Although it seems like e-Sports is built upon the notion that you have to be exceptional at games in order to make any sort of living, that doesn’t mean they’re completely inaccessible to newcomers. In fact, Valve believes that with its forthcoming DOTA 2 tournament in Seattle, the market can certainly be open for veterans and rookies alike.
The tournament, which carries a prize pool with over $10 million (mostly driven by community donations through purchases of exclusive DOTA 2 goods), is sure to be a big draw, but it’s also a prime opportunity for Valve to welcome new players with open arms. It’s doing so with the introduction of the Newcomer’s Broadcast.
With this new Twitch channel, explanation of how the game works in general will be provided to those who can comprehend it more on a beginner level, so they’ll understand just what they need to do, and develop necessary strategies from there. The channel will also discuss how teams are drafted, as well as why certain teams play the way they do. In other words, it’s a beginner’s guide to e-Sports in general, and a good primer for those wanting to get into the sheer addiction of DOTA 2.
e-Sports isn’t just limited to this tournament, however, as other options are available between games like League of Legends (which draws millions of gamers to tournaments every year), as well as first-person shooters like the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises, as well as classic favorites like the always go-to Counter-Strike. (Fighting games also have a big outreach, as the EVO 2K tournament will be a huge draw in Las Vegas this weekend, featuring Ultra Street Fighter IV and Super Smash Bros.) So, even if DOTA 2 doesn’t light a fire for players, one of these certainly will.
It’s definitely a good time to check out e-Sports, no matter what a player’s forte might be.
Source: Ars Technica
