Programming Trends

Media and the consumption of media are changing. Over the past few years, a different competitive scene has arisen. This is the field of competitive eSports. eSports (Electronic Sports) encompasses competitive gaming, generally video games. As it has increased in popularity it has seen different avenues and windows by which it is broadcast. Some obvious sources are that of Twitch and Youtube but other traditional sportscasting channels have also work with eSports specifically ESPN. Reception of eSports has been interesting, to say the least. One ESPN announcer even threatened to quit because of it.  Despite the issue, however, eSports are growing and bringing revenue in for colleges and high schools.

Tespa is one organization that helps make this happen. The Texas Esports Association(Tespa) holds competitive tournaments for partnered games. The prizes are generally tuition money for the winning teams. Our own Gaming Guild here on campus is partnered with Tespa and is entered into some of this semesters competitions.

One of the games that are getting great coverage for its eSports scene is Overwatch.

This is both due to Tespa and the new Overwatch League.

Tespa currently has the Overwatch Collegiate Championship going on. This championship has been going since last Fall semester. The semi-finals and finals are going to be held in Tempe Arizona at the Fiesta Bowl. The matches will occur between UC Berkley, University of Toronto, UC San Diego, and UC Irvine. This will happen on February 17th. The match will be streamed on Twitch and MLG, as well Tickets are currently for sale.

This is exciting for me as I am trying to get more eSports going on campus and this will be a big game to show and study. I think we can really learn from it and hopefully compete ourselves next year.  I think it could really help the college and students here. I also think it can help us set up for how to do our own eSports programming.

Along with this Overwatch League has become a big deal in the eSports community.

Overwatch League is like the NFL of Overwatch. Overwatch being a competitive objective-based team FPS by Blizzard.

Overwatch League currently has 12 teams spread throughout the US, UK, China, and Korea. They all have in-game skins which are designed by the Overwatch developers to look similar to the teams' logos and jerseys. These skins are purchasable by gamers and fans. The league can be followed on both their website and the Overwatch League app. You can also by merchandise from your favorite team and the league in general. So far it is squaring up to be a great contender in the eSports world for professional leagues and the norm for rules and setup.

Although there are many other eSports leagues, games, etc. that could be discussed I wanted to focus on this since it is current. I expect to see much more from eSports in the coming years and the current leagues and competitions will likely be shaping its programming and rules for the years to come.