Valve's 'Free to Play' Documentary

[raunchyrick]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-RKqGaNq-Y

Has anyone else watched this? I think the documentary shines a lot of light on the people who take competitive gaming so seriously. While I am uncertain about someone's claim in the documentary that eSports will be more popular than football in 15 years, it certainly seems like it's growing traction outside of the US. What I found most interesting about this documentary is that in so many ways this story parallels skateboarding's roots. How nobody really took it seriously and only weirdos were doing with little pay or opportunities for compensation from their efforts.

Would love to hear other peoples thoughts about this film.

[foureyedjim]

I think competitive gaming is kinda stupid, but then again, I take riding around on a piece of wood pretty seriously so why not right?

[Thrillho]

10 years ago, competitive gaming wasn't even a thing.

What?
Twin Galaxies?
Atari was holding competitions for grands back in the 80's.
Nintendo had the same thing.  After that, it went mostly to PC stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXw6BkZ-gdY

Carmack was giving away Ferraris at QuakeCon back in 96'.
Fatal1ty was putting out promodel motherboards.
Billy Mitchell has his own brand of hotsauce.

As for it challenging actual sports, I don't think so.  They're two different things.

I'm not sure about what they meant by "popular".  I assure you more people played
a game of Madden than played a game of actual football going back since the first one came out.

I'd say it's closer to people playing chess mixed with a touch of Hungry Hungry Hippos behind a veil of
digitally animated action.

Also, the comparison of it to skateboarding, eeeh...
Games are all about rules and objectives.
The professional skate world sets rules and objectives for its "competitors",
but there are guys that don't go by the rules who still make it.  Skating, in and of itself,
is more like making a game than playing one.  If you don't want to learn anything new,
if you don't want to try something difficult, if you don't want to skate with anyone else,
then you don't.

I dunno, not trying to ramble.  Never saw the documentary.
Valve has a lot invested in game culture.  They don't just make games, they own
their own digital store and are trying to put out a console.  So, sure they want to promote
the lifestyle and honorable struggle as much as possible.

[foureyedjim]

good point.
all I'm saying is that competitive gaming is like skating in that it has very little benefit to much outside their own scene and they're seen as things you give up when you get older.  The "rules" of each are different, but they're both very relatively self contained industries.

[L33Tg33k]

South Korea is weird.

[raunchyrick]

Expand Quote

10 years ago, competitive gaming wasn't even a thing.

[close]

What?
Twin Galaxies?
Atari was holding competitions for grands back in the 80's.
Nintendo had the same thing.  After that, it went mostly to PC stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXw6BkZ-gdY

Carmack was giving away Ferraris at QuakeCon back in 96'.
Fatal1ty was putting out promodel motherboards.
Billy Mitchell has his own brand of hotsauce.

As for it challenging actual sports, I don't think so.  They're two different things.

I'm not sure about what they meant by "popular".  I assure you more people played
a game of Madden than played a game of actual football going back since the first one came out.

I'd say it's closer to people playing chess mixed with a touch of Hungry Hungry Hippos behind a veil of
digitally animated action.

Also, the comparison of it to skateboarding, eeeh...
Games are all about rules and objectives.
The professional skate world sets rules and objectives for its "competitors",
but there are guys that don't go by the rules who still make it.  Skating, in and of itself,
is more like making a game than playing one.  If you don't want to learn anything new,
if you don't want to try something difficult, if you don't want to skate with anyone else,
then you don't.

I dunno, not trying to ramble.  Never saw the documentary.
Valve has a lot invested in game culture.  They don't just make games, they own
their own digital store and are trying to put out a console.  So, sure they want to promote
the lifestyle and honorable struggle as much as possible.

Well, yes, of course the nature of video games is different than skateboarding. But what I was trying to compare was the growing social scene going on. Back when skateboarding competitively consisted of backyard events full of weirdos that invested way too much time into something that society had deemed a waste of time.

[Thrillho]

I guess they're similar in that way, but that similarity is shared in essentially ever successful hobby.  You think there aren't weirdos in bird watching and trainspotting?  It's the same thing minus all the sensationalism.  Although I'm sure catching a glimpse of a Red-footed Booby is on par with doing a noseblunt down Clipper to the people that are into that shit... like John Rattray... who has probably done both.

[bricards1]

sick