Can Video Games Become the Next Great Spectator Sport?

 

In this video, the host argues that video games, mainly those involving massive amounts of players on teams playing in a map against each other, will eventually become a world-wide spectator sport. He argues that South Korea has already sold out arenas for League of Legends tournaments, and the interest could do the same here in the US. He also compares modern athletes to these players, who use their quick reactions and swift motions in order to execute a game-plan and try to win. Not only that, but he also tells of the story aspect behind spectator sports, and our obsession as viewers to follow certain teams or people based on region, interest, and history.

When first posted in June of 2013, Idea Channel probably did not know how correct they would be in this video. ESports has expanded greatly to the US, selling out arenas across the country, and even gaining notice from ESPN, the nations leading provider for sports. ESPN provides the vital information to us as spectators for matches, stories, and the outcomes of events in the same way that someone like Lebron James and would be covered.

Because of ESports, there has been in increase in interest in online battle arena games evolving from other video game universes, spawning gigantic tournaments and sell-out events all over the world, and taking what was once just played among friends in their living rooms and expanding it to a legitimate sport.

What Do Santa and Wrestling Have In Common?

In this video, the host, Mike, discusses the idea that the childhood wonder and belief in Santa Clause around Christmas time and the celebration of him is extremely similar to that of the belief in professional wrestling. He argues that, when we are children, we come to believe the idea of Santa Clause as a person as told generationally, most notably his appearance in “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”. As his image and appearance has been passed down, the children who once believed in him find out the truth about his nonexistence and become adults. But why continue the lie to the next generation?

Mike then compares the adults who once believed in Santa to the community of wrestling fans. He states that a true fan of the sport of wrestling sees anything but wrestling. Wrestling is more of a drama than a sports competition by those who may have once believed in its authenticity.

In this video, the host, Max, chronicles the wrestling career of a character as told in the universe of what is seen on tv. In the end, he explains that “humans crave melodrama”, explaining that pro wrestling is not a competition like UFC, but it is instead more of a story following characters that just so happen to fight.

The wrestling fans stay as fans, not because of the lie that they believed, but the understanding of what it represents. Where wrestling is a drama, Santa can be seen as a sign of the season of giving. He becomes more of a cultural symbol than an actual person as we get older because we come to appreciate all that it takes to make “Santa” as a person real.