esports are growing fast. According to Deloitte, "over $4.5 billion was invested in the industry in 2018 alone." Meanwhile, Business Insider projects an increase in audience, "from 454 million in 2019 to 646 million in 2023… that puts the audience on pace to nearly double over a six-year period, as the 2017 audience stood at 335 million."
But what are esports? And why are they gaining popularity so quickly?
To find out, we asked three experts - sports journalist Mitch Reames, technology researcher and brand consultant Will Partin, and Maxwell Foxman, Assistant Professor of Game Studies at the University of Oregon - to join us, as part of the University of Oregon's Hearst Demystifying Media Series.
Virtual goods opportunities, challenges and acquisitionsDoug Thompson
When Metanomics first began broadcasting, virtual goods economies were just starting to be taken seriously. Now, the virtual goods industry has moved well beyond Silicon Valley and has the interest of Wall Street. The virtual goods industry has seen rapid growth over the past few years. They have redefined games where subscription-based models have been replaced by free-to-play games that sell virtual goods to a thin sliver of their player base: what are often called the ‘whales’.
Click here for the video
http://www.metanomics.net/show/virtual_goods_opportunities_challenges_and_acquisitions/
Our Global Games Market Report consists of trends, revenues, and projections for all regions and top countries, market segments, and key countries for the period 2016-2020. Trusted by key players both inside and outside the industry, it provides a clear overview of the current state and future outlook of the global games market.
2016 Digital predictions for marketing, tech, pop culture and everything in b...Soap Creative
Another light-hearted look at what we think the zeitgeist of 2016 will be for marketing, tech, pop culture and everything in-between.
Many of our previous predictions are still in play and while we like to be right we'd rather make you smile with these less predictable trends.
Follow us for more updates.
Riot Games Interview presentation Product launch planEdward Hwang
Though I failed to get the job as a product manager for SEA region after more than 10 interviews and hundreds of e-mails exchanged over a 6 months period, I still would like to share this slide that helped me get to the very last stage of the interview.
I made the slide within a week between interviews based on the request of the hiring manager to come up with a hypothetically scenario to launch a new product for Riot Games. The idea was to basically understand your skill-set and thinking process. And, of course to have something more solid to initiate a better communication during the interview process.
Anyways, I hope this helps if anyone is interviewing for a similar gaming company.
Family Office Elite Magazine is dedicated entirely to Family Offices, HNWI and Wealth Management Firms. This publication delivers passionate and creative coverage to the global Family Office communities. We have contributions and editorials from many of the worlds recognized industry experts in wealth management and the Family Office Sector. Family Office Elite Magazine is a must for any serious professional who wants to stay apprised of current trends within this specialist sector.
This white paper, brought to you by Newzoo and B2B networking event Esports BAR, aims to help brands understand the esports audiences in North and Latin America, where a one-size-fits-all strategy would fail to cater to the diversity of the area.
Virtual goods opportunities, challenges and acquisitionsDoug Thompson
When Metanomics first began broadcasting, virtual goods economies were just starting to be taken seriously. Now, the virtual goods industry has moved well beyond Silicon Valley and has the interest of Wall Street. The virtual goods industry has seen rapid growth over the past few years. They have redefined games where subscription-based models have been replaced by free-to-play games that sell virtual goods to a thin sliver of their player base: what are often called the ‘whales’.
Click here for the video
http://www.metanomics.net/show/virtual_goods_opportunities_challenges_and_acquisitions/
Our Global Games Market Report consists of trends, revenues, and projections for all regions and top countries, market segments, and key countries for the period 2016-2020. Trusted by key players both inside and outside the industry, it provides a clear overview of the current state and future outlook of the global games market.
2016 Digital predictions for marketing, tech, pop culture and everything in b...Soap Creative
Another light-hearted look at what we think the zeitgeist of 2016 will be for marketing, tech, pop culture and everything in-between.
Many of our previous predictions are still in play and while we like to be right we'd rather make you smile with these less predictable trends.
Follow us for more updates.
Riot Games Interview presentation Product launch planEdward Hwang
Though I failed to get the job as a product manager for SEA region after more than 10 interviews and hundreds of e-mails exchanged over a 6 months period, I still would like to share this slide that helped me get to the very last stage of the interview.
I made the slide within a week between interviews based on the request of the hiring manager to come up with a hypothetically scenario to launch a new product for Riot Games. The idea was to basically understand your skill-set and thinking process. And, of course to have something more solid to initiate a better communication during the interview process.
Anyways, I hope this helps if anyone is interviewing for a similar gaming company.
Family Office Elite Magazine is dedicated entirely to Family Offices, HNWI and Wealth Management Firms. This publication delivers passionate and creative coverage to the global Family Office communities. We have contributions and editorials from many of the worlds recognized industry experts in wealth management and the Family Office Sector. Family Office Elite Magazine is a must for any serious professional who wants to stay apprised of current trends within this specialist sector.
This white paper, brought to you by Newzoo and B2B networking event Esports BAR, aims to help brands understand the esports audiences in North and Latin America, where a one-size-fits-all strategy would fail to cater to the diversity of the area.
This is a presentation I gave Nov 29 at the Marketing3 conference at Media Plaza in the Netherlands. A big thank you to Lynette Webb who's visual posts and pictures have provided inspiration for quite a few of the slides.
An Industry of Opportunity!
Unsurprisingly, 95% of worldwide gamers described themselves as passionate about gaming. But even among the general population,50% describe themselves the same way. Gaming’s position as an established mainstream entertainment is undeniable, and one in which participants are actively passionate, rather than passive consumers.
Joint presentation by Elizabeth Newbury of the Wilson Center's Serious Games Initiative and James Collins of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology on eSports and its use within classrooms.
Serious Play Conference, 2017
On Wednesday 3rd March 2021, Chief Strategy Officer Mobbie Nazir and Global Head of Research & Insight Paul Greenwood took attendees through the Digital 2021 report.
To read the full report, head over to wearesocial.com/digital-2021
Watch the webinar recording here: https://youtu.be/l9g2KOZ0kjg
To learn more about how to apply the takeaways from this presentation to your brand, get in touch with enquiries@wearesocial.net.
Our analysis of the key trends emerging from the Cannes 2011 Cyber Lions. From Social TV to the rise of HTML 5 to the impact of collaborative storytelling, our view of the trends shaping the best work and likely to impact 2012's winners.
