaming become the ultimate form of entertainment?

It’s a tricky question, because we do not know how well other forms of content will translate over into the new medium. My gut tells me not without some changes. Changes in the sense of Marshall McLuhan, where the activity must adapt to the medium. Whoever can come up with a way of turning IRL activities into a live streamed video game, will have struck gold. We already do this naturally btw. "Take a shot for every missed hook" is a minor version of this. The tech isn’t there yet, but what it will need is the ability to instantly take a live feed, and combine it with it’s own digital software in order to quantify metrics that are engaging enough in the context of an interactive live stream. I’ll touch more on this in another paper.

But what’s so special about games? If you’re like me and play games long enough, you learn that many of them are a social activity. One where you can play with friends or meet new ones. But most games are impersonal, you’re either a name and statistics, or a set avatar that leaves little room for self expression.

Compare that to an MMORPG. These games play to the different version of yourself in much more creative ways. When the player has the ability to customize their character at their heart’s content, they become connected with the character. The more connected we are to something, the more we see it as a part of ourselves. That’s why I think the future is what Fortnite is making and attempting to perform. A marriage of highly customizable avatars, a social platform with relation to the outside world, and high skilled competition.

Don’t believe me? Go ask your kids what Fortnite means to them, or ask yourself what WoW or Runescape (Ironman btw) did for your life?

These are not "just games" anymore, and it’s about time we start seeing it that way.