Everything creative changes. Hopefully, they’re evolutions; a step towards making a product (league, etc) better. Sometimes they’re not, and the Law of Unintended Consequences makes sure the process isn’t flawless. But for anybody that’s writing off the CGS as a failure, or bad for eSports: it’s time to realize that that the CGS isn’t a permanent condition; it’s a living thing.
Part of the problem that leads to people writing off the CGS is people have terrible memories. I mean that in the nicest way possible, because it applies to me, too. We remember things differently than they actually were, especially when change happens over a long period of time. When you’ve gradually moved between the first and second season of Scrubs, you don’t notice the different lighting, or the new camera angles. In your mind, you remember the first season with the same style as the second. The same goes for Star Trek episodes, or any TV show.
For a clear picture, we can look at Penny Arcade. I’ve followed them for a few years, on and off, until I finally got hooked a few months ago. I check it religiously now. I can’t think of an easier way to show you the creative evolution.
The craziest thing is that, if you followed their comics from the start, you wouldn’t realize just how big the overhaul was. The differences are only clear when you juxtapose the comics.
Things aren’t that easy with eSports, unfortunately. It’s not just a lighting change, or drawing a character’s hair differently; leagues are trying to change whole thought processes and years of history. It takes a lot of time and effort to get people to change the way they think, and when you’re trying to broaden your appeal to a demographic you’ve never reached before, or bringing something into a new medium (e.g. television), it’s bound to be a rough process.
But the CGS has to make those changes. It’s absolutely essential. Competitive gaming, as it stands, has almost no appeal to anybody outside of the competitive community. It’s such a niche market that even people that play video games don’t know how deep it runs; I have too many friends that played CoD, MechWarrior, or other games like that, and even joined clans, but would be floored to hear that there are leagues with player salaries.
CGS has to reach those people. It’s the closest market – the next logical step. And that means they have to make changes, because whatever we’ve done in the past clearly hasn’t worked. The sickest part is that everybody wants to label the CGS as a failure or bad for eSports because of all the changes they’ve made. In short, we’ve lost perspective.
People complained about how 1.6 was bad for competitive play, and now people are actually saying it’s a “perfect” game. They also complained about 1.5. And they especially complained about Source, but eSports hasn’t died since 1.6 started falling off the North American scene, has it? There’s still a $50k Source tournament at the CPL. The CGS started. CEVO is just as popular as it used to be. The only negative effect Source had on the scene, that I can think of, is splitting the community into two groups.
Or, in other words, you just can’t be sure how these things will turn out. The problem isn’t that the CGS is making all these rule changes or using Source. If 1.6 was a better option, they’d use it. If the rules end up being a hindrance, they’ll change. But if both of those things end up as positives, then isn’t that what everybody wants? We want eSports to go mainstream, and anything that helps us reach out to new places is a step in the right direction.
Luckily, you don’t have to take my word for any of this. Leagues have done exactly these changes before. I’m going to use the NBA as an example, but I’m sure you could find a huge list of changes for the NFL or MLB, as well. Here’s the full list, but I’ll hit the highlights – things that changed the way the game is played, or clearly show the evolution in progress.
1946-47
• Zone defenses outlawed on January 11, 1947.
1951-52
• Lane widened from six to 12 feet
1954-55
• The 24-second shot clock is introduced.
1964-65
• Lane widened from 12 to 16 feet
1974-75
• The “force out” rule is clarified as incidental contact near a boundary line, which causes a player to commit a violation or go out of bounds, and neither team is responsible for the action. The offensive team retains possession.
1976-77
• The “force out” rule is eliminated.
1977-78
• Any field goal that, in the opinion of the officials is intentionally scored in the wrong basket shall be disallowed.
• The 24-second shot clock shall be reset to 24 seconds on all violations, as well as after a zone warning.
• Number of referees officiating game increased from two to three.
1978-79
• Rolling the ball on the floor from out of bounds now allowed; penalty of loss of possession eliminated.
• The three-point field goal is tried in pre-season.
1979-80
• Three-point line established 22 feet in the corners extending to 23 feet, nine inches at the top of the key.
• Number of referees officiating game reduced from three to two.
1982-83
• After the ball is out-of-bounds, the team, not the official, shall designate a player to make the throw-in.
1988-89
• Number of referees officiating game increased from two to three.
1994-95
• Shortened the three-point line (22 feet in the corners extending to 23 feet, nine inches at the top of the key) to a uniform 22 feet around the basket.
• “Clear path” rule changed to include contact in the backcourt. If a defender, grabs a player when the player has a clear path to the basket on a breakaway, two foul shots will be awarded.
1997-98
• The three-point line, 22 feet from the basket, lengthened to its original distance of 23 feet, nine inches, except in the corners, where the distance remained 22 feet.
Some highlights, in case you skimmed it: they played for three decades before the three-point line was used in the preseason, almost ten years before a shot clock was introduced, and made rule changes, then eliminated the whole rule a couple years later. I mean, can you imagine basketball without a shot clock? If you think Kobe dribbles too much now, just think if he didn't have to drive until he was totally ready. You think he'd ever pass to Kwame Brown?
I could go on, but I think you get the point – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
No, the problem isn’t that the CGS is going to be static. Even if you think the CGS is bad for eSports now, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be that way forever. In fact, if history tells us anything, it won’t be that way, just like the NBA, MLB, the NFL, or anything else that has to evolve with time, looks completely different.
The problem is that the CGS might have lost too many supporters because they took one look and made up their minds.
