In the last few weeks, I've come across multiple articles
talking about the influence of social media in eSports, each one adopting a
different point of view. A great deal has been written about the departure of
Amazing, Dexter and Thorin from their respective structures and, in the end, it
all came down to the pressure caused by social media. With the explosive growth
of eSports, social media is truly a third power, and it can influence the
career of professionals in the field. But as eSports are a worldwide phenomenon
and couldn't exist without the internet, social media is a part of this model
and can't be rejected. I wanted to discuss the pros & cons of this model
and how it could possibly evolve.
We've never been so close to our public figures.
Many share the opinion that eSports have created a new way
to interact with public figures, professionals, players, game editors and even
tournaments promoters; and that it allows everyone to have a role in this big
adventure. It's the truth. We have never been so close together with the
expansive use of Twitter, Facebook & Reddit. Our questions can be answered
by other passionate fans, promoters and professional players themselves. We can
ask questions, and expect quick answers. We can offer opinions and they'll be
read almost every time if they present some kind of value. We, as social media
users, have a “power” we don't have in other traditional sports where most
famous public figures are relying on PR agencies to handle their communication
and to tell them how to react to given situations. We have none of this in
eSports. Each player or professional is handling his own social medias accounts
and they give direct answers. Moreover, the streaming possibilities are endless
and pro-players appear to us “au natural,” speaking without any control and
even giving information on topics they maybe shouldn't talk about.
Is it a good model? I can't decide on my own. But it has its
perks. I believe that because players are so thankful and approachable, fans give
them respect in return. Almost every official match we're seeing crowds
cheering for great plays and players, even if they have a favorite in their
hearts. We cheer them all, and they thank us by being as close and friendly as
possible. There are few lies. It's a short distance between them and us and it
gives me a unshakable feel of joy and hope towards human kind. I've never
experienced something like this before and I believe that traditional sports
should seek inspiration in eSports, and learn that fans enjoy much more hearing
honest opinions than premade or shady ones.
Great power means great responsibilities.
In the other hand, every system has its flaws and many great
players or contributors of the field have been facing extreme amounts of social
pressure, together with work pressure, which can deeply affect their personal
lives. Because eSports are still very young, and because it gained an immense amount
of popularity in just a few years, people are still figuring out the limits of
a system almost entirely relying on social media. In traditional sports,
newspapers were here before and they adapted their system to the internet
because it became so huge it couldn't be ignored. But eSports were born because
of social media. Of course, it is not the first business that emerged due to
the internet, but it is the first sport to do so. And as we all know, sports
unleash our passions more than other things. Therefore, social media become a
double-edged sword: whenever players are performing well, we congratulate them;
whenever they are underperforming, we are telling them to get back on tracks
(often in a poor way). In the end, we are just expressing opinions as always,
but we are not expected to be heard that much and some people don't realize how
it impact the one who reads it. And viewers are not the only ones to blame.
I don't want to point fingers on people, but it is because
of this use of social media that Thorin got fired from Ongamers. But he's not
the only one to mix personal feelings and work. Is that something they should
work on? Yes and no. Yes, because you have to consider that you're talking
through social media to extremely young players. Most of them were shut-in guys
with no idea of what fame or popularity could mean, and I believe it is
extremely difficult for them to face crude remarks head-on and not feel a
thing. In traditional sports, they have decades of experience facing paparazzi,
hateful journalists, experts, etc. and they learned how to deal with it. I
don't think that's the case for eSports players yet. But you can't shut down
social media's hateful comments or journalists picking on you; and as a player
you can't be kept in a cocoon where you hear nothing. You'll have to face this
problem sometime. If Thorin was fired, it's not because a structure or a
pro-player complained, it's because at some point CBS & Ongamers felt he
would deteriorate the image of the company, period.
