While watching LCS on the TV at my parent’s house one afternoon my mom sat down and started watching and I started to explain what goes on in the game and what is important to winning the game. She didn’t really know what was going on but having watched me play sports she understood what moments were exciting when she saw my enthusiasm rise during important team fights and suspenseful moments. It was great having her be open towards the idea of esports and want to learn but then the match ended and this came on. I noticed she didn’t get up like is usual at my house when a commercial comes on during a sporting event.
After the piece ended she said to me “That’s really nice how
they have these stories, it makes them relatable.” It really started me thinking
how great these really are for the scene and help it to expand into mainstream
culture. These types of features show how gamers are all different types of
people who come from all different backgrounds. Saintvicious was in the navy,
Vileroze has a wife and child, and Zionspartan was finishing high school just
to name a few of the different stories we have seen. Making the players relateable is what will be the hook that will bring those who might not play the game interested. As I said above my mom might not know a single thing about the strategy
or technique behind what makes a good League of Legends player. One thing she
does know is how to be a person and how to relate to people, its something we
all share.
These three stories give a wide base that allow people to relate to the players as people and become more interested in them outside of their play. They will be one of the biggest things to help to push esports into the mainstream culture and help to continue its explosive growth with people who identify as gamers and with those who don't. By being inclusive to all people esports will be able to attract those people that might be hesitant or not understand the game.
I feel that the biggest problem with athletes today in some professional sports leagues is that they are painted as these heroes or saviors of a city and made to be a "larger then life figure" when in reality they are no different from anyone else in the world. Remembering that although someone may be good at baseball they have to put one foot in front of the other every morning just like everyone else. This is where the LCS is being great and not only keeping the players grounded but also reminding the fans that these players are no different from anyone else. Maybe even one day someone watching the features about one of these players might be in the LCS and have a feature about themselves.
The players in LCS are no different from those in any other traditional sport, they all have to work hard and make sacrifices to get to where they are. With features like these it shows how esports helps to reach so many different people and brings together such a diverse group of players and fans. Everyone has stories that define them and their path to the professional scene and that’s one of the most important things to remember.
These three stories give a wide base that allow people to relate to the players as people and become more interested in them outside of their play. They will be one of the biggest things to help to push esports into the mainstream culture and help to continue its explosive growth with people who identify as gamers and with those who don't. By being inclusive to all people esports will be able to attract those people that might be hesitant or not understand the game.
I feel that the biggest problem with athletes today in some professional sports leagues is that they are painted as these heroes or saviors of a city and made to be a "larger then life figure" when in reality they are no different from anyone else in the world. Remembering that although someone may be good at baseball they have to put one foot in front of the other every morning just like everyone else. This is where the LCS is being great and not only keeping the players grounded but also reminding the fans that these players are no different from anyone else. Maybe even one day someone watching the features about one of these players might be in the LCS and have a feature about themselves.
The players in LCS are no different from those in any other traditional sport, they all have to work hard and make sacrifices to get to where they are. With features like these it shows how esports helps to reach so many different people and brings together such a diverse group of players and fans. Everyone has stories that define them and their path to the professional scene and that’s one of the most important things to remember.
I know the team at Riot has some great stories that they
could talk about and with World Championships coming up I can’t wait to see
what they come up with next!
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