The Future of Esports Playoffs

First, I'd like to begin with a small note to everyone reading. I have finally made Platinum rank in League of Legends and can now die happy. Whenever that day comes, of course (hopefully in 60+ years *knocks on wood*.) Onto today's subject, I wanted to do a little theory crafting to find the system of playoffs that best fits the LCS. So I'm gonna... right here, on my blog.

The key here is to try and find the paradigm for airing League of Legends playoff matches that will not only receive the greatest amount of revenue, but also enjoy realistic expectations of players, teams and sports venues. Certainly, the most important factor for how and when big sports like the NFL and MLB broadcast their respective games is revenue. It's the reason we see the Super Bowl lasting a whopping four hours, when most NFL games only last a little only three. Similarly, it is the reason MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, is considering adding a 20-second pitching shot clock in order to cut down game time. So why is it that when TL completed their reverse sweep of TSM it took a whopping 5 hours and 20 minutes long. Of course, there are many reasons for this result. None of which are completely impractical and strike me as heinous or wrong but let's list them anyways. Each game takes about 30 minutes which already makes up about half of the show's run time. Then throw in 5 minutes on either end of the game to cover pre-game discussion and post-game analysis. A filler 4+ minute musical break after the post-game analysis but before the pre-game discussion adds even more run time. Finally, the opening show and closing ceremony leads us to our grand total. 

The question in my mind is... can this be a practical for mainstream tv or will people simply not be able to sit through an entire best-of-five (Bo5) finals without already being a diehard League of Legends fan? And if this isn't the best system for playoffs, what is? 

To answer these questions I think it is important to first compare League to the traditional sport it is most similar, Basketball. Basketball and League are similar because they both hold playoffs not in a winner takes all, single match format, but rather in a series where teams battle in out in grueling Bo7 matchup. Sure, the MLB and NHL both similarly hold Bo7's for their playoffs, but I recently read a scholarly article that states the NBA and LCS have similar requirements for lighting and equipment. This way if anyone in the Staples Center crew reads my blog they can appreciate the link. Also I know more about the NBA so I'll stick with that for now.

With that said, I think we can all agree League shouldn't be decided by one game as the better team, on any given day, can make plenty of mistakes between champion select and the destroying of a nexus. Furthermore, best of one's offer the viewer close to a maximum of 60 minutes in terms of actual gameplay and wheres the fun in that? So with the understanding that multi-game series are probably the way to go, is an entire Bo5 on a single day the best way to broadcast League of Legends playoffs? Basketball, in contrast, plays their Bo7 series over 7 different days. While there are certainly many reason they do this, above all is the fact that fatigue limits players. One constraint League of Legends producers and players, do not necessarily have limiting them. But does this mean we need to just get it all over with over the course of a single day? The way I see it people constantly want more entertainment, but in shorter, small pockets of time. This is why Netflix is thriving, while Blockbuster is down to its last remaining store. So does grinding out an entire Bo5 series make the most sense? And sure, while all the games VODs are up on lolesports.com immediately after it ends -- who is really going to go back and rewatch games after they know the result? Not me.

"Billy it sounds like you're going to propose something... so can you just get to the damn point?" 

 I thought you'd never ask inner mind. 

What I suggest is splitting the Bo5 into 3 parts. Holding games 1 and 2 on Friday, games 3 and 4 on Saturday, and game 5 on Sunday. Of course, this is all based on the results and in some cases the series will end 3-0 after the first game on Saturday. However, at least this way you spread that Bo5 over two days. There are a few key points I would like to make in defending this proposal. First, it makes more sense than splitting each game into a separate day as renting out a venue or even setting up your own already purchased venue for just one hours worth of broadcast just simply isn't worth it. Second, can you imagine the hype leaving game 4 knowing everyone has to come back the next day for a final game. Third, this allows for more entertainment in the form of talk shows or musical guests to be shown before and after the broadcast as the entire show may only last a couple of hours on any given Friday and Saturday, while taking even less time on Sunday. Fourth, it enhances the role of the coach tenfold as they get more time in between games to plan out their pick/ban strategies and attack any holes they can point out in the enemy team's strategy.

So that's my grand plan. Let me know what you think and if you have any better ideas!

