Capítulo 365: The rise of e-sports
Persuading a person with potential to return to doing what they love, Takayuki feels a sense of accomplishment.
In the future, such individuals will inevitably be useful. He is patient and waits patiently.
The second day of the Entertainment Expo also ended smoothly. During this period, Gamestar Entertainment announced many future game plans, as well as a new handheld console, the GBASP, an upgraded version of the GBA with a flip feature.
There was no improvement in performance, but the lifespan of the buttons and the screen display of the console were enhanced. These improvements did not increase the price of the console; instead, the price of the GBA was lowered by twenty dollars, while the GBASP maintained the previous price.
For the same price as before, players could now purchase a console with better graphics. The console would officially go on sale a week later, and there were abundant reserves of GBASP, so there was no need to worry about not being able to purchase one.
Some players were happy, while others were slightly disappointed because they wanted to see a console with better graphics. But given the current situation, it seemed that this was the best option.
On the third day, it was the focus time for other gaming companies to make announcements. Lilda and Sorey Electronics both launched their own new game consoles during this period.
The handheld console market was booming, and according to industry estimates, Gamestar Entertainment's market share in handheld consoles was not as high as imagined. There was still a lot of room for growth, much better than the gaming console market.
So, both companies planned to focus on handheld consoles to try to grab some market share. The performance of the consoles from both companies was strong, all reaching the level of the GBA. Moreover, while the GBA mostly featured 2D games, the consoles from these two companies could run 3D games steadily, which immediately made their consoles stand out.
Being able to play 3D games with graphics close to that of consoles in the palm of your hand became the selling point for both companies' consoles. Of course, it was impossible for the graphics to match those of consoles, but at this point, there were no restrictions on advertising claims, so there was no need to worry about any trouble caused by exaggeration.
As for Harker Brown's Brown Entertainment, they continued to focus on promoting games. Some industry insiders had previously predicted that Harker Brown would launch a game console, but Harker Brown was much more cautious than they imagined and continued to invest in game development, with no immediate plans for gaming consoles.
This allowed Harker Brown's funds to circulate better, without being easily tied up by heavy asset investments like gaming consoles.
And so, the three-day Entertainment Expo came to an end.
The players were satisfied.
The first Entertainment Expo showcased various ways to enjoy games to the public. Apart from core gamers, many non-core gamers also participated in the exhibition, expanding the audience of gamers.
When the exhibition ended, what players were most looking forward to was the release of Starcraft. This was a game personally supervised by the gaming god Takayuki, so there wasn't much concern about the quality of the game. The only thing to consider was whether this new type of game would suit their taste.
Meanwhile, during the same period, something happened in South Korea.
The South Korean government announced greater policy support for esports, encouraging conglomerates to establish their own professional esports teams. Large companies could also jointly fund esports events.
Unlike Gamestar Entertainment, which organized esports events in Japan, this time it was government support at the national level.
If esports players performed well, they could receive treatment similar to Olympic medalists: exemption from military service and many additional cash rewards.
With such policy support, the entire population of South Korea suddenly developed a great enthusiasm for electronic games.
Electronic games began to thrive rapidly within a short period of two to three months.
Tax exemptions, esports support policies - all were completely set up half a month before the release of Starcraft.
Several large South Korean conglomerates collectively invited players from all over the world.
They established an international esports event called WCG.
The name "WCG" was suggested by Takayuki, as the initiator of esports. With his creative input, WCG was indeed a suitable name for esports.
The first WCG esports competition set up several major projects: Need for Speed, Street Fighter, Starcraft, and Street Basketball.
These four projects were the main ones, while other minor projects would be observed over time. If they showed potential to become esports projects, they could also become new esports projects.
WCG also offered attractive prize money.
Previously, in esports events hosted by Gamestar Entertainment, prize money was kept within the range of one hundred million yen, which was equivalent to one million dollars.
Winners could receive seventy percent of one million dollars.
Because of the support from multiple South Korean conglomerates, in order to expand the influence of WCG, the first tournament of each project offered a full two million dollars in cash rewards.
This two million would belong entirely to the winners, while second and third place would receive half a million and a hundred thousand dollars respectively.
This immediate prize money immediately drew everyone's attention to South Korea.
Players from countries like the United States and Japan were all excited. Anyone who thought they had some skill felt itchy inside and wanted to join the competition.
A two million dollar cash prize for the champion.
This was definitely not comparable to traditional sports events, especially major events like soccer, basketball, and American football.
It was even more impossible to compare to those.
But for ordinary people, electronic games gave them a strong sense of participation.
Everyone felt they had a chance to win.
Aside from Starcraft, which had not been announced yet, every player felt confident about the other three games.
Players began to gather in groups and participate in this esports competition in their own ways.
Smack!
"This is just a joke, what's the difference between this and gambling?"
In a certain professional sports institution, a middle-aged man in a suit angrily slammed the newspaper on the table.
The cigar beside him still had smoke lingering around it, and his expensive watch gleamed as he slammed the newspaper.
"This esports is just a bunch of decadent teenagers fooling around, why should it be taken seriously? Isn't this humiliating us?"
"Um, boss, please calm down. Actually, I think this thing has potential. Young people like this stuff, and if we invest some money to establish an esports club, we could attract some internet-addicted youngsters. Who knows, we might become idols for young people."
"Idols my foot! I disagree with this thing. It's lowering our own standards!"
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