Like a G6!

If children’s TV shows have taught us anything, it’s that things are easier and work better when people work together. Yet, looking at the history of eSports, one would think that the major players involved had never been allowed watch these shows. Instead, they may have been reared on documentaries about conquerors; people who looked out for themselves and were fascinated with the idea of conquest and dominance.

Traditionally, one league or tournament would pick a game, set rules or choose maps, and others would be expected to fall in line. The players expected it, the fans expected it and of course the decision makers demanded it. Those who attempted something different were questioned and berated until they submitted and joined the idea of the “perfect set of conditions”.

There were two problems with this scenario. Firstly, particular organisations held the power and set the tone. This meant that nothing changed. It was very easy for things to become stale. Meanwhile, the world looked to the east as Starcraft took Korea by storm, even changing map pools along the way. However, one central organisation held power there with people signing up to the changes. In the west, those who tried to change rules or maps did so alone. It must be asked if they were hoping to steal away some of the market from others.

However, there could be a new, wacky idea of co-operation about to take the world of eSports by storm. Game choices have been replicated across tournaments for some time. This is simply a numbers game, as outlined by Head of Competition of Games Solutions (ESWC), Camille Versteeg. Other tournament settings can act as a wild card. Maps, bracket layouts, sudden death settings and playoff stipulations can court controversy or rile forum members up the world over.

With Counter-Strike 1.6 still rumbling on, many of the same maps have been played to death. Some maps have become no more than plain football fields that some teams have made their home ground. In a sense, they know the location of every divot and every blade of grass. The top teams are already two to three steps ahead without this advantage. eSports will never have the drama of an F.A. Cup match where a Division 2 side knock out a Premiership contender if the top teams simply have to show up to win 16-0.

New maps may change this, but rather than one tournament organisation seeing this possibility a joint decision has been made. The ESL, DreamHack, ESWC and eStars Seoul have signed up to a map pool consisting of de_mirage, de_forge, de_tuscan, de_train, de_dust2, de_inferno, and de_nuke. The maps will be subject to plenty of discussion and analysis, but it is great to see a co-operative effort being made. Could this have greater repercussions for the future? Could we see a more collaborative decision making process? Have we seen the emergence of a conjoined decision making group without the need for a fancy name, title or website? One can only hope that this signifies the start of something special.