China App Index: Mad for Mid-core: Card Games Collect GamersWandouLabs
Following the huge domestic success of I'm MT, Chinese publishers are crazy for mid-core games, especially ones that use card-collecting elements to drive gameplay.
eSports: The rise of competitive video gamingHorizons RG
Joint Session:
eSports: The rise of competitive video gaming
Dr. Brett Abarbanel, University of California, Los Angeles
Presented at the New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference in Vancouver, February 1-3, 2016
Interview with Delaware North CMO Todd MerryJared Frank
In the wake of the launch event this fall for the second edition of The Future of Sports, Delaware North Chief Marketing Officer Todd Merry spoke with SEAT about the company’s latest research iteration. He explained that the themes in The Future of Sports have little to do with food and beverage or retail specifically, but serve as thought leadership that can inspire the imagination of the entire industry, from chefs to ticket salespeople to team owners. Merry also spoke expansively on the role of accelerating technology in leading change and addressing opportunities, both in venues and around the world, brought about by Millennials, Gen Z, non-traditional sports, and emerging markets.
This is a presentation I gave Nov 29 at the Marketing3 conference at Media Plaza in the Netherlands. A big thank you to Lynette Webb who's visual posts and pictures have provided inspiration for quite a few of the slides.
An Industry of Opportunity!
Unsurprisingly, 95% of worldwide gamers described themselves as passionate about gaming. But even among the general population,50% describe themselves the same way. Gaming’s position as an established mainstream entertainment is undeniable, and one in which participants are actively passionate, rather than passive consumers.
Joint presentation by Elizabeth Newbury of the Wilson Center's Serious Games Initiative and James Collins of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology on eSports and its use within classrooms.
Serious Play Conference, 2017
On Wednesday 3rd March 2021, Chief Strategy Officer Mobbie Nazir and Global Head of Research & Insight Paul Greenwood took attendees through the Digital 2021 report.
To read the full report, head over to wearesocial.com/digital-2021
Watch the webinar recording here: https://youtu.be/l9g2KOZ0kjg
To learn more about how to apply the takeaways from this presentation to your brand, get in touch with enquiries@wearesocial.net.
Our analysis of the key trends emerging from the Cannes 2011 Cyber Lions. From Social TV to the rise of HTML 5 to the impact of collaborative storytelling, our view of the trends shaping the best work and likely to impact 2012's winners.
China App Index: Mad for Mid-core: Card Games Collect GamersWandouLabs
Following the huge domestic success of I'm MT, Chinese publishers are crazy for mid-core games, especially ones that use card-collecting elements to drive gameplay.
eSports: The rise of competitive video gamingHorizons RG
Joint Session:
eSports: The rise of competitive video gaming
Dr. Brett Abarbanel, University of California, Los Angeles
Presented at the New Horizons in Responsible Gambling Conference in Vancouver, February 1-3, 2016
Interview with Delaware North CMO Todd MerryJared Frank
In the wake of the launch event this fall for the second edition of The Future of Sports, Delaware North Chief Marketing Officer Todd Merry spoke with SEAT about the company’s latest research iteration. He explained that the themes in The Future of Sports have little to do with food and beverage or retail specifically, but serve as thought leadership that can inspire the imagination of the entire industry, from chefs to ticket salespeople to team owners. Merry also spoke expansively on the role of accelerating technology in leading change and addressing opportunities, both in venues and around the world, brought about by Millennials, Gen Z, non-traditional sports, and emerging markets.
Our CEO, Peter Warman, delivered Gameforum's keynote in January 2018 in London. Gaming has entered a new phase of accelerated growth from both a consumer and an industry perspective. Its “new” form is accelerating the convergence of the mobile, sports, media, and entertainment industries. What opportunities do these new dimensions of gaming provide anyone with a stake or interest in the games market and industry?
WHAT YOU MUST KNOW TO MAKE BIG MONEY BY BETTING ON E-SPORTS.--THINK ONLY GEEKS AND NERDS PLAY E-SPORTS? WELL, THE JOKE IS ON YOU. E-SPORTS IS HERE AND IT'S ALREADY THE "NEXT BIG THING." MORE POPULAR THAN PORN, STREAMING MOVIES, THE NHL AND CASINOS...COMBINED! AND IT'S AUDIENCE AND REVENUE ARE EVEN EXPECTED TO OVERTAKE THE SUPER BOWL THIS DECADE!--IT'S WORLD-WIDE AND STILL GROWING. AND YOU CAN STILL GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR. HOW? ACTIVATE THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD A FREE INTRODUCTION ON HOW TO KILL IT WITH THE E-SPORTS MARKET.
BACK TO THE FUTURE GAETTS August E-NewletterDavid Wortley
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Welcome to the GAETSS August 2016 E-Newsletter. I have given this newsletter a “BACK TO THE FUTURE” title because so many of the pieces included this month have a historical context, especially the archived “Radio with Pictures Show” recordings which, considering that they were produced 14 years ago, would still be regarded today as pushing the boundaries of communication technology in the seamless combination of radio, telephony and web conferencing.
This mail version of the Newsletter is a text only version and I recommend viewing the full version of the newsletter at http://www.davidwortley.com/16-08%20GAETSS%20Newsletter.pdf
Pokemon and Mixed Reality, Ian Livingstone Academies,
Radio with Pictures Show Community Media Archives,
Thaisim 2016 Games and Simulations for Learning,
Revolutionary Learning 2016, Blockchains and BitCoins in Education
Drones and 360 degree Video, Impact of Machine Learning and AI on Society,
World of Health IT Conference and European Chapter of ISDM,
The Future of Digital Medicine in the Aging Society, Upcoming Events.
Future Of Gaming report presents key trends emerging within the gaming space that brands, non-profits and communities can leverage to build engagement and motivate their target audience towards achieving a desired goal or outcome. It is designed to inspire anyone tasked with creating compelling user experiences, whether that be on a digital screen, in the real world or somewhere in between.
Moving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providersDamian Radcliffe
Slides from a workshop exploring "Moving Beyond Twitter/X and Facebook - Social Media for local news providers"
This presentation outlines social media habits in the US (and globally) and offers suggestions for how local newsrooms can tap into them.
The presentation features key data, user case studies and recommendations for new things to try out.
The presentation was part of the New York Press Association's 2024 spring conference.
https://nynewspapers.com/2024-nypa-spring-conference/
Slides from a workshop exploring "How is AI changing journalism?"
This presentation outlines how newsrooms have been using artificial intelligence (AI) for some time, and how the emergence of Generative AI is accelerating this usage. The presentation outlines use cases, key steps for implementation and some emerging areas and issues to keep an eye on.
The presentation was part of the New York Press Association's 2024 spring conference.
https://nynewspapers.com/2024-nypa-spring-conference/
Lessons from Community-Centered Journalism for Local Journalism ResearchDamian Radcliffe
Slides presented by Regina Lawrence - based on our research - at the 2024 Local Journalism Researchers’ Workshop, March 25-26, 2024 at Duke University. The presentation outlines key points from our research, including: why Community-Centered Journalism matters, the backdrop that it plays out against, and five key challenges for growing this journalistic practice.
