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I misread the title, thinking they were talking about Formula E. http://www.fiaformulae.com/en http://www.fiaformulae.com/en Watching other people play video g

I misread the title, thinking they were talking about Formula E. http://www.fiaformulae.com/en http://www.fiaformulae.com/en Watching other people play video games has never felt remotely appealing to me. Must be one of the things somebody my generation truly does not get.

Avenger42 9y ago
Not sure who you include in "your generation", but I'm 37 and I just spent the last 4 months or so watching a Super Metroid double-elimination tournament and enjoyed every minute of it. It also re-introduced me to several speedrunners in the community and I'm now a regular watcher and occasional streamer on Twitch.
- microtherion 9y ago
  Let's just say that by "My Generation", I meant that I'm roughly as old as the Who song of that name... And I did not mean my remark in a normative way. I watch all sorts of sports, I play all sorts of video games, and I have occasionally enjoyed watching Machinima. I don't consider these activities morally superior to watching e-sports or other forms of video game streaming, I just don't see any personal appeal whatsoever in the latter.
  - arcticfox 9y ago
    I don't think it's a generational thing, I know plenty of older fans of the eSport I follow (Age of Empires 2). There are way more younger fans / players, of course, but that's true of anything about video games. In many ways, eSports are way better IMO than the traditional sports I watch: the players are more relatable, the casting is more interactive, the broadcasts are more available, the games are strategically much deeper.
wil421 9y ago
I feel the exact way! My coworker was talking about how his kid would rather watch someone play video games on YouTube. They got him he same game for whatever console and he rarely plays. I can remember when game over meant try again from the start.
- hbosch 9y ago
  Well, sure, okay. But there are millions of -- for example -- soccer fans who love watching charismatic & talented people play the game, but never find the time to take a ball out into a field themselves. Video games are very much a spectator sport.
aquadrop 9y ago
It's not just "watching other people play video games" it's watching competition. In the same sense, real F1 is not just "watching other people driving cars". I don't find appealing those youtube videos with kids just playing, screaming and swearing, but this is different thing - real competition like any other sport. It's just e-sports becoming real thing these days, anyway sports is just a process of inventing artificial barriers and overcoming them, nobody said it can't be done using computers.
- brusch64 9y ago
  I do understand your sentiment - but I am in the same boat as the original poster. I really enjoy watching sport - but I haven't enjoyed a single eSport event I've seen. But I enjoy watching the physical aspect of sports (I mainly watch Ice Hockey and American Football), altough I enjoy the tactics in these two sports too.
Fripplebubby 9y ago
For those who haven't followed the link, Formula E is essentially just like F1 but with all-electric cars. It's a bit slower, but the competition is great, it's my personal favorite racing series. The official youtube channel uploads the full races for those interested. As mentioned in the article, Formula E also runs an e-sports version of its series. They had live e-races at every racing event last year. Unfortunately, the races were quite bad to watch - pretty much exactly like playing racing games online (everyone goes in hard at the 1st corner, lots of collisions). The F1 esports final was 10x more fun to watch, although there was some aggressive driving, they mostly drove the same way the pros do.
- bgarbiak 9y ago
  I can not disagree more. Formula E is nothing like Formula 1. I was hoping it is, even considered going to the race nearby, but then I dug more into it. In reality: it's closer to go-karts than F1 or other "racing formulas". I'm not saying it's not fun. The driver's talent is there (many ex-F1 guys there), it has an appeal of manufacturers, there's hi-tech involved. But the cars are small, slow, light, silent, and they are all the same (chassis and aero). Plus, the fan boost... Ugh. With all the big marques coming in FE will only go up in, and I hope it'll someday mature to something akin to F1 combined with Teslas in ludicrous mode. For now: any comparison to F1 is not merited.
- exDM69 9y ago
  Formula E has one huge issue: the tracks they race on. Street circuits with mostly 90 degree corners and not much overtaking opportunities. It is somewhat mitigated by the energy management aspect, where the following car can reduce their power for a while and then come back with a vengeance to grab the position. The best Formula E race I've seen was the practice race before Season 1 at Donnington Park, a real racing track with sweeping, cambered corners fast and slow, uphills and downhills and a few big braking spots that allow for overtaking. The world is full of race tracks that can't be used for Formula 1 any more, but would suit Formula E cars very well. Like Brands Hatch for example. Of course, the tracks are not usually suitable for large audiences or are at remote locations which makes it unappealing for the series from a business point of view.

