I saw the last episode of WCG’s Ultimate Gamer this weekend on Hulu. Surprisingly, the competition was decided by a match of Soul Calibur 4 (one of my favorite games). The match was riveting. I can’t remember the last time I was on the edge of my seat with anticpation like that. You need to see it if you haven’t already.
If this show ends up doing well (ratings-wise) then I see a future for gaming as a spectator sport here in the states. Although that would depend on a couple of factors:
Genre of the Game
Not all genres lend themselves to mass spectator appeal. You’ll notice that the reality gaming show, Ultimate Gamer, didn’t feature any RPGs (role-playing games). RPGs usually focus on character exposition, story-telling and exploration. So I wasn’t surprised to learn that the producers of the show ignored this genre in the gaming competition. The games they chose to feature were fighting, shooter and rythmn games that are easier for an audience to follow.
Visibility of Competitive Matches
WCG’s Ultimate Gamer aired on the Syfy channel. It turned out to be an appropriate venue for the show. Although, I wonder if having the show airing the show on another network (like TNT or USA) would yield better results. [Apparently, the show may be airing on Cartoon Network soon.]
Gamers vs. Non-Gamers: Who Wants to Watch?
The number of people that haven’t played some sort of digital console game is quickly approaching zero. So why wouldn’t a mass audience find competitive gaming interesting too?
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