After the sobering read seen in our 2022-23 report, this year’s World Press Trends study strikes a more cautiously optimistic note, with more than half of the respondents conveying a positive outlook about their companies’ business prospects for the foreseeable future.
This is despite publishers grappling with challenges on various fronts, including elevated inflation and interest rates, surging paper and printing expenses, continual shifts within advertising markets and audience behaviours, as well as wider geopolitical uncertainty reflected in conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, wider strategic challenges such as the surge of Generative AI, changing relationships with platforms and continued challenges to press freedom and freedom of expression, also continue to vex many journalists and publishers.
In response, news publishers are inevitably looking closely at their revenue strategy, investment priorities, areas of focus, cost management, and their stance on areas such as AI and other technologies. We delve into these themes extensively within this report.
This report is primarily based on the findings of an online survey distributed to WAN-IFRA members and other senior media executives between July and September 2023, and was available in four languages (English, French, Spanish and German).
Survey participants were typically members of the senior team at a newspaper or a newspaper group. Based on the information provided by our respondents, a third (66%) are C-Suite (CEOs, Publishers, Managing Directors). A further third is either a Commercial Director/Heads of Strategy or Executive Editor.
We received 175 complete responses from 60 nations around the world. Using classifications developed by the World Bank, 58% of respondents come from developed economies and 42% from developing economies. Our sample also features a wide range of different countries with respondents coming from countries as diverse as Argentina, Canada, Russia, and Indonesia. They also came from some of the world’s largest media markets, including Germany, India, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Through the data and insights that they provided, we are able to comprehend the attitudes of today’s industry leaders in a variety of business and editorial roles. Their observations, regarding the sector’s present and future, can be seen throughout this report.
As ever, we want to express our appreciation to everyone who participated in this annual survey. This report would not be possible without their contributions.
A huge thank you to all of our contributors: Damian Radcliffe, Dr. Francois Nel, and Teemu Henriksson. Last but not least, this report would not be possible without the support of our partner, Stibo DX.
Full CV/Resume as of March 2023, listing my previous experience, research and journalistic output, media mentions, speaking engagements and events/conferences that I have organized. (Produced for an academic audience, hence the length!)
Redefining News: A Manifesto for Community-Centered JournalismDamian Radcliffe
This forward-thinking report makes the case for embracing a more inclusive, community-focused model of journalism, one that prioritizes listening to and collaborating with communities to produce relevant, equitable and impactful news and storytelling. The report features an actionable framework to put the principles of Community-Centered Journalism into practice and explains how this approach differs from traditional models of journalism, with potential benefits including rebuilding trust, tackling inequities, and fostering civic engagement.
Building a Stronger Local Media Ecosystem: The Role of Media PolicyDamian Radcliffe
This paper plays out against a backdrop of continued closures and diminished local news reporting across much of the United States. It explores the role that media policy can and should play in supporting local journalism.
In examining this topic, we investigate three fundamental questions:
What is local media policy?
What are the key existential issues and/or problems local media policy must wrestle with?
What potential solutions to the local news crisis can media policy potentially help address?
The core of our response to these questions is derived from a series of five public webinars hosted by the Tow Center. Through these events, we invited a range of industry and academic experts to share their perspectives on areas related to these major themes.
Our conversations explored the scope of media policy, barriers to implementation, opportunities for policy to make a difference, and some of the unique characteristics that shape U.S. media policy and attitudes toward potential policy interventions.
To this, we have added further context and updates on some of the latest policy developments, based on a literature review and our continued interest in this subject.
The latest World Press Trends report shows that business sentiment in the industry has taken a downturn, in a context where multiple challenges face news publishers around the world. Yet there are causes for optimism, as revenue diversification progresses and publishers double down on new revenue sources and editorial products.
This year’s World Press Trends study makes for a sobering read after the optimism of our previous report. The mood in the industry has changed, and publishers find themselves in a more unpredictable business environment due to a number of challenges, including high levels of inflation, rising paper and print costs, as well as ongoing changes to advertising markets.
The change in business sentiment is one of the main findings of the new World Press Trends Outlook report. As in the previous years, the analysis is based on an online survey distributed to industry leaders. 167 news executives from 62 countries took part in the survey in Fall 2022 – a big thank you to them for sharing their insights, results and strategies.
WAN-IFRA also works with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Zenith for key performance indicators (global revenues and circulation). For audience insights, we work with analytics specialist Chartbeat. World Press Trends is supported by Protecmedia, the content management provider.
Damian Radcliffe, longtime industry analyst, journalist and academic, authored most of the report, offering his analysis and context to the survey and emerging trends. Dr. Francois Nel, also a longtime analyst, well-known academic within our industry and longtime contributor to WPT, provided his analysis, contribution and data analysis of all our collected data. WAN-IFRA’s Andrew Heslop shared his analysis on our Press Freedom data, and WAN-IFRA’s Teemu Henriksson helped to coordinate the project along with Dean Roper.
Here is what makes up the core of the report:
Executive Summary
Methodology and Profile of Respondents
Chapter 1: Global snapshot of performance indicators
Chapter 2: Business Outlook
- Tougher times ahead
- Priming the profit pump
- Relationships with Platforms
- Digital Transformation
Chapter 3: Revenues
- Back in black
- Print’s continued importance
- Revenue diversification in practice
- A bumpier revenue road in 2023
- Ad advice Publishers, it’s all about controlling what you can control
Chapter 4: Investment and Expenditure
- Investing in Revenues
-Tech spending
- AI and publishers
- Costs and Outgoings
Report partner: How AI and automation solutions can impact newsrooms
Chapter 5: Media Freedom
Social Media in the Middle East 2022: A Year in ReviewDamian Radcliffe
Welcome to the latest annual study on Middle East Social Media Trends. This report, the eleventh in a series dating back to 2012, provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of social media in the Middle East. As the most comprehensive and up-to-date study of its kind, it is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the region's digital landscape.
In this report, we examine the most popular social media platforms and the ways in which people are using them. We explore the impact of social media on politics, business and culture in the region. Our findings will be of interest to anyone interested in how social media shapes the way we connect with one another, as well as the ways in which we consume and find information. These trends are relevant to marketers, journalists, brands and businesses, as well as government agencies and public bodies.
Over the past decade, the Middle East has seen a significant increase in social media adoption. Today, it boasts some of the highest penetration rates of social media in the world, making it a key market for platforms and businesses looking to engage with Arab audiences.