As always see you later,

Billy Von Arx

Toxicity

toxic (adj.) - extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful

What does it say about the human race when you put a large sample of us behind a screen and in an intensely competitive environment, that it results in the League of Legends community. Personally, I think it speaks to our limitless flaws and a deep resistance to all things kindness. Well, maybe I'm confusing the latter with the time I tried to get girls. Either way, without being too cynical and grim, the world inside Summoner's Rift can be a nasty one full of racism, excessive forms of mockery and much more. The thing I care about however is why.

I'm pretty sure we've all been insecure at one point or another. Had a few bad breaks that lead us to lashing out at those we might not otherwise have lashed out at. Well this doesn't come close to explaining the culture that is in our little chat box in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. I get it, you've worked really hard to improve your mechanics on Vi. You spent countless nights in normal games trying to perfect your flash q in order to surprise a squishy. Finally, the night arrives where you feel ready to take her into your promos and carry your team to victory. But what happens? A mixture of nerves and adrenaline course through your veins ruining your one opportunity to kill the opposing team's fed Vayne. And to make matters worse, your Teemo has been on a long losing streak which, to his infinitesimally small ego, could never be his own fault. So he decides now is as good a time as ever, not to bring you up, but to kick you while you're down. 

"Thanks Vi, way to lose us the game." "GG, better jg wins." 

Being the responsible role model you are, you decide not to fight back but instead use logic and reasoning to explain why Teemo is wrong.

"Your mom."

And here you have it, the very definition of a toxic community. But don't take my word for it, hop into a game of League of Legends and try to go three whole games without being scrutinized for "the worst play anyone has ever made." Everyday. 365 days a year. Welcome to our community. 

I'm not gonna pretend like I'm above it. In fact, I believe there was a moment in high school (realize I'm not even THAT young at the time) where I was chat banned for over two months. I literally had to go 60 days without being able to say so much as good luck, have fun to my teammates at the beginning of the game. And you know what? I deserved every second of it. But I have since served my time, growing up (at least a little bit) to the extent where I'm able to recognize how angrily yelling at my teammates through a keyboard won't make me feel better and more importantly, won't help my team win. So how in the face of logic and sound rationale, do human beings still let their emotions get the best of them? Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers would argue it is deeply entrenched in a southern culture of Scotland, where those who succeeded were the same herders who killed anyone that tried to steal their livestock. In fact, this held up in a 1990s study conducted at a university, testing college students and their reactions to being bumped in a small corridor.  Students from southern states reacted to the insult with more aggression, hostility and anger then did those from northern states. 

So I guess the conclusion is... everyone who plays League of Legends is from the south? Of course not. Sure, I think Outliers explains some situations and at the end of the day its all a mix of many different factors (all of which we can't possibly ever fully understand in each unique situation). But if you ask me, I'd just tell you it is part of human nature to want to do the wrong thing. Its the same reason we like to eat food even though we're full or talk badly about someone who isn't even around to defend themselves. Its not funny or fun to tell someone they're having a rough go at it but that they will turn it around soon. Yet, you know what? It's downright rewarding. And when you come back from an open nexus to win your penultimate promotion game into gold, there's very little that can touch that feeling. Anyways, here's to a species wide character shift in the next year. 

🍻

As always see you later,

Billy Von Arx

UPDATE: I HIT PLAT 😅

more to come...

Sponsorships and The Future of Professional League of Legends

Disclaimer: This is just my opinion as someone who has been devoted to the game of League of Legends but has yet to break into his own professional career. The subject for today will be sponsorship sales in Esports. 

First and foremost, I would like to discuss some of the recent sponsorships and partnerships happening in Esports as well as some of the things I would like to see happen. Sponsorships happen because there is an opportunity for a brand to monetize the attention they have been receiving by turning that attention to various products and marketing campaigns. With that in mind, Hasbro created a new nerf gun in the form of a Fortnite's gold scar. TSM's sales department saw this as an opportunity and decided to lead the promotional charge. The details of this deal were that TSM would receive a fee from Hasbro in exchange for the use of their competitive Fortnite team. The team would then appear in an international commercial. This sponsorship has my stamp of approval for so many reasons. The commercial, when it inevitably gets in front of the eyes of children, will spark demand like wildfire. All the while, TSM is getting their name in the mainstream media without even having to pay for it. These are the kinds of deals that grow brand awareness and Esports as a whole. 