Yet, here we are in this Season 4 of League of Legends where
two European players went back home because they didn't feel welcome in North
America . They bowed to the media pressure, both social and
journalistic, and went back to a more comfortable environment. Who can blame
them? They are already facing extreme mental pressure on a daily basis because
of their work, with few ways to escape even more pressure as Reddit was one
Alt+Tab away. It'd be insane to deliberately add more mental pressure on
oneself, when they can escape it quite easily as their gaming level will allow
them to get back on their feet elsewhere. Nevertheless, it's still a loss for
the team they left behind. On the human side, I think it can cause or compound
several anxiety issues. It also means a third party destroyed the adventure of
a young European player hoping to live big in North America .
How would you feel if you went studying in a foreign country and a lot of
people picked on you ? I'm not sure any of us would really enjoy that trip.
I still want to be a part of this adventure.
Despite having strong flaws, I believe the eSports model still
has more benefits. Being able to feel close to public figures is something we
should hold dearly as it reinforces honesty, generosity, solidarity and the warm
camaraderie of a shared passion. That stomach churning feeling - when someone
is criticizing eSports - is something I hadn't felt before, even as a lover of traditional
sports. It's like, the people who come together through eSports are somehow
closer and more protective of themselves as a group.
Nevertheless, having a professional flee their team because
of social media pressure is quite problematic. What do you do as a team owner
when you're seeing one of your biggest players go away just because fans and/or
journalists were a bit hateful? Do you try to limit the use of social media so
they can avoid the harsh reality? I don't believe it's a solution, as at some
point they'll still read what is said and it will still hurt them. Do you try
to control it? Then you'll lose all the popularity and monetary perks that come
with an interactive sport.
For a team owner, the answer could be to allow PR firms to
handle the work and make players focus only on the game. Let them tell you when
to go see fans, when to sign stuff, when to wave, etc, but I find this truly
horrible. In the other hand, you can't be that idealistic Gale-like friend,
coming right out of Hunger Games and saying, “What if no one would bully them?
If we stop bullying them, they will feel welcomed.” Yeah, great stuff, except
it's impossible. For me, the solution would be to recruit both psychologists
and communication professionals inside the gaming structures at the sole
service of the pros. We are seeing the beginning of it with SK recruiting a sports psychologist, but it's
not enough yet.
What does a communications professional do better than a PR
agency? First, he would be part of the team and would consider only his
company's interests. He won't take care of the communication of other teams, or
even other companies, and therefore feel better integration and stronger
loyalty. Second, he would be almost all the time with teams, players and
coaches, and can understand with the help of a psychologist what are their
personality and how to take advantages out of it. They can help by highlighting
some aspects of the players personalities, developing them into true individual
beings and not the same as others; therefore making them realize their
uniqueness to boost their confidence against mass hatred.
The players who understood this at some point are very few:
Krepo, Tabzzz, Aphromoo, Kiwi, maybe Dyrus and some others. They all use their
unique traits to communicate. Krepo is the analyst/adult guy, Tabzz is really
down-to-earth and honest without being mean, Aphromoo is just plain honest and
respectable, Kiwi is crazy, and Dyrus is often “salty.” But the best part of
that combination of comm/psych would be just to be there and act as a constant
support whenever players are feeling down or unsure due to social pressure.
They could be the part of the staff which helps new players feel at home, and could
act as a relay between the head executives and them.
Of course, it'd cost some money which structures might want
to spend elsewhere, but I'd say those guys are one of the most important parts
of the infrastructure a team could want. Moreover, even if communication and
psychology are their primary mission, they could easily help on other fields
like lifestyle coach, analyst, etc.
As eSports are a new model of sports, it brings its perks
and disadvantages, mostly because of the use we are making of social media and
because of the pressure it can create towards guys who were mostly shy shut-ins
three years ago. But a new model brings also its new kind of solution. We must
take the best out of traditional sports, and out of eSports, and always be
reluctant to just copy a given model. We are already making something better,
we don't want to blew it or stop along the road.
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by Louis "Guichex" Lemeillet
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