> Ideally, the activeness of the community would determine what games can support professional play; bottom up, not top down. Yep and this is how it's happened

> Ideally, the activeness of the community would determine what games can support professional play; bottom up, not top down. Yep and this is how it's happened for the most successful esports. Brood War was turned into a competitive game by KeSPA with minimal support from Blizzard (and active interference later on). EVO was self-organized and had minimal outside support for a long while. Even League, which was supported by Riot from the start, had a very bootstrapped, labor-of-love feel to it, probably reflecting the actual small indie company Riot was at the start; the season 1 championships are lovingly referenced as having taken place in Phreak's basement, and the season 2 championships were an absolute logistical mess. The huge cash investment and sponsorships didn't come until way later. > Most MOBAs are way too visually complex for non-players to understand what's going on. Definitely, especially if you haven't played the games and know what items or abilities do. But at least as a spectator you have a full visual of the playing field and largely see the same thing the players see.