I’ll admit it, I didn’t go exactly out of my comfort zone for this one, but it surely was an exciting week in e-sports with both MLG Anaheim and Evo2k11 running simultaneously and just finishing today.

What exactly is E-Sport Spectating?

The term “E-Sports” (or electronic sports) refers to competitively played video gaming. Some of the most recent popular games include Starcraft II, Street Fighter 4:Arcade Edition and several other first-person shooters (Counterstrike, Halo, etc.). Thus E-Sport Spectating would be watching video gamer players compete with another.

Who in their right mind would spend time watching someone play a video game?

I know I do, and so does a majority of Korea when it comes to Starcraft (they even have two channels dedicated to the game over there!). Oftentimes, spectators are also fellow players or fans of the game/genre.

Much like watching traditional sports, e-sport spectating showcases high levels of skill and aptitude but instead on a digital play-field. Rather than placing the focus on a person’s athletic capability, players intellect and reactions are put to the test. Thus, many games end up being able to make split second decisions and/or play the ultimate meta game. 

Let’s also not forget the out-pour of emotions stemming from huge upsets, comebacks or innovation. The following are just a few key examples:

• Evo 2k4: Daigo vs. Justin Wong (ultimate street fighter comeback)
• Evo 2k11: Shin Daigo Perfected by Poongko (happened today!)
• Starcraft: Boxer’s Original Bunker Rush (revolutionized the game)
• Starcraft II: Destiny’s 4 Infestor Hit Squad (hilarious)

If you find better ones, be sure to post/send them over!

How can I get started?

Although spectating different e-sports may vary, the key factor is to become a part of that game/genre’s respected community (usually forums/sites such as Shoryuken [fighting] or even a subreddit like /r/Starcraft). There are also two methods of spectating:

> Live: There are plenty of professional leagues and tournaments going on throughout the year. Wikipedia (Professional Leagues) currently has the best comprehensive list. It’s always nice to see professional gamers on stage and in-person! (I want to meet BoxeR myself someday)

> Online: There are multiple streaming services online with plenty of tournaments and players with their own channels. Many individual channels can be found on Justin.tv and USTREAM but it’s best to search through e-sport specific sites like Well Played or Warp Prism (Teevox).

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Well that’s enough rambling for this week, I’ll likely be picking up Staring next week!

Hello All! Welcome to Fifty-two (52) Hobbies.

What’s this all about?

There are roughly fifty-two (52) weeks in a year. Every week, I will attempt to pick up a new hobby, documenting my progress along the way and articulating on the hobby itself. In doing so, I hope I could inspire you to try something new, something bold, something challenging, but most hopefully something fun!

What exactly is a hobby?

A small horse or pony (wrong definition haha). Generally speaking, a hobby is an activity or interest undertaken for pleasure or relaxation. It is typically done during one’s leisure time. As you’ll see, there are multitudes of different hobby types.

Why are you doing this?

Having turned twenty-one (21) this past week (Awww Yeahhh!), I reflected upon multiple aspects of my life - one of which being how I’ve spent my free time. Rather than falling back on my usual interests (i.e. playing video games, watching movies), I would truly like to broaden my horizons to fully appreciate what life has to offer.

What hobby will you be picking up?

As a full-time student, I certainly have plenty of responsibilities on my plate. With this in mind, I will plan out picking up hobbies which are flexible enough to fit in my schedule. However, I will always be up for any ideas or requests. (Simply send me a message)