Blog: Gamers Unite!

It is no secret that eSports has been on the rise lately. Not only has viewership been going through the roof for both live and online events like the League of Legends' LCS and the DOTA 2 International (to name a very few), but the entire landscape of Professional gaming has been transforming. Pro gamers are new recognized by the government for Pro Athlete Visas, broadcast production is on par with top tier sporting events, and eSports continues to get looks from organizations like ESPN. Nonetheless, there are still barriers which stand in the face of eSports' incipiant explosion, specifically division amongst gamers themselves. 

I have consistent discussions with my DOTA, Starcraft, and World of Warcraft friends about the various happenings in the world of each game. I am always excited to tell my fellow gamers about the constant improvements that Riot makes to the LCS and how League of Legends is impacting eSports. These conversations often devolve into a, "my game is better than your game," debate. I am not about to discuss the pros and cons of individual games and somehow try to come up with a method for ranking said games.

Much like religious beliefs, gamers are quite devout and tend to ascribe to their own games for very specific reasons which differ from person to person. Personally, I don't think the world of eSports is about which game is best. It isn't about putting your energy and support behind your favorite game. At this stage of it's evolution it is important to support eSports as a whole in order to truly allow it to grow out of it's infancy.

As an American, I grew up learning about the "founding fathers". I remember hearing about the stories of how they all banded together to overthrow their oppressors to start the country on the path that eventually led it to become the country that it is today (whatever that is). It is important to remember that these "founding fathers" were incredibly different politically and just about the only thing they all agreed on was that they wanted their nation to be successful. 

Esports is still just now beginning to show itself for what it could grow to be, the next generation of organized competition from professional entertainment to little league. The problem is that many are still bogged down by their own fandom. If eSports is going to truly blossom as a whole, all gamers need to get behind events like the LCS, which are changing how the world views gamers. We need to put our petty differences aside and focus on the one thing we do agree on, that we want eSports to explode.