On the contrary, BMW recently decided to sponsor Cloud 9. While I acknowledge that Esports fans are often more wealthy than your traditional sports fan I still struggle to see the value added to BMW when their cheapest car costs around $40,000. BMW financial analysts have clearly thought this through with more precision than my first impression and so I'm excited to see how this turns out. Maybe there is a demographic at the perfect age for splurging on a nice car? Perhaps they have yet to settle down with a family and so the lack of responsibility leaves them with a little spare change? As far as I'm concerned we'll all be driven in self-driving cars within a couple of decades. Moving on from BMW, Cloud 9 did just secure a sponsorship from AT&T which to me makes perfect sense. AT&T is going to be the official sponsor of a weekly digital show titled, "The Nines." As a long time Cloud 9 fan, I'm excited to see this drop and am hoping for more news on my favorite player, Licorice, the best top in North America.

Alas, I digress. Let us move onto some of the things I would like to see in the near future. A game by the name of Apex Legends was recently released as a sort of mesh between a MOBA and Battle Royale genre. Each character class has 3 main abilities (one passive, one regular and one ultimate) with the goal of the game being to you and your two other teammates to the bitter end outlasting all other 57 opponents. The reason I bring this game up in the first place is because of the brilliant strategy EA Games employed instantly lock up a respectable player base. EA forwent pre-release marketing and in exchange paid Tyler "Ninja" Blevins $1M in order to stream their game on opening day. A couple months into the games release and Apex Legends regularly sees a top 5 most viewed game slot on twitch.tv. This is one of the most unique business strategies I've heard of since the PC Bang in South Korea.

Every video game, regardless of size, is looking for more ways to increase their own player base. So why can't Riot come up with a creative partnership in order to spike demand. Clearly in a game like Apex Legends that spike lead to prolonged success. A game like League of Legends speaks for itself. The cerebral aspects of the MOBA genre are unlike any other mainstream video game. So find the largest online chess communities and the people posting videos on YouTube of themselves solving Sudoku. Partner with the Dendi's and AdmiralBulldog's of DOTA2 in order to get them to play League of Legends for a day. Slowly but surely, League of Legends should have a stranglehold on the market of people playing deep strategy video games. This is important to do now so that 5-10 years from now when this same market of Millennials grow up and begin raising families, Riot still has a leading share. I firmly believe the market size could double within the next 10 years. Looking further into this projection is the ways in which LCS will be monetized and broadcasted. As more and more people begin to watch on a regular basis, how is Riot going to make the jump towards becoming big business? It is easy to imagine Esports growing into something that is just the same as traditional sports. But I believe that's just a mirage of people projecting want they want to see. The truth is human beings are dynamic and the kind that watches Esports is a lot different than that of those who watch traditional sports. I'm not saying their isn't overlap, I'm simply saying the wants and needs are far different. And with different wants and needs come a masterfully different landscape. If you have any thoughts one what that landscape might look like, I would love to hear about it. Feel free to throw me an email and we'll chat.

As always see you later,

Billy Von Arx

  

How To Climb Ranked

Before I begin, I want to explain a bit about my League backstory and what makes me qualified to even talk about League of Legends in the first place. For one, I have a computer and working WiFi (Thanks Mom and Dad). More topical of a fact, however, is that I have spent a large portion of my life inside Summoner's Rift and believe my perspective to be unique enough that it is worth sharing. I hope you agree. 

During seasons 4 and 5, I peaked at Gold II while playing about 20 games per week. While in my early college years, I took a bit of a break only playing during season 7 where I hit low gold. Now, in my senior year of college I play anywhere between 25-30 games per week which sits me nice and pretty at Gold I. I'll keep the blog posted if I ever hit Platinum (edit: I hit Plat 2 about a month later). But barring school work, exercise and going out with my friends, I'm pretty much constantly on League.

Let's jump right into the tips I used most while climbing to the upper echelons of gold and beyond. 

