Written by: Heckmaister

At what point are we losing track of the scene itself?

This year has been an eventful year for esports in general. With Counter Strike Global Offensive introducing very high viewing numbers on streams, League Of Legends expanding all around the world (even introducing new tournaments in Japan) and Dota 2's The International amassing over 17 million dollars, we can say that esports is more globalized than it has ever been.

Simultaneously 2015 has been a huge year AROUND esports aswell. With the rapid increase in popularity of sites such as Alphadraft, Vulcun, Unikrn and many other betting/fantasy drafting websites, people have found another outlet to their fandom of the esports which would also allow them to potentially earn a little extra money along side watching their favorite teams/players compete. This adds another element of emotion to every game.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with these websites, (hell, in many cases I'd recommend Vulcun and Alphadraft, which have free entry tournaments for people to get started in fantasy leagues) we must address an increasing issue that is getting more and more aggravating for players and fans of the esport culture.

At what point are people becoming more fans of the money they can earn from teams rather than becoming fans of teams altogether?

Not long ago, CSGO pro player and member of the north American squad Cloud 9, Freakazoid, found himself on his stream channel on Twitch.tv with an outburst of anger directed towards people who were sending hateful comments in his direction. The trigger was a person on his Twitch stream's chat mentioning how Cloud 9's loss made him lose some CSGO skins (which can be eventually sold for actual cash on Steam's market system). The person we're talking about was also dissing on Cloud9, telling Freakazoid through the chat that Cloud9 were a bad team. After minutes of reading these comments, Freakazoid was fed up with the situation and quickly but clearly explained to said person his point of view. Freakazoid's words were very clear: If you gamble something, you better be ready to lose it. That's exactly what many of these outraged fans were not capable of. Unable to accept the loss of their possessions over a bet they willingly took, many of these so called "fans" lash out towards pro players on social media or during any of their streaming sessions when this is in no way on the player's heads.

This begs the question: Why is there so much backlash towards these players? They simply lost a game/map/match. Nobody is as rightfully frustrated as the people who lost themselves. At these moments is when the moral support from the fans of these players can help motivate them to play better and overcome the next challenge that awaits them. Every game has a winner and a loser. Seldom do you find occasions in which there is the possibility for teams to draw. Even then, those situations usually are in a league format where teams earn points over an entire season. 

Since the main audience for most esports currently is primarily teenagers and young adults, the lack of experience in life can be a factor in how they address gambling. In addition the anonymity of the internet allows people to vent the frustration of their losses towards what they believe is the "cause" of their losses. When in reality a LOT of people who gamble don't realise that the only person to blame for their gambling losses are themselves. You are never forced to gamble. Nobody is pressuring you to invest your hard-earned money on a probability. 

Esports around CSGO, League of Legends, Dota2, Hearthstone, Smite, and every other esports title, has never been as competitive and as widespread as it is today. As such, many of these websites are gaining rapid popularity. Almost every sport has its fair share of gambling associated to their name. It's no surprise that bringing a similar element to esports would be almost instantly accepted. At the same time, some of the elements of Gambling doesn't always transition the same way into viewers and notoriety of said esports titles as many assume it does. Just because somebody invests on the gambling side of football doesn't mean everybody gambling on football is actually a fan of the sport. Esports is no different. Just because Mark Cuban (Owner of the NBA Franchise, the Dallas Mavericks) is part of a group that invests in the Esports betting site, Unikrn, doesn't fully translate into viewership numbers or investors for the players/teams that are participating in the very tournaments that websites have open bets for.

In conclusion, it is true that these actions are being performed by a very low minority, but it doesn't change the fact that it's happening and it could increase in frequency with Esports growing at its current pace. There are a lot more people betting what they're not willing to lose, but there is nothing preventing them to vent their frustrations on public twitters and facebooks of players/teams. Players read feedback that they receive on social media. Celebrating with their fans virtually or looking for support when they feel most low is invaluable. I cannot stress it enough: there is nothing wrong about the existence of gambling around esports. It's inevitable to have a gamling scene in a competitive enviroment, every party involved to deal with it... Some more than others.

