International e-Sports Federation, Secretary General, Won Suk Oh
How would it be proper to apply the concept of sports to e-sports? We must check if we are narrowing down the extension of our imagination about e-sports as we are thinking in a certain routine. If it is the fact that e-sport is currently being settled as it is initially planned, it would be showing a certain result, or providing direction or destination. However, the reality shows the scene that the pioneer sponsors who have been dedicated to the e-sports are leaving the market.
For last 10 years, we have become big-headed. It seems that we’ve already exhausted the imaginative power, was once our competitiveness. Perhaps, we have forgotten our original intention while we have comforted ourselves with the thought that we have achieved what others did in 70 or 80 years within several years. People believed that the money will follow as the market grows, but the current situation is saying ‘no’ to that. Moreover, e-sport, which was sensational 10 years ago, is not even fresh concept anymore.
We, as a mainbody of e-sport’s emergence, have been generous to ourselves; however, we might have not actually been apathetic about publishers, broadcasters, and gamers who are the core part of the e-sports. Now, many of those who are core member have left, or are willing to leave the market regardless of our supplication. Some says they do not see any hope in this field no more.
Perhaps, it would not be possible anymore to break through with simple remedy or microscopic maneuver. We may need to approach with totally different manner. How can we make publishers desire to collaborate with us? How can we attract broadcasters to eager to produce and broadcast our contents? What can we do to make sponsors line up in our front yard?
The answer may be a simple one. One would be listening to their story. We should provide the proper reason for them to hold our hands, and let them justify the long term investment or cooperation arbitrarily. Although it is not concrete, the very clear pretext and plan should be provided, which shall be designed and operated with communal participation and efforts.
Currently, sponsors rarely get attracted by simple brand exposure. In this fierce competitive market, they don’t get touched by the ambiguous concept, ‘common good’, and rather follow practical benefit such as inclination of sales or improvement of brand value. Although we invite them by any chance, we are not going to able to keep them stay continuously. What we need to do is to prove that their investment will get compensated by cooperation with us.
In the same manner, for the publishers as well, our plan shall be designed and tuned closely to convince them to assure the cooperation with us as the key of success. As cooperating in long term rather than temporary work, we should give the best shot to compensate their initial investment with long term success. Even for us, as the host of events, selecting stable and sound partner and publisher is crucial part to be considered carefully.
In case of broadcasters, not only for the advertisement business but for contents sales, we need to support them to develop global market as a partner. For global market development, it is impossible to sales contents without grasping the local culture in each country. What we can do for them is set up a connection with our member national associations and local governments. Then, we may rise as the key organization indeed.
Relation with gamers is also a part where we need to be more-minded. There are more kinds of games piled up, and the range of gamers has become broader. As we embrace variety, and develop community at the same time, we may be able to discover star players and more stories. In fact, the category of gamers is an unknown dimension, requiring more study. Such phenomena as ‘game addiction’ or ‘game immersion’ have been explored; however, study on foster measure for gamers has not been conducted yet. Now is the time to focus on gamers who are the subject of e-sports for e-sports to be settled as one stable industry.
Even if we successfully achieve to enter the boundary of custom sports with the name of e-sports, we cannot assure what we will obtain as benefits yet. There, we need certain strategy for the future. As analyzing the opportunity and threat in current situation, in order to have e-sports to survive and to be developed, we need to deeply mediate what stance we need to take for the change.
