Preparing for MLG and NCR Weekend
So this upcoming weekend is a pretty big weekend for Fighting Games. On one hand you have the first FGC Major for SFxT with an incredible line up of some of the best USA players for Capcom Fighters and also what should be some great KOF XIII action in Norcal at NCR. On the other side of the country you have MLG, one of the biggest eSports Event organizations showcasing their poster boy StarCraft 2 but what’s even more important is that it has for the first time ever not one but three Fighting Games including in their lineup. I’m really excited for the possibilities and outcomes of both events, but today I want to talk more about MLG and what can hopefully come out of their lineup of Fighting Games with some of the largest pot prizes in FG history.
Everything below is my opinions and thoughts on what Can MLG Do right for the FGC and vice versa.
Times are changing:
Times are definitely changing, while I never agree with the term esports (I prefer the term Competitive Gaming.) there has never been more interaction between different evolving communities then there is now and I think most of us continue to play any competitive game because of the other great people we meet through online play or in person at any gaming event. With the Fighting Game boom continuing to grow other gaming events are taking notice especially from the eSports world. Use that to our advantage and show them how great our community is and take from them what we can learn. If we just let them come in and pick up our games they probably won’t succeed in the long run, but don’t make this a reason to try and give them any negative light. We can only grow if we build bigger and better bridges. That’s something I now see after recent events and connections made to do my best to be a part of it and help things in the FGC grow for the better. We don’t have to sell out souls to become even more successful but we could use a little cleansing from time to time of those that may bring us down, but we will keep doing what we enjoy and that’s playing Videogames. That’s what 99% of us in eSports, FGC, Gaming, Pokemon Catching, DDRing and so forth love to do, why not start to mix and match a little bit and show people from other scenes what they may be missing out on.
It’s in the Game:
MLG has hosted Tekken 6 before and from people who attended said it was a positive experience, however continued support for Tekken 6 was dropped from MLG. Now, MLG has a big chance to help bring more exposure to what people considered overshadowed games because of the Capcom Fighters out there. Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur V and King of Fighters XIII have brought new life to all things not Capcom for fighting games. These games have always been supported by either EVO, and now they have a chance to draw in outside attention, which could be tough but with the recent reaching out to the FGC and pulling in some big names in those sub communities, MLG has taken the first step into actually trying to get things right. Althought I don’t think success can happen overnight, but regardless of turnouts at this first MLG, if they try and stick with it and try to grow the fighting game scene more than once, then heads will start to turn and give MLG a bit more respect.
Timing is Everything:
As a previous victim of running an event on the same weekend as another (CEO 2011 and Revelations), it’s never fun to have to compete for people to travel to your event. So NCR and MLG are on the same weekend, there’s no turning back now, luckily they are on 2 different sides of the country so while a few big named pros will be missing from either event, generally those who have a means to attend an event will visit one closer to their geographic location. However, MLG’s biggest mistake which is more of just how things work when it comes to Business is not giving enough players to plan and know that their favorite game is being featured. Most of the FGC had over 7 months to play for Final Round, MLG Columbus around a month’s notice was given for KOF and SCV. No matter how big the prize pot, I’d say the majority of any fighting game scene have day jobs, school and so forth so planning a trip on such short notice is just not in the cards. Hopefully this event is a success and MLG learns from the timing mistake and can be a bit more transparent for players and Fighting game fans to plan to attend the next MLG event that will hopefully host some fighters.
Money isn’t Everything:
Who doesn’t want to win thousands of dollars in a single weekend for playing at their best in a particular game, but Money wasn’t what was built the success of EVO, CEO, NCR and tons of other FGC events, it is the experience. MLG has a chance to show some of the more persuasive and loved players/commentators that are attending Columbus that they have the potential to add more events and experiences for fighting game fans, but unless MLG makes a few changes that I will list below to create more accessibility at their events it may take a little longer then normal. People don’t keep coming back to events for the money but the experience and the people they meet.
Interaction is Key:
One of the biggest reasons I attend other gaming events is the people and most importantly the interaction via casuals. When I attended MLG Orlando (http://www.ceogaming.org/blog/36-blog/147-mlgorlando2011) I had a great time mostly because I had friends I knew there and some FGC pals in attendance, but what I noticed was a severe lack of casual setups later in the day. I know during pretty much all FG events Casuals are a big draw and it gives people a chance to interact and play others online. This is the first big step MLG can take into getting more appeal not just from competitors but people that haven’t had an interest in Fighting Games before but now have a chance to learn a few things in person during an event and take home with them an experience or at least more interest. Being this is the first event it’s not going to be an overnight success but for those that attend will gladly share their experiences through social networking and it could gather more interest down the road.
