Recentely, coL’s founder and CEO, Jason “1” Lake was interviewed by “The Best Damn Nerd Show.” The interview asks the standard questions, but also dives into the future of esports and where he thinks it’s heading, including the rebuilding of eSports after the economies latest hit that occured in the past couple of years. Below is an excerpt from the interview:
What do you consider some of the low points in competitive gaming (events that are no longer around, new games that may have fractured communities, etc.)?
Frankly, with the demise of CGS, 2009 was a rough year for eSports. The scene was virtually destroyed in North America and had to start over. However, through the hard work of many people, the year saw some amazing events including the Extreme Masters series, MLG, and WCG. In the history of gaming there have definitely been flops and shady business. The famous CPL closed its doors amidst accusations of fraudulent prize payout practices. ESWC went bankrupt under similar circumstances.
As far as fractured communities, the most famous example would be Counter-Strike: Source’s arrival on the scene. It broke the CS community up and caused quite a bit of animosity all around. Another example would be the COD series. Basically, game developers make money by selling new games and not by having gamers be loyal to old ones. I think this dichotomy will always exist: gamers want to stay loyal to their favorites, but the developers want them to play the newer versions.
What is a “sponsor”? What role did sponsors play in pushing competitive gaming to the next level?
A traditional sponsor is a corporation that pays you money in exchange for marketing and visibility in the gaming space. The gaming demographic is highly sought after and many companies that sell products to this group view professional gaming as a good way to get exposure. The reality of eSports is that it takes an incredible amount of money to operate. Millions are spent on prize pots, travel, salaries, gear, and other operational costs. Without sponsors, groups could not afford to send 5-10 gamers to each international event and events couldn’t afford to offer attractive prize pots. Sponsors make the world of eSports turn.
The full interview can be found by clicking here