From staying in touch with friends and family to consuming news and entertainment, social media - as it is around the world - is an integral part of daily life in the region. Social media is also playing an increasingly important role in politics, with many politicians and activists using the platforms to connect with the public and mobilize support for their policies.
Damian Radcliffe is a journalist, researcher, and professor based at the University of Oregon.
He holds an endowed chair as the Carolyn S. Chambers Professor in Journalism, and he is also a Professor of Practice, an affiliate faculty member of the Department for Middle East and North Africa Studies (MENA) and the Agora Journalism Center, and a Research Associate of the Center for Science Communication Research (SCR).
Damian is also a three time Knight News Innovation Fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture Studies (JOMEC), and a life fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
In spring 2023 he will be a Visiting Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, his alma matter.
With over 25 years of experience in the media industry, Damian has worked in editorial, strategic, research, policy and teaching roles in the USA, Middle East and UK. He continues to be an active journalist, writing regular features for leading trade publications such as Digital Content Next, International Journalists' Network (IJNet), What's New in Publishing, journalism.co.uk and other outlets.
He is a globally recognized expert on digital trends, social media, technology, the business of media, the evolution of present-day journalistic practice and the role played by media and technology in the Middle East.
As an analyst, researcher and trainer, he has worked with a wide range of industry and academic organizations including the BBC World Service, Facebook, FIPP, INMA, Thomson Reuters Foundation, World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the United Nations.
He has been quoted on issues relating to digital media and journalism by major outlets such as AFP, BBC, Business Insider, Editor & Publisher, NPR, The New York Times, Snapchat, Wired and Voice of America.
As a freelance journalist his work has also been published by leading publications and trade outlets such as the BBC, Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), Harvard’s Nieman Lab, HuffPost, PBS MediaShift, Poynter, TheMediaBriefing and ZDNet.
Originally from the UK, Damian lives on the west coast of the US with his wife and three young children.
The Most Popular Social Media Accounts in the Middle East (H1 2022)Damian Radcliffe
For the first time, this report brings together the most popular accounts originating in MENA on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
Each of these platforms is explored in more detail in this report, but below we outline the account with the largest number of followers, likes and subscribers, across MENA as well as the region's four biggest markets: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
The report was made by possible by support from the New Media Academy and data from Emplifi. My thanks to them both.
From the Ground Up: How Community-Centered Journalism can Help Create a More ...Damian Radcliffe
A look at some of the key themes and ideas from an upcoming report on Community-Centered Journalism, commissioned by the Agora Journalism Center. Presented at a local journalism researchers workshop hosted at the University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill, on Feb 19th 2023.
Mental Health and Digital Safety Tips for Journalists.pptxDamian Radcliffe
Tips and recommendations for my Social Media for Journalists class (Fall 2022) at the University of Oregon. The deck includes tips for digital safety, self-care and mental well-being, as well as managing digital overload. It features links to resources and materials from DART, CPJ, Poynter and others.
This edition of WAN-IFRA’s annual flagship research and report reveals an industry challenged but optimistic about its business. It examines the results of publishers’ business in 2021, their forecasts for 2022 and beyond, and the trends and issues shaping the industry.
Our research shows news publishers feel confident about tackling the ongoing coronavirus crisis, and that some of their early pandemic-era pivots are beginning to pay dividends. However, publishers still need to navigate considerable transformation and turmoil, even if there are signs of a resurgence in global advertising markets and a maturing of many reader revenue strategies. The invasion of Ukraine has further undermined companies’ plans, as how that conflict will unfold can have long-lasting effects on industries across the board, in addition to the humanitarian crisis it is causing.
As in the previous years, the World Press Trends Outlook analysis is based on an online survey distributed to industry leaders. 162 news executives from 58 countries took part in the survey in Fall 2021 – a big thank you to them for sharing their insights, results and strategies.
In addition, WAN-IFRA works with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and ZenithOptimedia for key performance indicators (revenue, circulation and ad spend). For additional audience insights, we work with analytics specialist Chartbeat.
World Press Trends is supported by Protecmedia, the content management provider.
--
Per the report intro (page 4): "Damian Radcliffe, longtime industry analyst, journalist and academic, authored most of the report for the first time, offering his analysis and context to the survey and emerging trends. Dr. Francois Nel, also a longtime analyst, well-known academic within our industry and contributor to WPT, provided his analysis, contribution and data analysis of all our collected data. WAN-IFRA's Teemu Henriksson helped to coordinate the project along with Dean Roper."
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Let's dive deeper into the world of ODC! Ricardo Alves (OutSystems) will join us to tell all about the new Data Fabric. After that, Sezen de Bruijn (OutSystems) will get into the details on how to best design a sturdy architecture within ODC.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
"Impact of front-end architecture on development cost", Viktor TurskyiFwdays
I have heard many times that architecture is not important for the front-end. Also, many times I have seen how developers implement features on the front-end just following the standard rules for a framework and think that this is enough to successfully launch the project, and then the project fails. How to prevent this and what approach to choose? I have launched dozens of complex projects and during the talk we will analyze which approaches have worked for me and which have not.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
2. 2
The Rise of esports
MITCH REAMES
WILL PARTIN
MAXWELL FOXMAN
DEMYSTIFYING MEDIA
Mitch Reames graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon
School of Journalism and Communication in 2017. He has written about emerging
technology and the esports industry for publications such as AdWeek, SportTechie, Blazer5
Gaming, and Dexerto, and is the founder of the Esportz Network podcast, which partners
with Reuters to report on the biggest stories in esports.
Will Partin is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. His work focuses on the platformization of cultural production
within the realm of livestreaming, video games, and esports. His writing can be found in
such publications as The Atlantic, Variety, and Jacobin. He is also a consultant for Power
Play, a boutique consulting firm that helps brands find their place in the growing esports
market. Former clients have included Microsoft, AMC Networks, Tribeca Enterprise,
Madison Square Garden, and others.
Maxwell Foxman is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies studying games, play
and immersive media at the University of Oregon. His research centers around how
play manifests in non-game contexts, including social media, politics, and journalistic
institutions. His work explores the way media makers frame games and play in their
activities and professional lives.
The Hearst Demystifying Media seminar series was launched in January 2016. Curated
by Damian Radcliffe, the Carolyn S. Chambers Professor of Journalism at the University
of Oregon, it provides a platform for leading media practitioners and scholars to talk
about their work.
Through a combination of guest lectures, class visits, podcasts and TV studio interviews,
the series seeks to help students and faculty at the University of Oregon – and beyond – to
make sense of the rapidly changing media and communications landscape.
Previous speakers have come from a wide range of organizations, including the BBC,
Facebook, NPR and Vox, as well as leading academic institutions such as Stanford, Columbia,
Virginia and George Washington University.
