PREVIEW: Website Launch

Will be launching the full "coming soon" website later this week, for now here is a quick snapshop of the design!

Preview of the "coming soon" version of the WHAT IS ESPORTS website

Current schedule:
1. Launch "coming soon" website, gather support & feedback (tomorrow)
2. Launch beta of "final" website, start creating content (one week from today)
3. Launch "public beta" of website, with basic content and framework in place (2-3 weeks)

Audience Survey
The survey has been online for the past few days, check it out here. This will help determine what questions our audience has, what they are curious about, and the best way to communicate this information to them.

And now for something completely different: being a professional

This week, while I still worked on my capstone project "What is E-Sports", the focus was professional development, and my brand identity.

Professional Image

I have a fairly established brand under the alias "Mattc0m." I choose to even use this alias on my business card or other places where a brand logo may appear. For professional reasons, however, I've left the alias "Mattc0m" absent from my resume.

• Personal website: www.mattc0m.com (currently re-designing, but is a big step up from the previous site)
• Resume: PDF Download (designed / finalized this weekend)
• MyCeeVee: Online (online resume)
• Twitter: twitter.com/mattc0m (new background / theme)
• Business Card: Coming Soon

I worked on this essentially the entire weekend (the resume and work experience). Took a good amount of work, but I'm happy with my results none-the-less. 

Fun fact: There is over 34,000 search results for "Mattc0m" on Google... all of which are me! Sometimes using the same alias for everything has unknown repercussions. Thus, it's always important to look like a young professional no matter what the setting is -- Google will find it!

What is E-Sports Progress

This week I focused on some contacting previous partners, discussing the idea, and discussing it with them.  Things were largely discussion-based at this point, but support is slowly getting garnered.

The big progress was the creation of a survey I intend to send out to fellow gamers, peers from school, to my Facebook and Twitter friends, e-mail to family, and more. My goal is to get over 100 responses. I'm hoping for 200 responses total.

However, the challenge is not in sending out a survey, but the creation of one. Originally, I thought creating a survey would be easy and the challenge would lie in getting responses. However, in order to get the results I'm looking for, I have to be very careful in how I construct the questions, setup demographics, and essentially find useful information in the process.

This type of information gathering is a completely new step for me, but I'm enjoying the challenge. I've done some research and reading into how to create a successful survey.

READING

• "Survey Design"
  http://www.surveysystem.com/sdesign.htm
• "Smart Survey Design" by Survey Monkey
  http://s3.amazonaws.com/SurveyMonkeyFiles/SmartSurvey.pdf
• "Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions"
  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/06/

Currently, the survey is in pre-testing. I am still not completely satisfied with it. Suggestions would be more than welcome.

I've also created a simplistic Gantt chart of the project's estimated progress. You can view it online.

The Proposal: What is eSports?

This is the first draft of an e-mail message I plan on constructing and sending to vital figures within the eSports industry. It is still a work in progress.

I want to be frank, there's a problem with e-sports and it needs to be addressed. This is why I'm asking for your support, critique, and input into a new project that has already begun.

The problem is: there exists an entry barrier into the world of e-sports. Newcomers have a hard time understanding the scene, and looking in from outside the "world" of e-sports can be an ordeal. The competitive gaming scene is not a very well organized. And even though I hate to say it, we’re really self-centered. It’s hard for newcomers to get a grasp on what is going on.

This needs to end. We can provide a solution, a resource where newcomers can gather the basis of knowledge needed to really understand what e-sports is all about. I want to make eSports more approachable and entertaining for newcomers, but mainly I would like a destination to make it simply understandable. Give the basics, define the vocabulary, show off the games, have a few videos, and then link them to the “real world” for further exploration of the scene.

And instead of telling people about the appeal of e-sports, part of our goal is to show what makes e-sports appealing. By showcasing some of the best stories, events, videos, interviews, and more—we can paint a picture of what makes the eSports scene so interesting.

We hope that other e-sports sites integrate the content, as well. We're looking for contributors, partners, and essentially avenues to ensure this is a success. We would release all the content under Creative Commons, so it’d be free and open to all.

Hopefully you’ll join us on our journey to create a simple, effective resource for eSports newcomers.

Signed,
Matt "Mattc0m" Richards

In other news...
Project Milestones Reached

• Domain name registered
• Shared with with initial partners
• Sent out feelers to my existing network of e-sports industry figures

Looking Forward: Senior Capstone Objectives

The New Project

Potential new logo for the project

The project is still tentative, yet this encompassed many learning objectives and also be a unique, new resource that has the unique position of becoming a key part of the emerging eSports industry. Titled "What is eSports?", it is a new website that provides an introduction to the esports scene.