For more features, follow the author at @Heckmaister.

At what point are we losing track of the scene itself?

This year has been an eventful year for esports in general. With Counter Strike Global Offensive introducing very high viewing numbers on streams, League Of Legends expanding all around the world (even introducing new tournaments in Japan) and Dota 2's The International amassing over 17 million dollars, we can say that esports is more globalized than it has ever been.

Simultaneously 2015 has been a huge year AROUND esports aswell. With the rapid increase in popularity of sites such as Alphadraft, Vulcun, Unikrn and many other betting/fantasy drafting websites, people have found another outlet to their fandom of the esports which would also allow them to potentially earn a little extra money along side watching their favorite teams/players compete. This adds another element of emotion to every game.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with these websites, (hell, in many cases I'd recommend Vulcun and Alphadraft, which have free entry tournaments for people to get started in fantasy leagues) we must address an increasing issue that is getting more and more aggravating for players and fans of the esport culture.

At what point are people becoming more fans of the money they can earn from teams rather than becoming fans of teams altogether?

Not long ago, CSGO pro player and member of the north American squad Cloud 9, Freakazoid, found himself on his stream channel on Twitch.tv with an outburst of anger directed towards people who were sending hateful comments in his direction. The trigger was a person on his Twitch stream's chat mentioning how Cloud 9's loss made him lose some CSGO skins (which can be eventually sold for actual cash on Steam's market system). The person we're talking about was also dissing on Cloud9, telling Freakazoid through the chat that Cloud9 were a bad team. After minutes of reading these comments, Freakazoid was fed up with the situation and quickly but clearly explained to said person his point of view. Freakazoid's words were very clear: If you gamble something, you better be ready to lose it. That's exactly what many of these outraged fans were not capable of. Unable to accept the loss of their possessions over a bet they willingly took, many of these so called "fans" lash out towards pro players on social media or during any of their streaming sessions when this is in no way on the player's heads.

This begs the question: Why is there so much backlash towards these players? They simply lost a game/map/match. Nobody is as rightfully frustrated as the people who lost themselves. At these moments is when the moral support from the fans of these players can help motivate them to play better and overcome the next challenge that awaits them. Every game has a winner and a loser. Seldom do you find occasions in which there is the possibility for teams to draw. Even then, those situations usually are in a league format where teams earn points over an entire season. 

Since the main audience for most esports currently is primarily teenagers and young adults, the lack of experience in life can be a factor in how they address gambling. In addition the anonymity of the internet allows people to vent the frustration of their losses towards what they believe is the "cause" of their losses. When in reality a LOT of people who gamble don't realise that the only person to blame for their gambling losses are themselves. You are never forced to gamble. Nobody is pressuring you to invest your hard-earned money on a probability. 

Esports around CSGO, League of Legends, Dota2, Hearthstone, Smite, and every other esports title, has never been as competitive and as widespread as it is today. As such, many of these websites are gaining rapid popularity. Almost every sport has its fair share of gambling associated to their name. It's no surprise that bringing a similar element to esports would be almost instantly accepted. At the same time, some of the elements of Gambling doesn't always transition the same way into viewers and notoriety of said esports titles as many assume it does. Just because somebody invests on the gambling side of football doesn't mean everybody gambling on football is actually a fan of the sport. Esports is no different. Just because Mark Cuban (Owner of the NBA Franchise, the Dallas Mavericks) is part of a group that invests in the Esports betting site, Unikrn, doesn't fully translate into viewership numbers or investors for the players/teams that are participating in the very tournaments that websites have open bets for.

Conclusion, it is true that these actions are being performed by a very low minority, but it doesn't change the fact that it's happening and it could increase in frequency with Esports growing at it's current pace. There are a lot more people betting what they're not willing to lose, but there is nothing preventing them to vent their frustrations on public twitters and facebooks of players/teams. Players read feedback that they receive on social media. Celebrating with their fans virtually or looking for support when they feel most low is invaluable. I cannot stress it enough, there is nothing wrong about gambling itself, but the reactions are real and not everybody has a healthy attitude towards the loss of money. 

For more features, follow the author at @Heckmaister.