Access the archive at: http://bit.ly/DemystfyingArchive
3. 3
The Rise of esports
Whatareesportsandwhyaretheygrowing
so fast?
Mitch Reames
esports are quite simply competitive video
games. The ecosystem around it is much
like sports, where you have different titles
that are played by different demographics,
they’re popular in different areas.
Competitive video games have been around
in various forms since the 1970s, 1980s is
when they really began.
Maxwell Foxman
One of the reasons they’re growing so
quickly, particularly in this moment, is
investment by a lot of traditional media
companies, and by companies that would
be interested in traditional sports.
So you see brands like Nike and MasterCard,
you see a lot of these very name brands,
putting a lot of money behind the biggest
worldwide esports tournaments.
What’s the appeal for those brands?
Will Partin
Some of it is you go where the attention is.
One of the things that’s interesting about
esports, and I think of the last kind of
piece of the puzzle of why now, is that they
were this niche phenomenon for several
decades. And then around 2010, we start
to see this totally exponential growth year
after year.
Mitch Reames, Will Partin and Maxwell Foxman speaking at the University of Oregon
in February 2020.
4. 4
The Rise of esports
And one of the really key things here is that
thisisthemomentwhenTwitchcomesaround
here’s a way you can distribute content
that’s not YouTube, it’s not preloaded stuff.
It’s distributing live content at a very cost
efficient rate that lets you actually broadcast
this stuff.
That gets you by a lot of the gatekeepers who
might previously have said, “Well we don’t
want video games. Get out of here.”
There had been live streaming platforms
around before, Ustream and stuff in the
2000s, but Twitch gave esports organizers
this really robust set of analytics.
And so now you could go to a sponsor and
say “Hey...” I can’t just tell you, here’s our
maximum viewership and here’s how many
people showed up in person and here’s a
couple of photos. Here is total hours viewed,
average amount each person stayed. This
whole rich suite that you can take to a
sponsor and say, “This is what we think your
sponsorship here is worth.”
Maxwell Foxman
Andsotosortofputthatinperspective,Iknow
that at least according to one statistic, an
average Twitch viewer watches something
like 90 minutes of original content per day.
So that’s like watching one soccer match per
day, every single day, every single day of the
week. And you can imagine how appealing
that is to so many people in various media
industries.
What’s the demographic for esports and
the appeal of this audience?
Mitch Reames
That demographic is one of the most difficult
to reach demographics we have, it’s very
young. It does skew male, although you
can reach both genders on platforms like
Twitch and depending on what various video
game you’re using, and it’s the cord-cutting
generation.
IT’S THE GENERATION
THAT IS NOT SEEING TV
ADS ANYMORE, THAT’S
USING AN AD-BLOCKER
ON ONLINE DIGITAL
ADS. SO, INCREASINGLY
ESPORTS ARE BECOMING
A WAY, AND BRAND
PARTNERSHIPS IN ESPORTS
EVENTS ARE BECOMING
A WAY TO REACH THIS
DEMOGRAPHIC THAT IS
REALLY ONE OF THE MOST
DIFFICULT DEMOGRAPHICS
TO REACH.
5. 5
The Rise of esports
And of course this is a global phenomenon;
and one that is particularly prominent in
parts of Southeast Asia.
Will Partin
We’ve mentioned already that there is this
longer history going back a few decades in
esports, and across the world esports have
grown, but they’ve grown at different rates
and at different times. And a lot of that has
to do with the particularities of each country
and each region’s history.
I really like the example of the first place it
really takes off and becomes sort of a self-
sustaining industry is South Korea and this
is in the early 2000s.
And I really like this story because I think it
speaks to how esports tie in with all other
kinds of questions about tech infrastructure
and national policy and media and so forth.
Because there’s this huge financial crisis that
happensinAsia,the1997Asianfinancialcrisis.
It impacts all Southeast Asian countries, but
in particular South Korea, and one of the
ways the government there responds is by
putting all of this money down into creating
a national broadband network.
And so now you have this new broadband
network, you have a large number of
underemployed young people. And you also,
because of the longstanding ban on Japanese
goods, you don’t really have consoles in
South Korea.
Mitch Reames and Will Partin.
6. 6
The Rise of esports
So there’s no PlayStation, there’s no
Nintendo; that means most people are
playing PCs. And so all of a sudden there’s
this huge swath of young people playing
PCs, and they’re playing this game, StarCraft,
that has this amazing competitive... It’s just
very well designed. And all of a sudden, that
becomes a status symbol if you’re really good
at it, people recognize you for that.
And so it’s sort of out of this primordial soup
of all these factors that a bunch of Korean
nationalcorporationsrecognize.“Hey,there’s
something here, we could do something with
this.” And so they build up very quickly a
whole infrastructure around it. They give it
a TV channel, they give it sponsorships, they
sortofremakealotoftheplayerswhogofrom
being kind of scruffy nerds into very carefully
curated public images almost overnight.
It’s a precursor of what’s to come elsewhere,
but it sort of happens there for this very
specific set of reasons.
Maxwell Foxman
It provided also a platform for a lot of
companies that we would recognize today.
So this was a place where Samsung and LG
could show off their goods to some degree.
It is worth noting that when we look across
different teams, the biggest teams in esports,
we’re looking at a really global crop of people
in the same way that you might see in
professional soccer, a non-European playing
in a European league.
You can look at the Overwatch League today
and it is dominated by people... A New York
team might not have many Americans in it,
or so on and so forth.
Can you give us a sense of how big this
market is?
Mitch Reames
The best numbers we have on the esports
revenue come from Newzoo, although they
are not perfect numbers and that’s been
highlighted in previous reports, but I’ll use
their numbers here because I believe it’s the
best that we have.
But esports is a very small fraction of that
games audience and the sports leagues are
driven by revenue that goes into the games
themselves, not necessarily the esports
scene, right?
It doesn’t make money on their League of
Legends scene, they make money on the
game, selling skins in the game and then they
push that into esports.
THIS YEAR GLOBAL REVENUES
FOR ESPORTS, ACCORDING
TO NEWZOO, ARE PROJECTED
TO TOP $1 BILLION. AND
SO THE REVENUE IS THE
BIGGEST MISSING PIECE OF
THE PUZZLE IN ESPORTS, IT’S
STRUGGLED TO MONETIZE;
THE WIDER GAMES INDUSTRY
IS ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE,
BIGGER THAN MUSIC AND
MOVIES COMBINED.
7. 7
The Rise of esports
Now ideally these are mutually beneficial,
and the esports league becomes a part of
fandom and pushes people back into playing
the game and spending money on the game.
