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The Chronicle November 29, 2011 35
Electronic
sports are
on the rise
Brandan Loney
Chronicle Staff
There’s a new sport on the
rise. It’s not table tennis; it’s
not foosball. It’s electronic
sports. Coming from underground,
electronic sports are
beginning to take the world by
storm.
Electronic sports, or e-
sports, involve the competitive
playing of video games. It’s also
known as competitive gaming,
professional gaming and
cybersports. The most popular
genres of E-sports are real-time
strategy, fighting, first-person
shooter, racing, sports and
massively multiplayer online
games. Each genre has amateur,
semi-professional and
professional levels of play that
include leagues and tournaments.
E-sport matches can either
be played online over the Internet
or over a local area network
(LAN). During
professional
events, there
are administrators
or referees
to monitor for
cheating. Matches
played on LAN
have numerous
advantages over
playing via Internet.
The LAN has
less lag, higher
‘
quality, and
competitors can
be monitored
directly in case
they try to cheat.
However, Internet
matches are
still common and
are also used for fun and exhibition
matches.
Video games were played
competitively as early as 1987.
This is when Guinness World
Records held the Video Game
Masters Tournament. Nintendo
held a world championship
of video games in 1990, and
again in 1994 called Nintendo
Powerfest ’94.
Early online and competitive
gaming continued through
its youth with games such as
Xtrek, Netrek, Doom, Doom
II, and Quake. In 1993 Wired
Magazine considered Netrek
as the first online sports game,
and it is the oldest Internet
game still actively played.
Some of the major E-sports
games are Starcraft, Starcraft
2, Counter-Strike, Warcraft
3, Fifa, Halo, Quake 4, Street
Fighter, and King of Fighters.
E-sports gets its main coverage
from the Internet. E-sports
websites focus on professional
tournaments and high-level
amateur games.
Along side E-sports, grow
communities of fans and enthusiasts.
One such community
is Toronto-based E-sports
Canada.
Founded this past February
E-sports Canada (ESC) is a notfor-profit
organization hoping
to bring E-sports into the open.
ESC has hosted a few minor
events that they call “viewing
events,” in cities around the
GTA. The next viewing event
will show the finals from MLG
Providence.
If someone asks “What are
E-sports?” Spokesperson for E-
sports Canada, Adam Wawrzkiewicz
tells them, “Electronic
Sports, professional gaming,
and the best way to know what
it is, is to be at an event. Games
have evolved to a point where
the skills required to play come
together as a sport.”
Wawrzkiewicz believes the
future of E-Sports lies in looking
at other countries where
professional gaming is massively
popular.
E-sports? Electronic
Sports, professional
gaming, and the best
way to know what
is it, is to be at an
event. Games have
evolved to a point
where the skills required
to play come
together as a sport.
“Canada has
a lot of catching
up to do before
E-Sports are enjoyed
and celebrated
at the level
that we see in
Asian countries
like Korea, China
and Japan.
A quick look
at these countries
can give us a good
idea of what the
future is moving
towards in Canada
and Ontario,”
’
said Warwzkiewicz.
He also believes
Canada
will play host to
more major events and says
Canada already contributes a
high number of professional
gamers to the E-Sports scene.
Adam
Wawrzkiewicz
Warwzkiewicz emphasizes
the best way for E-sports to
grow is for the fans to come out
to social events.
He said, “This enables people
to build relationships within
the fan community that can
benefit them even outside of
E-sports and it increases the
visibility and legitimacy of E-
sports to those who know little
about it.” To become mainstream,
Warzwkiewicz says the
stigma associated with video
games, that sees gamers as lazy
escapists, must be overcome.
ESC and its members intend
to operate even when E-sports
is not at its peak, and plans to
be the organization that will
help further E-sports as an industry
not just as events.
Even with the help of community
organizations like E-
sports Canada, and a large fan
base, E-Sports has a long way
to go before it gains popularity
similar to hockey or football,
but it’s well on its way.
Movember is a great
success at E.P. Taylor’s
By Ray McNeil
The Chronicle
Movember is almost over,
and as of last week, the campus
has raised about $6,500
in funds for men’s health,
specifically prostate cancer.
However, out of all the teams
raising money, E.P. Taylor’s
has shone above the rest, raising
around $2,000.
“Overall we’ve done a lot of
events and it seems like we’ve
got some great feedback,”
said vice-president of campus
life Derek Fullerton.
The folks at the pub has
been busy, raising as much
money and awareness as they
can.
We’ve definitely done better
this year than we did last
year,“ said bartender Sian
Combrink. Combrink, who
has been working at E.P. Taylor’s
for four years, was there
when there was no Movember,
and when Movember was
everywhere.
“Last year I think we only
had about four or five teams
on that board, now we have
eight.”
The events are in no short
supply either. There was a
shave-off at the beginning of
the month, where willing men
had their hair shaved off to
support Movember.
At the Movember silent
auction, students had the
chance to bid on some nice
Ray McNeil
E.P. TAYLOR’S: Sian Combrink shows the money raised for Movember.
items, including a Toronto
Maple Leafs hockey jersey,
tickets to a Leafs game, Movember
computer and Ipad
cases, and a date night movie
package.
There has also been a bake
sale, a ‘stache party and a
dirty bingo night, with adultthemed
prizes. “We had a lot
of people in here (for dirty
bingo), it was one of our busiest
Wednesdays,” said Combrink.
The teams around
campus will be honoured on
Nov. 30 at the “Moscars,” and
Fullerton thinks it will be a
great close to a great month.
“You walk around campus,
it’s nice to see all the moustaches,”
said Fullerton.