Feb 17
I Want My WoWTV
If I can, I’d like to take a minute to tell you why the fact that Blizzard is throwing an Arena PvP Grand Championship is OMGawesome. I’m a huge fan of this idea, and it’s not because I see myself pwning my way to fame and fortune. A PvP god, I’m not.
Blizzard is organizing a worldwide community around this competition. Its many millions-strong membership all have a passing familiarity with the fundamentals of this sporting event. And, at several millions-strong, it’s not a bad basis for a sporting league to start. The WoW community has already proven its creativity and enthusiasm in events like the XFire movie contest. I don’t imagine their enthusiasm for this PvP event will be any less.
What I find really intriguing about this concept is that we could see some well-produced video of the event. I like YouTube videos as much as the next guy, but I’ve seen what can be done with a little more professional attitude. The amazing display that was last year’s EVE TV PvP Coverage could easily be replicated with WoW’s Arena event.
Taken to the next step, what I’d love to see is some of this footage being aired on a cable network! Networks already planning to carry (or have carried) pro gaming footage in the states. Why not an event like this? It’d be a great chance to get word about the game out more, and it’d be a chance for us genre fans to enjoy some MMOG footage off of the intertubes.
Even though there’s no way I’m going to participate, I really hope the WoW tourney turns out well. And for you folks who are planning on entering: good luck!
3 comments3 Comments so far
Don’t forget the Guild Wars PVP events! They have a big built in base of contestants and the prior ones were interesting (to the five of us who paid attention).
Videos are so last year.
I want Observer Mode! WoW PvP is sport, like FPS games. You’d think something the more technically-crazy genre has had since there’s been the term “MMORPG” could find it’s way to a game where we are all voyeurs in our acquisitive nature :)
Guild Wars -
Gaaah! How could I forget the coolest game I haven’t played enough? Especially when they do Beetle Races! They should televise those.
Observer Mode -
That would be cool, but doesn’t an observer mode invite ‘cheating’? Friends in observer mode watching the opposing team, in a ventrilo channel with competitors advising them on their behavior? I know CoH offers it but … eh, I don’t think CoH’s PvP is all that important to the game.
Actually, on that note, FFXI offers a world-wide ‘observer mode’. I used to watch their live web feed all the time when I worked at my soul-crushing last job and needed a pick-me-up.