That’s how this works in an ideal world, but
right now revenues for esports are lower
than the output, and the main draw is the
massive audience. Because just like social
media startups, as long as you’re having
a bunch of users and a bunch of eyes, you
have value, even if you’re not necessarily
monetizing that perfectly yet.
How do you monetize that better and
more effectively?
Maxwell Foxman
Well, what’s interesting I think on that front,
and this goes to the Newzoo numbers as
well, is that a good chunk of that revenue
is coming from investment. So you do
have many brands, many different types
of investors, including traditional sports
leagues investing into esports. And that’s
in many ways driving the direction that the
companies and publishers making esports
are imagining what their products can do.
What’s really interesting is esports treads
align that I think you might not see in
traditional sports between media company
and competitive gaming companies. So
there’s, for instance, Riot Games does many
different types of media partnerships, where
they’re working with Marvel comics to make
a comic, there’s a Netflix TV show about
League of Legends.
Maxwell Foxman.
8. 8
The Rise of esports
And so these sorts of strategic media
partnerships, that we might think is much
more common in the film industry, we’re now
seeing game companies entering too. And
I think that’s one of the things driving this
investment that we’re seeing
Star players can make a lot of money,
right? Seven figure salaries, there’s a lot
of competition to get them to play on
your team.
Will Partin
For a really elite player... Their revenue
pie is going to include prize winnings,
it’s going to include salaries, it’ll include
endorsements, and then maybe they’re
also streaming on the side.
This varies a little bit from game to game, I
think one of the most interesting things to
me is how each esport almost has its own
kind of economy and the way it works.
So a game I care about very much, Dota;
salaries are not necessarily very good,
but it has the highest payout in terms
of prize pools. So the prize pool for its
kind of version of the Superbowl, the
international, was $34 million last year.
Just enormous, right? And so if you go to
esportsearnings.com and you look up who’s
won the most money in esports, 48 of the top
50 players are Dota players.
Madison Square Garden hosted the League of Legends World Championships in 2016.
(Photo via Carl Scheffel/MSG Photos)
9. 9
The Rise of esports
And you might say, “Well that means that
Dota has the most money.” That’s not actually
true, because League of Legends is a much
more robust and mature ecosystem. But it’s
a place where people are not necessarily
taking home lots of prize money, but it is
somewhere where salaries are probably three
or four times bigger than they are in Dota, at
least.
Maxwell Foxman
And well it might be worth explaining how
that prize pool is actually collected, because I
think it gets back to Mitch’s point about sort
of fan investment.
Will Partin
Definitely, so part of why the Dota prize pool
is the way it is, is because it’s crowd funded.
So every single year, Valve, the company that
publishes Dota 2, says the International’s
going to happen in August and we’re going
to put out this book called the compendium.
It’s a digital book, it has all kinds of goodies,
virtual goods, little games, announcer packs,
music packs, whatever; this all Dota themed.
And as you put money into it, it levels up the
book, and so a portion of that money then
goes to the prize pool.
So, that means that valve is actually probably
clearing $150 million just on running this
event. And that’s very much how that
company works, its entire business model
is built on externalizing and keeping a very
small labor force at home.
People can watch esports online by going
ontoserviceslikeTwitch.Butifyouputinto
a Google image search, “esports or esports
competition,” you’re probably going to
see a picture of thousands of people in a
stadium watching people playing. Can you
say a little bit about these physical events?
Mitch Reames
I think esports events are the most
importantthingforsomebodywhodoesn’t
understand esports to attend, because it
really materializes what this is.
I’ve grown up going to sporting events my
entire life, I would tell almost every single
Duck game I could too. League of Legends
Worlds in Paris was the most rabid crowd I
have ever been a part of and it wasn’t even
particularly close.
It’s this electric energy around it and all it
takes is somebody to go into that crowd one
time and be like, “Okay, yeah, this is massive.
There’s a huge opportunity here and we need
to be a part of it in some way.”
THESE EVENTS ARE SO ACTIVE
AND IT’S SO RARE TO BE ABLE
TO ATTEND AN ESPORTS EVENT
IN MOST CASES THAT WHEN
THESE FANS FINALLY GET A
CHANCE, USUALLY IT’S ONE
OF THEIR FIRST COUPLE OF
TIMES THEY’VE BEEN ABLE TO
ATTEND, AND THEY ARE JUST
GOING ABSOLUTELY BONKERS.
10. 10
The Rise of esports
There’s a pretty famous esports article on
how the NBA involvement in esports began
from Jacob Wolf. And it started when League
of Legends held their world final at Madison
Square Garden in 2015, and Adam Silver and
some of the other NBA who’s who attended
that.
And no surprise after, a bunch NBA teams
invested in League of Legends, they started
the NBA 2K League.
Maxwell Foxman
I actually went to an esports event at
Madison Square Garden and it was truly
electric.
From just a practical standpoint for those
that need to imagine it, you’re looking at
events that are styled often like the World
Cup, in that they are held for either a couple
of weeks.
But they’re in a location where the actual
competitions are players on stage. So, they
areliterallyelevatedabovethecrowd,youcan
see big screens behind you where the action
is taking place, there’s often commentating.
And I think one final point, and this is
something that’s been emphasized I think to
all of us, is that the companies are as much
interested in that digital viewing as they are
the live events.
So much of what’s built into the spectacle,
you expect to watch on Twitch, you expect to
have watched on your computer, and that’s
actually the first audience.
And then those rabid fans are just adding
some fuel to the fire and adding some
special magic to it. But, it really is an event
that if you want to experience the first
place is go online.
We’re seeing huge amounts of investment
in this space. You’ve touched on examples
of traditional sports organizations that
have invested. We’ve seen the creation of
special stadia dedicated to physical events
in places like Dubai and Istanbul. Why is
esports having a moment now?
Will Partin
One thing I’m really interested in is finance
and the role that finance plays in this
ecosystem. esports are not separate from
big changes that have happened in who gets
financed and at what level.
One of the things that happens, coming out
of the 2008 recession, is that interest rates go
almost to zero. And also in order to really spur
spending, one of the things the government
and the federal reserve does, is buy a huge
amount of bonds back from investors.
A BUNCH OF NBA OWNERS
STARTED ESPORTS
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE
SOME OF THE LARGEST IN
THE WORLD. ALL IT TAKES IS
GOING TO ONE OF THOSE
EVENTS, AND YOU’RE
IMMEDIATELY HIT WITH THE
SCALE AND THE IMPORTANCE
OF ESPORTS.
11. 11
The Rise of esports
And in theory, this releases a bunch of money
that can then go be put into new investments,
and in theory ones that are probably slightly
riskier than just buying bonds.