Number 1. Always take responsibility for what happens in game. 

"But Billy... you only make up 1/10th of the champions in any given game." This is true. But it is also the only 10% of the game you have any control over and if you're looking to climb, it isn't going to happen by getting magically matched up with better teammates. Let's put it this way, if you artificially simulated 1000 games of League of Legends in Iron IV, Silver I or Challenger, the matchmaking system is such that if you had an exactly equal impact on the game as the enemy in your respective position -- you would come out of those games having won 500 and lost 500. Give or take a couple games. This isn't to say you can't play better than your enemy and lose or play worse than your enemy and win. I'm just pointing out that in order to climb you must consistently out perform your enemy laner and the other team.

Number 2. Main one champion.

You may have heard this tip before, but stick to one or two main champions. The reason I say this is not to bore the living hell out of you and make you hate the game of League of Legends. Rather, I'm telling you this because if you've ever mastered a champion you know you can kill creeps and fight champions in your sleep. Not having to spend mental energy on these vital aspects of the game allows you to better focus on your wave management, mini-map, other lanes, enemies item builds and the many other advanced concepts you need to learn in order to get better at the game. 

Number 3. Watch streams and YouTube videos of professionals.

One of my favorite sites to learn from is Skill Capped's YouTube channel. While watching these videos take in one or two key tips and try to focus on applying them to your next game. Once you feel like you've learned those skills to the point of unconscious competence, rinse and repeat. I cannot tell you how deep this game truly is and being able to utilize resources from different people is going to help you broaden your own skills much quicker than you could on your own. 

Also if you're anything like me, you'll probably be quite entertained. 

Number 4. Plateaus. 

This is the tough one. We've all been there. Stuck between two divisions. Doomed to a life of constant relegation and promotion that never seems to move the needle too far in any direction. Many players in Bronze refer to this as Elo Hell, but the truth is it happens at all ranks. You hit a string of what seems to be bad teammates mixed with unlucky plays that result in a brutally even mixture of wins and losses. You're not climbing and you don't know why. Well first of all, not all plateaus were made equal. There are often a two main reasons for this type of prolonged invariability within your rank. 

Reason A: You've hit your current maximum rank. Everyone knows their skill level is limited somewhere. Even if you're a challenger player there are parts of the game you haven't perfected and as such, have things to work on. When you get to that point where you're playing your best and still getting beat with any regularity, its time to study. Study the game, study what the players strategy is against you, and study whatever you can in order to improve your game. At this point, only an increase in your base skill level will carry you forward. 

Reason B: You're tilted. You can't get over a bad loss from 10 games ago. All mental injection you've tried to employ in order calm you down has been thrown out the window. You take trades you know you shouldn't and yell at your teammates more than you ever imagined you would. Sure, its easier to lie to yourself and ignore the reality that you aren't playing your best League of Legends. But as life often goes, the easy decision isn't always the right one. How do you fix this? Take a break. Take an extended break. Take such a long break, you have to play a normal match just to see if you still remember how to play the game. Tilting isn't the most fun ever, but playing while tilted is just a waste of your time.

Number 5. Have fun. 

If you aren't enjoying the game you happen to be spending hours at a time playing, its probably time to turn it off. Burnout is a real thing and it happens to us all. After all, we're only human. 

See you next time,

Billy

Hello

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is William Von Arx, but my friends call me Billy. I'm 22 years old and graduating from college in a little over a month. I study Sports Marketing and Management with a minor in Business. Oh and i'm going to work in Esports one day, its just a matter of when and where. And if you didn't assume this already i'm also a gamer. My hobby (borderline obsession) started at an early age with games like Madden and FIFA. Then when my mother allowed it I began playing games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Finally, a game called League of Legends crossed my path and the rest was history. As you can tell by the title of my blog, that's also going to be mostly what I talk about here.

So if that interest you, maybe you should hang a while.

I'm not gonna limit myself to anything specific in regards to League. I might talk strategy one day and then transition into why I think we have one of the most toxic player bases in all of gaming. Or discuss the reasons why female gamers are few and far between before diving into the pivotal parts of Riot's professional scene that make it one of the best out there.

So it begins...

See you next time,

Billy