Avenger42 9y ago

Not sure who you include in "your generation", but I'm 37 and I just spent the last 4 months or so watching a Super Metroid double-elimination tournament and enjoyed every minute of it. It also re-introduced me to several speedrunners in the community and I'm now a regular watcher and occasional streamer on Twitch.

microtherion 9y ago
Let's just say that by "My Generation", I meant that I'm roughly as old as the Who song of that name... And I did not mean my remark in a normative way. I watch all sorts of sports, I play all sorts of video games, and I have occasionally enjoyed watching Machinima. I don't consider these activities morally superior to watching e-sports or other forms of video game streaming, I just don't see any personal appeal whatsoever in the latter.
- arcticfox 9y ago
  I don't think it's a generational thing, I know plenty of older fans of the eSport I follow (Age of Empires 2). There are way more younger fans / players, of course, but that's true of anything about video games. In many ways, eSports are way better IMO than the traditional sports I watch: the players are more relatable, the casting is more interactive, the broadcasts are more available, the games are strategically much deeper.

wil421 9y ago

I feel the exact way! My coworker was talking about how his kid would rather watch someone play video games on YouTube. They got him he same game for whatever console and he rarely plays. I can remember when game over meant try again from the start.

hbosch 9y ago
Well, sure, okay. But there are millions of -- for example -- soccer fans who love watching charismatic & talented people play the game, but never find the time to take a ball out into a field themselves. Video games are very much a spectator sport.

aquadrop 9y ago

It's not just "watching other people play video games" it's watching competition. In the same sense, real F1 is not just "watching other people driving cars". I don't find appealing those youtube videos with kids just playing, screaming and swearing, but this is different thing - real competition like any other sport. It's just e-sports becoming real thing these days, anyway sports is just a process of inventing artificial barriers and overcoming them, nobody said it can't be done using computers.

brusch64 9y ago
I do understand your sentiment - but I am in the same boat as the original poster. I really enjoy watching sport - but I haven't enjoyed a single eSport event I've seen. But I enjoy watching the physical aspect of sports (I mainly watch Ice Hockey and American Football), altough I enjoy the tactics in these two sports too.

Fripplebubby 9y ago

For those who haven't followed the link, Formula E is essentially just like F1 but with all-electric cars. It's a bit slower, but the competition is great, it's my personal favorite racing series. The official youtube channel uploads the full races for those interested. As mentioned in the article, Formula E also runs an e-sports version of its series. They had live e-races at every racing event last year. Unfortunately, the races were quite bad to watch - pretty much exactly like playing racing games online (everyone goes in hard at the 1st corner, lots of collisions). The F1 esports final was 10x more fun to watch, although there was some aggressive driving, they mostly drove the same way the pros do.

bgarbiak 9y ago
I can not disagree more. Formula E is nothing like Formula 1. I was hoping it is, even considered going to the race nearby, but then I dug more into it. In reality: it's closer to go-karts than F1 or other "racing formulas". I'm not saying it's not fun. The driver's talent is there (many ex-F1 guys there), it has an appeal of manufacturers, there's hi-tech involved. But the cars are small, slow, light, silent, and they are all the same (chassis and aero). Plus, the fan boost... Ugh. With all the big marques coming in FE will only go up in, and I hope it'll someday mature to something akin to F1 combined with Teslas in ludicrous mode. For now: any comparison to F1 is not merited.
exDM69 9y ago
Formula E has one huge issue: the tracks they race on. Street circuits with mostly 90 degree corners and not much overtaking opportunities. It is somewhat mitigated by the energy management aspect, where the following car can reduce their power for a while and then come back with a vengeance to grab the position. The best Formula E race I've seen was the practice race before Season 1 at Donnington Park, a real racing track with sweeping, cambered corners fast and slow, uphills and downhills and a few big braking spots that allow for overtaking. The world is full of race tracks that can't be used for Formula 1 any more, but would suit Formula E cars very well. Like Brands Hatch for example. Of course, the tracks are not usually suitable for large audiences or are at remote locations which makes it unappealing for the series from a business point of view.