An estimated 27 million people watched the most popular video game finals, League of Legends, in 2014. To put that in perspective the 2014 World Series only drew an estimated 15.8 million viewers. At the University of Memphis, it’s no different. Winners of video game tournaments can win thousands of dollars.
Even though it may be a new world to some people, the eSports scene is something to be marveled. Not only do the competitors in their individual games have specific attributes that sepa- rate them from their competitors, but they also share many similarities with actual athletes today.
The mindset to not give up even when they’re down, to work hard and not rely only on talent and the ability to push on and learn from their mistakes exists in eSports just like in traditional sports. Real-time strategy, fighting, first- person shooter and online multiplayer games are the most popular genres. And the prize money for these tourna- ments can be in the millions. Not only is the money there, but the spike of view- ership has also increased over the years.
Twitch.TV, a platform for gamers to live stream video game tournaments and gameplay, estimated that 27 million people watched the most popular eSport game finals, League of Legends, in 2014. To put that in perspective the 2014 World Series only drew an esti- mated 15.8 million viewers. At the University of Memphis, it’s no different.
There are students who travel, compete and win in a plethora of different genres, just like our traditional student-athletes.
Stephen Moo- Young – Smash Brothers: Melee
The Super Smash Brothers’ com- munity is a very close-knit group that strives in preserving their grassroots with local and international tourna- ments that bring out the highest level of competition.
Stephen Moo-Young, a U of M computer science major, has been to many of these homestead tourna- ments. He’s been steadily competing for the last seven years.
“I’ve been to probably every spot in Tennessee not to mention places out- side the state, and what’s so cool about the ‘Smash’ scene is the uniqueness and humbleness between all the players and community,†Young said.
Young’s placings in Smash tourna- ments has been fairly well, but accord- ing to him that’s not what matters.
“Every tournament I’ve been to I’ve brought back something with me,†Young said. “Not only do I bring back a little bit of cash, but also I learn how to better my game and learn new approaches when it comes to my opponents.â€
Over the years, Young has devel- oped a strong mindset that helps him with competitions.
“I may not be the greatest player, considering I can’t practice as much since school is in session, but when I walk into a tournament atmosphere, I know I’m the best,†Young said.
According to Young, throughout his career he’s been in many uphill battles. Regardless of the position he’s in, he always keeps a steady head and knows that at any second he can take advan- tage of his opponent’s tendencies and comeback.
“I love the fact that there’s such a human factor to Smash,†Young said. “Smash is all about creativity and accessing millisecond situations, and I love it.â€
Wes Price – Halo Series
Imagine working your entire ado- lescent life for one thing. Most folks throughout high school and into the early years of college are only focused on their GPA or trying to find a good job, so they never find that passion. Wes Price, however, found his calling within the Halo series and has won big money from it.
“Winning a tournament with a prize of $100,000 can be overwhelming at first... To be hon- est, I really didn’t care about the money though. My biggest goal was to be the national champion, and I had a passion for the competition as well.†- Wes Price
In 2009, Price won the Major League Gaming Halo National Championship, which has a $100,000 prize and the bragging rights as being the one of the best in the game.
“Winning a tournament with a prize of $100,000 can be overwhelming at first,†Price said laughing. “To be hon- est, I really didn’t care about the money though. My biggest goal was to be the national champion, and I had a passion for the competition as well.â€
When asked about his fame, Price knew that the championship was just the start. “I enjoyed every minute of it [win- ning the tournament], and even people today still recognize me, which I find pretty shocking considering it was over five years ago,†Price said. “I just think if you can balance school, gaming and not getting in over your head, you’ll be okay.â€
Price has continued to stay con- sistent through his Halo career, with multiple tournament wins and many other accolades. But now he’s focusing more on the broadcasting aspect of Halo eSports. Price will be casting and commentating the next big Halo tournament for newly released Halo 5 in Daytona Beach, Florida, and hopes for a prosper- ous future within the broadcasting side of gaming.
Joey Carpenter – Gears of War & Owner of Carnage eSports
With such an enormous audience, eSports needs organizations that help push the best players out to tourna- ments and independent advertisers. Joey Carpenter, another U of M com- puter science major, has traveled the United States competing in Gears of War contests. He sponsors big name players within the Call of Duty scene helping them get to tournaments and make their own brands.
“I started off playing ‘Gears’ com- petitively and found some success, but I really enjoyed owning my own orga- nization that gave players a platform to make their names bigger,†Carpenter said. “Carnage eSports was founded under the idea that we want to assist players make their dreams come true.â€
Carpenter’s career in Gears began to fade away as the series fell off the com- petitive scale, but he soon found that there were plenty of other opportunities within the booming Call of Duty scene.
“I started off with my own orga- nization, The Impact Capitol, and it saw success. However, I soon got offers from the folks at Carnage and began to make moves,†Carpenter said. “Ever since I’ve been an owner of Carnage, we’ve had great success within the Call of Duty sphere.
We place top 16 or higher at every tournament out of hun- dreds of teams and saw quick success.†Not only has the rise of Carnage been very plentiful for Carpenter, but it also opened many doors.
“Someday I hope to make a career out of this,†Carpenter said. “Give eSports another three years, and I can guarantee that we’ll be a household name within it.â€
Solutions Ryan McKay – Dota 2
Dota 2 is right next to League of Legends when comparing the mass audience and money behind it. The finals for Dota in 2014 had a $10 mil- lion prize pool with $5 million for first. That’s more money than some profes- sional athletes make their entire lives.
Ryan McKay, U of M accounting alumnus, was present during those finals, but unfortunately, didn’t com- pete. Regardless, McKay was close to making the top 16 qualifications and got a free ticket to the festivities.
“I’ve been playing Dota for a long time, and after being in that arena filled with fans, fellow competitors, and other folks, I knew that eSports is about to blast off at an alarming rate,†McKay said.
McKay has traveled from the East Coast to the West Coast in pursuit of the Dota fame, and saw success inside and outside the game.
“Not only have I won money from Dota tournaments, but also my video game skills helped me attract my wife,†McKay said with a laugh. “In all serious- ness, the game has given me a fresh out- look on life especially when it comes to the different people I’ve met throughout my journeys.â€
McKay has been able to travel thanks to the sponsors he obtained.
“I was sponsored by a gaming company called Loaded, that later got bought out by Evil Geniuses, which is one of the biggest eSport organizations in the world,†McKay said. “I was able to sample new tech and my travel expens- es were all paid for. It was an incredible experience to say the least.â€
