Is there any multiplayer game you'd watch on TV (in the same way as football?) • Gaming • General Gaming • Eurogamer.net

tenofspades 29 Sep 2013 17:11:19 1,736 posts
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Football is a popular sport.
But times are changing and there are now new forms of what could almost be described as sports. E-sports.
Now video gaming has a presence on TV (Gixx) Is there a game you could happily watch being played in multiplayer on TV? Or are games just boring to watch?

Deleted user 29 September 2013 17:18:43

Personally no, if I have the free time it would be spend playing not watching.

Benno 29 Sep 2013 17:20:06 11,700 posts
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mobas like dota and league of legends

elstoof 29 Sep 2013 17:20:10 19,821 posts
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No. Oh god no.

Syrette 29 Sep 2013 17:20:55 49,797 posts
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elstoof wrote:
No. Oh god no.

Derblington 29 Sep 2013 17:21:33 30,682 posts
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Not for more than a 5 minute passing interest now and again. Same as I do with sports.

MrTomFTW Best Moderator, 2016 29 Sep 2013 17:25:25 47,491 posts
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I've watched some DOTA 2, but then they do proper broadcasts with stats and commentators which is supported by the game itself.

Deleted user 29 September 2013 17:25:35

In theory, if a video game had the same levels of depth and subtlety as a real sport, and so the same potential for individuals to demonstrate extremely high levels of unique skill, then maybe.

But seeing as that could never happen, no.

JoeBlade 29 Sep 2013 17:30:05 4,173 posts
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I watch Starcraft 2 and Dota 2 on occasion and think they're entertaining enough. I enjoy how - discounting skill - mental prowess rather than physical prowess is the differentiator.

I can't for the world of me enjoy watching traditionally popular sports such as football or tennis though.

Deleted user 29 September 2013 17:30:17

I was going to say Salty Bet, but I got bored of that after about fifteen minutes, and began despairing for mankind as to the barrage of comments on the site.

Deleted user 29 September 2013 17:33:32

Virtua Fighter can be entertaining at high levels

NBZ 29 Sep 2013 17:38:11 2,419 posts
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On the BBC a good few years ago they had a small series where they re-enacted historical battles through the Total War engine.

It was an interesting idea.

TheMayorOfJugs 29 Sep 2013 17:39:33 6,487 posts
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I love watching the proper/almost professional street fighter players. If the coverage was done right I'd happily watch a few of those, and good Cod players maybe. Used to watch a bunch of guys in 5 v 5 matches on Cod 2 at an internet cafe in my youth. Some of the funniest and most skilled gamers I've ever known, genuinely entertaining to watch.

Doomspoon 29 Sep 2013 17:44:54 2,893 posts
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Derblington wrote:
Not for more than a 5 minute passing interest now and again. Same as I do with sports.

I wouldn't watch football on TV by choice.

What little I've seen of competitive gaming events has usually been news items on EG where participants have been cretins, or highlights on Youtube where again my opinion has been that the majority of people involved are tossers, players and commentators alike. Much like my view of football.

Generally speaking gaming's more fun to be doing than watching. I'd probably pay more attention if there was a friend participating though.

Deleted user 29 September 2013 18:00:54

tenofspades wrote:
Football is a popular sport.
But times are changing and there are now new forms of what could almost be described as sports. E-sports.
Now video gaming has a presence on TV (Gixx) Is there a game you could happily watch being played in multiplayer on TV? Or are games just boring to watch?

People have been saying this since 1997. Sujoy (One of the first media friendly Quake players) was on the Big Breakfast one morning and UK E-SPORTS WAS BORN.

I often watch various games on Twitch TV, but thats more down to the personality of the streamer, rather than the quality of competitive gameplay.

Even though gaming "coolness" has increased over the last 5-10 years, I can't see competitive e-sports becoming a household sport any time soon.

