The B/R Weekly Rushdown: July 6, 2016
In possibly the biggest Weekly Rushdown to date, a few major stories have hit. Joy! Charity! Scandal!
A lot of interesting stories have dropped in the last week, but we're here to give you a roundup of the biggest news. So watch for those overheads, folks!
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The Plot Thickens with 'CS:GO' Skin Betting
Skin betting in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has gone from oddity to controversy to outright scandal at a blistering speed.
The last installment of the Weekly Rushdown discussed a class action lawsuit being brought against CSGO's publisher, Valve, and this week? Well, Callum Leslie of The Daily Dot reported the following:
"Trevor "TmarTn" Martin and Tom "ProSyndicate" Cassell are embroiled in a controversy after an apparent failure to disclose their ownership of skin gambling site CSGOLotto, despite creating numerous videos gambling five-figure sums on the site.
Another YouTuber and streamer "JoshOG" also admitted to holding equity in CSGOLotto, but insisted this was simply part of a sponsorship and he did not consider himself an owner.
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For the uninitiated, skin betting is the practice of betting digital items that customize in-game characters (often called skins) on the outcome of pro games, and it usually done through massive websites. It has taken hold in the CS:GO community in a big way and has brought a great deal of controversy and divisiveness among players as a result.
Needless to say, there are serious ethical questions about what TmarTn and ProSyndicate are accused of—especially in TmarTn's case, as he claimed to have chanced upon CSGOLotto in videos (saying he "found this new site called CSGOLotto"), despite later saying his ownership of the site has "never been a secret."
With that said, very little consequences are likely to come from this situation at this time.
Skin betting is a multimillion dollar industry with no real oversight, legally or ethically. Unless Valve, or the government, steps in, these sorts of stories are likely to continue.
Evo 2016's 'Street Fighter V' Tournament Will Be Huge
Evo 2016 is going to be one of the biggest eSports events of the year. That's always been a given...but, boy, nobody expected it to be this big. On Friday, Evo head Joey Cuellar made two huge announcements about this year's tournament.
First, the size of each tournament is going to be gargantuan. Here's the rundown from Cuellar's Twitter:
- Street Fighter V: 5,065 entrants
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: 2,637
- Super Smash Bros. Melee: 2,350
- Pokken Tournament: 1,165
- Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator: 903
- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: 770
- Mortal Kombat X: 707
- Tekken 7: 543
- Killer Instinct: 540
That blows several records out of the water...but that's not all! According to ESPN PR, Evo 2016's Street Fighter V tournament will be broadcast live on ESPN 2 on July 17.
Needless to say, this is a massive achievement for both Evo and the fighting game community as a whole. Get hyped, ladies and gentlemen.
A Different Side of Competitive Gaming
Speedrunning may or may not qualify as an eSport, depending on how one looks at it.
Either way, Summer Games Done Quick has been a treat to watch. An internet telethon supporting Doctors Without Borders, SGDQ brings together famous streamers and tasks them with one simple goal: Beat video games as quickly as possible.
Featured titles range from megahits like Super Mario and Legend of Zelda to cult classics like Braid and Catherine to random imports and forgotten retro games. SGDQ is streaming nonstop on Twitch until July 9 and giving a fun play-by-play on Twitter. Definitely worth checking out.
'Pokemon' United States Championships Prove to Be a Bit of a Letdown
Probably the greatest handheld series in the world held its U.S. National Championships...and it was kind of disappointing.
At its core, Pokemon should be a perfect fit for eSports.
It's a game rooted in one-on-one competition that has encouraged multiplayer battling since its inception in 1996. It offers an almost infinite number of potential lineups and play styles. It's one of the biggest, most popular game franchises of all time and is popular across Europe, Asia and North America, and it resonates with gamers of all ages.
That makes the relatively lackluster festivities a letdown.
The event took place at the relatively nondescript Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. It didn't have the kind of "event" atmosphere that many eSports tournaments have and lacked the theatrics that make shows like the Dota 2 Majors or even Evo must-watch for gamers.
Nintendo and the Pokemon Company did absolutely nothing to try to draw in fans, even with some exceptionally great bait with fans clamoring for the upcoming Pokemon Sun and Moon titles and the soon-to-drop Pokemon Go mobile game.
Worst of all, the lack of balance in the current metagame has resulted in an incredible lack of diversity between teams, with just 16 different Pokemon appearing in the top eight.
Granted, this was "just" the U.S. National Championships. Hopefully, there will be much more fanfare for the World Championships in August.
England Forms New eSports Governing Body
England has joined the likes of Russia and Germany and is moving forward with initiatives to improve the opportunities available for its eSports competitors with the foundation of the British eSports Association. The BeSA should not be confused with the infamous United Kingdom eSports Association.
As noted on its official website:
"[It] will work in conjunction with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to help and represent players at all levels; develop a grassroots competitive video game scene that will nurture future talent; support existing professionals and provide the infrastructure to create future British global champions.
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It is currently reaching out to a number of people in the British eSports industry and can hopefully provide the framework for similar groups in the United States.
And if any fans want to chime in, the BeSA is currently accepting any suggestions or ideas on its website.
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