Game On: Getting More Gamers In On E-Sports With Beyond Gaming

Steve Anderson : End Game
Steve Anderson
The Video Store Guy
| The video game industry has gone from a mole hill to a mountain in no time flat, Chris DiMarco is your Sherpa as you endeavor to scale Mount “Everquest”

Game On: Getting More Gamers In On E-Sports With Beyond Gaming

The idea of turning gaming into a profession has long been the dream of kids pretty much since gaming was invented, and though today there are more opportunities to do so than ever before—here I cite games journalism, just like this, and the entirety of Michael Pachter's career—actually playing games for a living is out of the reach of many gamers. Beyond Gaming, meanwhile, is looking to change that up just a little bit, and is trying to get the amateur and casual player more involved in competitive gaming.

Beyond Gaming has built a website allowing players of various skill levels to build accounts and start competing against those in their perceived skill bracket. Games like e-sports staple “StarCraft II” are on hand, as well as both “TrackMania” and “ShootMania”. There's also a connection between Beyond Gaming and Ubisoft for its “The Next Level” gaming experience.

There are even prizes for certain competitions, like the “Play For It” matches that offer up things like gift cards in exchange for winning a single match. But competing isn't for free; a game requires tokens to enter, available in several different quantities with discounts in volume. 100 tokens can be had for a dollar, but 10,000 can be had for $80.
It's a clever idea; not every gamer is professional caliber, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the amateur crowd isn't interested in getting its own shot at gaming glory. Opening up the concept of e-sports to the amateur crowd is a particularly smart idea, and adds a critical component to the long-term success of the concept. Not only do we have professional e-sports events, but we also have, increasingly, places to watch it go on in a community environment much like a regular sports bar might offer. Tack on the ability for the regular player to get in on the action, and that's a recipe for what will hopefully be a long-term operation.

Of course, it may not ultimately work out that way. It could be that people will eschew overpriced drinks and less than pleasant bar food for the experiences available at home instead. Of course, addressing issues of quality like that could have a big impact on the overall prospect just as much as anything else. Perhaps one of the big downsides of the growth of the Web is the impact it's had on places for those of a more geekish bent to go. Bookstores and comic shops have taken a hit, so too have electronics stores. The arcade has been in a near-continuous state of decay since the late nineties. So where is there to go? The e-sports bar may be just the ticket.

It remains to be seen if the e-sports bar will gain any ground, but considering the growth of development in the field, we may well see if there's any to be had before too much longer has passed.
Enhanced by Zemanta


Featured Events