L0cky 29 Sep 2013 19:39:03 2,001 posts
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The problem is translating the game to the viewer. Even if you only target gamers your demograph is still likely to be much too small. Games come and go, along with the viewer's understanding of what they're watching.

On top of that, you can't know the quality of what's being performed without being familiar with the game. For example, if someone gets a mid air rocket frag a second before a flag capture in a CTF game, if the viewer is not familiar with the game that could be 'Press X to Kill' for all they know.

Only a handful of games have a big enough specific audience, and they will go out of fashion eventually.

StarchildHypocrethes 29 Sep 2013 19:42:38 31,273 posts
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E-"sports"lol

L0cky 29 Sep 2013 19:43:45 2,001 posts
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Thanks for your contribution.

StarchildHypocrethes 29 Sep 2013 19:45:05 31,273 posts
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Any time.

Pynchon 29 Sep 2013 19:54:01 114 posts
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Maybe some Arma: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV0np7HOiSk

MightyMouse 29 Sep 2013 22:01:16 1,160 posts
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Yes, but then I get into practically everything. In the past I've really enjoyed watching bowls, snooker and curling.

elstoof 29 Sep 2013 22:08:16 19,821 posts
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I guess the appeal of watching sport is in seeing someone who's practiced for at least 10 years to get to the level they're at, performing against others at a similar level on a grand stage with the pressures of financial reward and their livelihoods hanging over them.

Watching some 12 year old popping headshots from his bedroom on a game you not only own, but can compete in the same arena as doesn't quite carry the same level of awe.

Deleted user 29 September 2013 22:12:30

kalel wrote:
In theory, if a video game had the same levels of depth and subtlety as a real sport, and so the same potential for individuals to demonstrate extremely high levels of unique skill, then maybe.

But seeing as that could never happen, no.

Fighting games and Evo say "hi".

Also, I'd prefer to watch a few rounds between decent fighting game players (especially Virtua Fighter, Street Fighter 3 and Blazblue) than watch football. Actually, I'd prefer to watch paint dry than a footie match.

Deleted user 29 September 2013 22:14:58

elstoof wrote:
Watching some 12 year old popping headshots from his bedroom on a game you not only own, but can compete in the same arena as doesn't quite carry the same level of awe.

12 year olds playing Call of Shootstuff on a gamepad in their bedroom and multimillion dollar prize tournaments with industry sponsorships and full time paid professionals are worlds apart.

YenRug 29 Sep 2013 22:16:25 4,529 posts
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I might watch videos to find out how a game works and if it might be of interest to me; I might sometimes watch a video to try to see what there is in a game that isn't of interest to me, to try and figure out what it is that appeals to others; would I watch videos of a game to be entertained? No.

The appeal of videogames is in playing them, to me, not in watching them. Whenever I'm around someone else playing a game, I'm either fighting the urge to play myself, or I go away and do something else.

Kostabi 29 Sep 2013 22:17:02 5,915 posts
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Some of the high level iRacing competitions are just as entertaining as the real thing, but I guess racing games translate a lot better to TV than most other genres as it's possible to completely mimic a broadcast and give it that sense of realism.

TheDarkKnight 29 Sep 2013 22:34:28 796 posts
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I watch twitch.tv sometimes when I'm bored. Not understanding what's going on in DOTA and the like means I don't get much out of that, but it is interesting none the less. I watch new games, and games I want to buy, if it doesn't involve spoiling it, for example. I've watched a half hour of Battlefield 3 a few times. That is a good game to spectate and I can't wait for the built in spectator mode.

Edited by TheDarkKnight at 22:35:08 29-09-2013

Nades 29 Sep 2013 22:43:06 2,906 posts
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Halo 3 MLG, but that's obviously not gonna happen.

mrharvest 30 Sep 2013 04:46:16 5,493 posts
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I watch DotA2. I have absolutely no interest in playing the game because of its rather acerbic community but I find the play far more interesting that I've found watching any actual sport. The final game of TI3 was magic.