MLG is not a community, it is a Business:
One thing most already understand that MLG is like a middle man, that puts on great shows but also builds it’s events through successful advertising and corporate money. That is more of a difference and not a fault between MLG and the FGC that is built from personal investments and dedication. This doesn’t mean you as a player shouldn’t give an MLG event a shot, if you can make one I highly suggest you do and support your favorite game there, It can only help everyone in the long run and not hurt the scene if MLG learns to support some of the FGC events and expand their reach. I can tell you though if they can’t reach out to us with communication in planning future events then it will continue to hurt them and not us in the long run because no matter what all of the FGC events you see today will be around for the long term. So with that in mind if you want to make the big bucks, take advantage of the chance even if it’s a short term thing, cause I can see most of the winners at MLG events using that money to continue to support their respective scenes and make it easier on them to travel to more events.
Rules are Rules:
While I personally don’t agree with the Continuation Rule that MLG has used for many years now you have to understand they’re weird yet sensible reasoning behind it. They want to create dramatic storylines that people outside of the community can understand, so if you’re the one that has to win a ton more matches to come back in Grand finals or later in the tournament, they can flip that into a great comeback story. FGC has been accustomed to Simple Double Elimination in ages and it works, but it’s no use fighting a rule that MLG wants to keep to be different. When the PDP National Tournament last year forced everyone to use their sticks it did alienate a ton, but it’s for marketing purposes and in the end the best players sucked it up, adjusted and won big. My best advice to you to avoid this rule is just play your best and win. Other than that MLG has listened to the FGC and Arturo Sanchez to adjust rules accordingly per game so they aren’t completely out of the loop. They are also very extensive in their rulesets so be sure to study up cause you may see a few things that have always been common sense in the FGC but are enforced and put in place by MLG.
MLG is reaching out:
They’ve hired a few of the FGC’s rather well known people such as Arturo Sanchez to help direct Fighting games and bridge the gap and help explain how MLG runs things. Also getting dedicated Commentators for their respective communities such as Tim Fennessey for Soul Calibur, Ryan “Fubarduck” Harvey and JuiceBox Abel will help stream monsters have someone they can identify with because most previous eSports events haven’t exactly put on the most exciting of commentary that people are used to when watching FGC events. So this is a good start. Via Social Networking MLG Adam has been a bit more approachable than past years and I know my success with CEO is because I’ve been transparent and always at the ready to answer any questions. Little things like that can go a long way to build a connection with your supporters so they know that you directly care about everyone’s concerns.
I could really go on and on but most of this is stuff you’ve maybe already read or heard but I’m willing to give MLG another chance after talking to most of the guys that run things. Yes they want a piece of the recently successful pie that started with Street Fighter 4, but they’re giving an opportunity to grow smaller scenes in the FGC and if we keep a positive mind it can hopefully only help us grow, more exposure is good exposure.
Lessons to be learned for next time:
Assuming everything is a success on the MLG side of things and turnout is good I'm sure they'll run fighters at a future event, and if I'm wrong then people will have every right to make valid complaints again as to why Fighting Games do not work out with eSports. I hope things go well but to be successful for next time MLG should simply, try to announce things as soon as possible, do not date overlap with a EVO seeded event, offer more casuals to Fighting Game players, and continue to pick the right people to add their FGC flair to any event. If they can follow just those few steps I think they can do positive things that we can learn from and hopefully they do.
You as a player/fan have a choice:
To end this I just wanna say it’s definitely too late to suggest to you which event you should attend this weekend NCR or MLG. If you can’t attend either You can stream monster both events for free, I know I’ll honestly be watching both. NCR because I want to see some SFxT Tech, and MLG because I want to see if they can represent us the right way and they are dedicated a stream on their website for all the fighters for future reference. For the future, it’s up to you what you want to attend, most likely you’ll go where your friends are going to go because our friends and games with the same interest is what keeps this community so strong and fun.
Important Links and things to know about this coming weekend:
www.norcalregionals.com will be streamed on www.twitch.tv/iplaywinner
MLG streaming and information is all here http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/broadcast-streams-at-the-winter-championship/
Be sure to check out all the action feel free to comment below on your experiences at previous MLG events and what you may think happen as an end result of 3 fighters being included at MLG. Oh and don't bother trying to see what Gems are powerful in SFxT this weekend cause they're banned at NCR.