That’ssortofthemacro-economicbackground
behind the tech boom of the 2010s, and so
it’s that same dynamic that says, “Hey, let’s
put some money into esports. Who knows if
it’ll work out or not.”
Maxwell Foxman
A cautionary tale, but not necessarily a
negative cautionary tale, is that gaming
traditionally has led the way in terms of how
to finance media and tech.
So in other words, games were one of the
first places where you can see really that
subscription model that is so normal to
something like Netflix, occurring and
finding a real consumer base.
What I’m excited about, and what I’m always
thinking about, is when you start to see
the sort of convergence of media, sports,
gaming, tech happening at such a grandiose
level with some of the game publishers that
we’re talking about with these games, that
bodes at least in my mind for similar trends
that we might see and are already starting to
see across other forms of media.
Mitch Reames and Will Partin.
12. 12
The Rise of esports
So, for me there’s a lot of connections
between something that we’re seeing with
Disney+, how it’s built, how it’s interacting
with other intellectual property, and what
we’ve already seen companies like Riot and
Epic doing.
I think you can learn a lot from the steps that
these esports companies are taking.
Mitch Reames
On the investment front, one of the big
draws is the absolutely skyrocketing value
of sports franchises.
In the last 10 years, the sports franchises...
You can pinpoint the moment, it’s when
the Clippers were sold. The previous record
high for an NBA franchise was 595 million
for the Milwaukee bucks. The Clippers, due
to a racist story that came out from Donald
Sterling, forced him to sell the team. It’s a
good team, and a major market, and it sells
for $2 billion. The second that sale happens,
it jumps the value of every other sports
organization because now you have a market
price for this, it’s almost four times as high as
the last sale.
And so that happens, and it also skyrockets
all these other valuations. Then you see that
you have this esports thing where you can
get into esports on the ground level for
pennies, compared to what it costs to get
into sports. And people just see it as an
awesome investment opportunity, given
the consistent growth of sports franchises
and basically every single major sport.
And so esports is now that same thing, it’s
why we see a bunch of sports owners get
involved into it because it’s a small price to
pay that could pay massive dividends in the
future.
What are the key implications for brands,
media companies and journalists with the
growth of esports?
Will Partin
One story I really like is about an ad
campaign from Arby’s, the fast food
restaurant chain.
To preface this a bit, this is a story about how
you can actually adapt your brand... Esports
is a culture, and it’s self-regulating in some
ways, in like what’s acceptable, what’s not.
And a lot of the fans are keenly aware that
they’re sitting on a gold mine, basically.
And that a lot of people are going to try to
capitalize on it, and that not all of them may
or may not have good intentions.
So a lot of times people talk about the
authenticity of this culture, which is a word I
have issues with, but I think there’s definitely
some truth to it.
AND SO WHAT ARBY’S DID HERE,
AND IT’S BIZARRE, BUT THEY WERE
SPONSORING A TOURNAMENT
CALLED ELEAGUE, WHICH IS A
COUNTER-STRIKE TOURNAMENT,
WITH TERRORISTS, COUNTER-
TERRORISTS, GUNS, ETC.
AND WHAT THEY DID IS THEY GOT
A COUPLE OF THE PLAYERS FROM
THE LEAGUE, AND TOOK THEM
OUT TO A SHOOTING RANGE, AND
JUST HAD THEM, WITH ASSAULT
RIFLES, SHOOT SOME ARBY’S
SANDWICHES AND THEY HAD A
HIGH SPEED CAMERA OUT.
13. 13
The Rise of esports
I’m trying to imagine the meeting with the
Arby’s executive, where some ad agency
comes in and says, “We’re going to shoot the
sandwiches.” But esports fans loved this, and
it was a huge...
I think a real lesson for that brand of like,
“Get a little bit out of your comfort zone.”
It kind of created this massive buzz and
hype; I’m still talking about years later.
Mitch Reames
esports has the highs and lows of brands in it,
which is one of the coolest things.
If you do it well, like that Arby’s thing, it pays
massive dividends and they love you for it,
they’ll carry your brand onto social media for
you, they’ll carry it into Twitch chat for you.
Now if you do it poorly, like you said,
that authenticity thing, it comes up every
single time you talk to anybody who’s ever
advertised in esports, but it does actually
matter. If you come in, slap a logo on
something, and people start making memes
out of your content...
Here’sagoodexampleaboutthememething;
Mercedes sponsored an ESL tournament a
ways back. The S class was what they were
trying to advertise, and Twitch chat made
it a whole meme, and they were kind of
getting roasted a little bit, they didn’t feel
like they belonged in this space.
Newzoo’s 2020 Global Esports Market Report projects revenues
to exceed $1B USD in 2020.
14. 14
The Rise of esports
And at the very end, Mercedes tweeted
something out showing that they heard
Twitch chat and they had this S class thing
and it involved one of the players. I can’t
remember the entire details, but it went
super viral. It had 40,000 likes, and it gets to
a key thing, which is embrace the meme.
They’re going to meme your brand, and
as long as you’re ready for that... And it’s
something that we’re seeing a lot of fast food
brands do on Twitter as well, with Wendy’s
snarky social media.
That’s the kind of thing that works in the
esports audience, and if it works, it really
works well, but it’s a dangerous place for a
brand that doesn’t understand the space as
well.
Maxwell Foxman
What I really like about these two examples,
in terms of lessons to be learned, is that
there’s no question that if you’re a brand, a
major worldwide brand, you have probably
already looked at competitive gaming. If
you’re a growing brand, it might be worth
looking to competitive gaming.
Similarly, if you’re a news outlet, there’s
reason to think that this is an important
beat that should be covered. Probably the
best example of this is looking at what the
Washington Post has done recently with
Launcher, which Will has done some writing
for.
Is that the biggest misconception that you
want to shatter?
Maxwell Foxman
Well, I think to that point, the myth that I
think needs to be shattered is thinking that
gaming publishers are not approaching
their product with the same finances
and perspective that a traditional media
company, like a Disney, like an ABC, like a
Fox, approaches their product.
These are large companies with so
many different types of creative talent,
programmers, PR, communications, et
cetera, and they approach their product in a
very, very similar manner.
The cultures are different, but we can say the
same thing about any sort of entertainment
culture.
BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER
IS THAT WE’RE REALLY
LOOKING AT SOMETHING
THAT CONTINUES TO BE
FRAMED OFTEN BY THE
MEDIA AS BEING NICHE
OR BEING OUTSIDE OF THE
NORM, WHEN ALL THESE
EXAMPLES JUST POINT TO
HOW NORMALIZED GAMING,
AND THEN AS A SIDE NOTE,
COMPETITIVE GAMING.
15. 15
The Rise of esports
AndsopartofwhatIthinkaudiencemembers
should take away from this also is to try to
understand that culture sort of in its totality.
