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Looking In From Outside: Competitive Gaming
Posted by vVv Rapture,
14 September 2009
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369 views
Competitive Gaming Non-Competitive Gamers Competitive Gaming vVv vVv Rapture Rapture vVv Blogsanity
What do you think of when you picture competitive gaming? Fame and glory? A fun weekend at an MLG event? Online matches? A waste of time and money?
When it comes to competitive gaming, everyone has their own opinion. Many find it to be another road to glory in this thing we call life. Some just do it for fun. Others think it is not worth their time. But, the thing that all of our opinions have in common is that, for most of us, we are competitive gamers. Posting this at vVv, I can say that essentially everyone here is, in some way, shape or form, connected to competitive gaming.
But, have any of you considered what the rest of the gaming community thinks? The people that don't out-host GB allstars and fly around the country to partake in events may not have the same views.
Thanks to my position in my school newspaper, asking people for their opinions on certain subjects is almost a daily routine. So, I took it upon myself, after thinking about the idea for this article, to ask a few people about their thoughts on competitive gaming while I was supposed to be doing my actual work.
One freshmen at my high school, who decided to be named anonymous, said, "I play with my friends , but I have no idea what Major League Gaming is. I know Halo 3 has a playlist called MLG, but I never play it. I never knew what it was."
Just a case of unawareness? Many others seemed to have the same reaction. It seems like many of them don't know much about competitive gaming past owning their friends. What about the people that do know?
"I never got into it, " said junior Garvin Wells, "it seemed like too much time. The chances of me doing anything or being successful are not there."
Another junior, Brandon Conforti, seemed to think the same idea. "Unless I'm getting the hundreds of dollars back I spent to be there, why go?"
Probably the most interesting bit I was able to collect, however, is a quote from my good friend Marco Melargno, who said, "It isn't the most welcoming of places. I was yelled at and called names more than I was invited to play games with people. They didn't care how good I was. I didn't even know if I was as good as them. They never let me show them."
What does this all mean? Well, most of us can agree that, yes, many people aren't the most welcoming in the competitive gaming community. It may all just be a waste of time and money. What does this mean to people that have been a part of competitive gaming, for better or for worse?
To be honest, from what I've seen, competitive gaming is a double-edged sword. There are times when you really just want to give up and pursue something else. But, then you have the times that you really do enjoy. Whether or not you keep going is up to you. This article isn't really meant to change people's opinions, but rather, just a different look in. Maybe it isn't so different than things you may have heard. Still nice to hear what others think.
Names and quotes taken from students of Torrington High School of Torrington, Connecticut. Consent has been given to use the names and quotes from the individuals in the above article.
When it comes to competitive gaming, everyone has their own opinion. Many find it to be another road to glory in this thing we call life. Some just do it for fun. Others think it is not worth their time. But, the thing that all of our opinions have in common is that, for most of us, we are competitive gamers. Posting this at vVv, I can say that essentially everyone here is, in some way, shape or form, connected to competitive gaming.
But, have any of you considered what the rest of the gaming community thinks? The people that don't out-host GB allstars and fly around the country to partake in events may not have the same views.
Thanks to my position in my school newspaper, asking people for their opinions on certain subjects is almost a daily routine. So, I took it upon myself, after thinking about the idea for this article, to ask a few people about their thoughts on competitive gaming while I was supposed to be doing my actual work.
One freshmen at my high school, who decided to be named anonymous, said, "I play with my friends , but I have no idea what Major League Gaming is. I know Halo 3 has a playlist called MLG, but I never play it. I never knew what it was."
Just a case of unawareness? Many others seemed to have the same reaction. It seems like many of them don't know much about competitive gaming past owning their friends. What about the people that do know?
"I never got into it, " said junior Garvin Wells, "it seemed like too much time. The chances of me doing anything or being successful are not there."
Another junior, Brandon Conforti, seemed to think the same idea. "Unless I'm getting the hundreds of dollars back I spent to be there, why go?"
Probably the most interesting bit I was able to collect, however, is a quote from my good friend Marco Melargno, who said, "It isn't the most welcoming of places. I was yelled at and called names more than I was invited to play games with people. They didn't care how good I was. I didn't even know if I was as good as them. They never let me show them."
What does this all mean? Well, most of us can agree that, yes, many people aren't the most welcoming in the competitive gaming community. It may all just be a waste of time and money. What does this mean to people that have been a part of competitive gaming, for better or for worse?
To be honest, from what I've seen, competitive gaming is a double-edged sword. There are times when you really just want to give up and pursue something else. But, then you have the times that you really do enjoy. Whether or not you keep going is up to you. This article isn't really meant to change people's opinions, but rather, just a different look in. Maybe it isn't so different than things you may have heard. Still nice to hear what others think.
Names and quotes taken from students of Torrington High School of Torrington, Connecticut. Consent has been given to use the names and quotes from the individuals in the above article.
