How Pro Gaming Will Change World of Warcraft

1up has a piece looking at the impact that commercial support of WoW Arena teams might have on the game. There are already two teams backed with corporate money, both pulled from prominent PvP guilds in the Bloodlust battlegroup. "It's a challenge to pick teams to sponsor in WoW's PvP: 'The same team that may be ranked #2 or #3 in one Battlegroup may be ranked #1 in another," said Stephen Schoder of Check Six. "this makes the proposition of scouting out the right team more difficult than most other competitive eSports. The arena system in World of Warcraft is much more complicated than the simplistic FPS and RTS games in terms of being able to immediately pick up on what is going on.'"

Sponsored gaming... the end is coming

[Kranfer]

While I don't doubt that these people are having fun playing WoW and all that, but I need to ask... isn't going just a little too far to get corporate sponsorship for a game guild? I mean come on, just have fun playing the game, why do we need to commercialize the gaming worlds that are out there? I just find it sad. What is going to come next, McDonalds ads inside my D&D Books, and dating ads in the middle of Star Trek XI when it comes out? I mean come on...

Sports?

[Anonymous Coward]

Please. Lets not go there.

It's a game.

But WoW is an MMO!

[Kirin Fenrir]

In an RTS or FPS...Counterstrike, for example, the playing field is always even (or close to). Teams start out with the same cash, same basic pistols, and the same list of equipment options. Any advantage that one individual gains over another is pure skill, or blind dumb luck. And you can't really get rid of blind luck.

WoW, on the other hand, is an RPG, where victory often means having the right 'spec' (character build) or gear to beat your opponent. And this is not chosen at the start of the match, this is built up over months (or years!) of playing the game. You can be a better player than Jonny549, but he has that [Crown of Destruction] and full Teir 2 set while you don't, so the odds are atrificially stacked in his favor. Not because he's better, not because he's done better in previous rounds...but because he got lucky on a few loot drops or has more free time.

WoW is still an RPG, where gear and character builds can overcome skill. It's a horrible choice for competative play, especially with sponsors promoting the 'skill' of the victor.

Sponsoring?

[zyl0x]

Sponsoring a WoW arena team is like sponsoring a math team. WoW has little skill involved in the game, hence why so many people are able to get into it. The game is all about numbers. Make sure your numbers are higher than your opponents. That's pretty much it. You don't cast fireball spells in any special way. You just cast the highest rank fireball spell you have. You don't have to aim at your targets. Critical damage is inflicted based on a die roll.

This post isn't meant to tear WoW apart. It's a decent game, and a lot of people have a lot of fun playing it. I used to as well. But corporate sponsorship for arena teams? How does that affect the team at all? I guess they could pay their rent so that they don't have to go to work anymore. Leaves more time for raiding, which is really the only thing that makes your character stronger in WoW: time spent raiding.

Re:make it open to spectators

[Vexor]

I think he means more like a Guild Wars thing. Where you can jump in and view any of the higher ranked pvp matches as a spectator "ghost" from anywhere. As well as chat with other spectators about who's kicking ass and who is biffing it horribly in that specific game.

Re:It wont last

[FiveRings]

Seems silly to me to start a sponsorship two years into the games lifespan when it's population is dropping like flies

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6167808.html [gamespot.com]

Clearly, being a top 10 game two years after launch is indication that "it's population is dropping like flies".

Expenditures vs. Rewards

[twoallbeefpatties]

I'm a major company. I spend billions of dollars on advertising every year. I give five people $40K apiece so they can quit their day job and do nothing but play WoW and build up for their 5-man arena team, and I've just spent $200K to have my company's name seen by the people who play the most popular game in the world. Worth it?