You’vetouchedonsaying,brands,ifthey’re
not already looking at this space, then they
should be. What about for students in a
journalism and communication school?
How should they be thinking about this
sector?
Mitch Reames
As a fairly recent grad of this school, the best
thing about working in esports is that big
newsrooms don’t have somebody in it.
I would not be at AdWeek two and a half
years after graduating, if I wasn’t the guy
who could report on esports. That was my
“in”, writing about violence in games and
brands on Twitch.
There are very few 35 year old’s that
understand esports and most of them that
are, are in VP roles, or something like that.
You have people like Ryan Wyatt, who was a
caster for Call of Duty, now he’s the head of
gaming for YouTube.
It’s these kinds of success stories that you
see from very young people in their twenties
that I think is a huge reason why students
should care about this, because it’s a
massive opportunity to do work that even
you wouldn’t be able to do normally.
I came out of the sports broadcasting
program and I wanted to go do esports. Now
that esports has led me back to sports; I’ve
done articles on Shaquille O’Neal that are
completely separate from esports, and it
was not something I would have gotten to
without esports.
So I think that’s another misconception is
that you’re choosing one or the other, in
reality the esports and sports circles have
a ton of overlap, and you end up doing both
even if your specialty becomes esports.
Will Partin
There’s a particular kind of paragraph that
occurs in a lot of legacy meeting writing
about esports. I don’t have a name for it, but
I should come up with one.
The reporter is in the venue and there’s all
this stuff, there’s people competing, there’s
people cheering…. but it’s a video game. This
has been done like 10,000 times and I get why
they do it, but it’s an interesting thing where
a lot of legacy media reporters when they
come to esports spend a lot of their word
count justifying why this is important.
THEY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND
THIS SPACE, AND THEY
NEEDED SOMEBODY WHO
DID. AND THAT’S TRUE FOR
A LOT OF PUBLICATIONS,
A LOT OF MAINSTREAM
PUBLICATIONS, SO FOR
YOUNG STUDENTS IN A
VARIETY OF AVENUES,
ESPORTS OFFERS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO DO
SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T
HAVE NEARLY AS MANY
GATEKEEPERS IN THE WAY.
16. 16
The Rise of esports
And that’s something I try to push back
against when I do writing for these kinds of
publications, where I don’t have to throw in
three paragraphs of stats about revenues,
numbers, whatever, you show it.
And you show it through the story, you show
it through the content that you’re actually
creating. And one, it spares you this totally
cliched thing that every esports fan looking
at it is going to roll their eyes at. But two, I
think it also spurs you to do more show don’t
tell, and that’s just good writing.
Maxwell Foxman
If you look at the history and scholarship of
game journalism, this is a longstanding trend
of this kind of explainer paragraph, explainer
story, vilification or praise of video games
that has existed now for easily 20 to 30 years
of game coverage. So I credit both of you for
going beyond that traditional mode.
One of the things I like to emphasize to
my students is, you can take something
like Twitch and start to think about how it
might have applications beyond gaming to
traditional reportage.
I also think that you can see the making
of a virtual environment becoming an
increasingly normalized. And so the ability
to actually work within and use 3D objects
interaction with objects in a meaningful way
is something that you can see most major
outlets have experimented with, whether
it’s with virtual reality, augmented reality, or
even just making traditional news games.
SoIthinkthattheseareinterestinginnovative
skills that whether you’re covering esports or
not, you can transfer into your next media
profession.
How do you see this sector evolving? What
should we be keeping an eye on?
Mitch Reames
I’d say the biggest advancement is going to
be mobile technology. Mobile esports are
the biggest growth sector, and what they’re
also going to do is they’re going to globalize
esports.
This is already a global industry, but mobile
is way more accessible to underdeveloped
regions.
Right now, a huge push in esports is into India
in the game PUBG mobile, especially. It’s the
biggest game in India, and there’s 1.3 billion
people in India, something like that. That’s a
big market that is now adopting esports and
that’s also true for South America, I think we
see that more in Africa as well.
ONE OTHER THING THOUGH
THAT I THINK IS A GOOD
LESSON FOR STUDENTS
COMING INTO THE J
SCHOOL, IS A LOT OF WHAT
WE CAN SEE IN ESPORTS
AND ESPORTS COVERAGE,
ACTS AS BELLWETHERS AND
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS FOR
THE NEXT GENERATION OF
REPORTERS AND MEDIA
MAKERS.
17. 17
The Rise of esports
Mobile technology is so accessible that
it allows a whole new group of people to
become a part of esports where they don’t
have to get a high quality gaming PC. They
don’t need an Xbox or PlayStation, they
have a mobile phone, they can play games
on it, and suddenly the esports scene
around mobile games, is progressing very
quickly.
We went from mobile games being very bare
bones, Candy Crush, your tap and plays, to
Battle Royale, which is a hundred unique
players loaded into one server all loaded at
once while you’re doing complex controls.
So that’s how far mobile has gone, and that’s
only going to keep growing and networks
are only going to keep reaching new places,
so I think mobile esports is the huge growth
potential.
Maxwell Foxman
I’m really interested, on the U.S. side,
about the deepening of infrastructure and
institution that is happening with esports.
The expansion of leagues, to the college and
high school level in particular, and the way
that that’s being supported by publishers, is
something that I’m definitely going to keep
an eye on.
And it’s something that’s happening here
at the University of Oregon, but it’s also
something that you can see at local high
schools, local malls etc.
Will Partin
Like Max [I am] certainly, very interested
in the way that esports will continue to
increase its integrations with legacy media
institutions, be those sports firms, be those
traditional media conglomerates.
But also part of the story to me is thinking
about the growing ambitions of the
IT sector as a cultural industry. This is
certainly expressed in all of the rush to
create first party content from groups like
Apple and Amazon and so forth.
And we see one of the stories from the
last month is that Google bought away the
broadcast rights for Overwatch League from
Twitch/Amazon.
And part of the appeal of that is it didn’t just
come with the broadcast rights themselves,
which are now on YouTube. It also came with
a deal that brought all of Activision-Blizzard’s
games onto Google Cloud instead of Amazon
Web Services. So this is a really interesting...
This is a media conglomeration question,
but it’s a slightly different media
conglomeration because Disney, as far as I
know,isnotoutheresellingcloudservers…
not yet. But that becomes very interesting
[to] me, how do these tech firms act when
they are these vital figures and making
monetizing and distributing culture?
Watch full talks from the series on
YouTube
In a hurry? Catch the key lessons in these
TV Studio Q&As
Listen to the Demystifying Media podcast
on iTunes, Spotify and SoundCloud