Objectives

• Web Design
  A personal strength, this will allow me to communicate vast amounts of information in as clear and concise manner as possible.
  
• Web DevelopmentBy launching on a stable platform that allows for collaboration, updates, and expansion into the future, we'll remain a viable resource for years to come.
• Content Partnerships
  By finding key eSports experts and advocates, we hope to create a universal and agreed-on introduction that is inclusive, comprehensive, and not opinionated.
• Establishing Key Partners
  We need to not only make a name for ourselves, but attach ourselves to the success of other popular eSports ventures. By offering a unique service (an easy to use, step-by-step resource for newcomers), we hope that the eSports community will eagerly accept our
• New Media Marketing
  From social media to low-cost advertising to guerrilla marketing, we'll employ multiple tactics to create a positive buzz and strong word-of-mouth for our launch.

The ultimate goal is not only to become a usable, functional website; but to become the industry-recognized resource for an introduction to e-sports. 

This project will combine my past experience with Games Cast TV, Quake Live TV, and other esports ventures, and is a great new opportunity to focus on a content-driven website. A major focus will be our partnerships. We must partner with key figures in the industry, popular communities, and industry-leading websites in order to become the definitive resource as an introduction to eSports.

Why the change?

Originally, my plan was to finally launch the often-delayed Games Cast TV as a final product, create a formalized business plan, create a new marketing drive, and finally push the entire project out the door. However, there is a few problems with Games Cast TV.

First, I did a large amount of work for the WV Business Plan Competition, where the plan succeeded into the semifinalist round as a competitor for $10,000. However, I ran into a large amount of difficult when it came to defining what eSports was and why it mattered.

Second, the Games Cast TV development relies largely on the shoulder of my partner, Steve "GreasedScotsman" Huff. However, he's recently become a father, which means he's largely dedicated to actually being a good dad. And it's hardly fair to ask for a big time commitment when there is something far more important going on in his life.

Third, this change is something that fits very well into the original theme of my Capstone project, anyway. For my Capstone on Games Cast TV, I had a third (if not more) of my resources going into defining what eSports was, how big the industry was, and how it was growing. However, it failed to answer why eSports matters.

By changing my focus 100% onto the industry, I can still highlight my experiences with QLTV and GCTV, while really creating a new story about what eSports is, and in a way that's easily communicable. It's not just about defining eSports, but about how the scene is growing, changing, and become something culturally relevant in the US and around the world.

I, for one, am excited for the change and hopefully my director will agree with the new path this project has taken.

A Look Into Educational Gaming

Darfur is Dying

http://www.darfurisdying.com/
Target Age: 16-22 (High school)

1. How the scarcity of basic resources is incredibly common and essential to the survival of the people of Darfur.

2. That the people of Darfur all have individual stories, and many of them are depressing and incredibly sad. It tries to put a human face on the grand tragedy.

3. That help is possible and can be done in a variety of ways—sending a letter to a politician, donations, and more are all available to do through the game.

Critique: Overall, I felt the game to be lacking very much gameplay, challenge, or interest. Sure, it conveyed some basic information and stories, but there was very little interaction. There is no replay value nor any reason to go back to the game after its initial play through.

Climate Change

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/climatechange/climate_challenge/
Target Age: 18-30 (Young Adults & Middle Aged)

1. That drastic policies and measures by the government is needed in order to combat global warming effectively.

2. There is no popular road or one way to combat global warming, and a combination of changes will need to take place—nearly all of them being unpopular (such as CO2 and gas taxes)

3. Even when you “win” the game, you may have destroyed your country’s wealth or popularity in the world. You must balance everything as best as possible, which seems downright impossible at times.

Critique: Sometimes, it felt like there was little feedback in terms of how much of resources you needed. Also, when the game was over, it informed me I destroyed my country’s economy and wealth. Which seems odd, since I had tons of extra money and there was no indication that I was destroying our wealth. Oh well, stopped global warming.

Third World Famer

http://www.3rdworldfarmer.com/
Target Age: 16-25

1. How massive, tragic events happen nearly every year, and it effects economies of third world nations every year. From famine to civil war to rebellions to death to disease, there’s always something taking its toll.

2. You must use extremely limited resources to turn your farm around and become successful. However, the ability to actually succeed and “win” the game is a nice change, rather than Darfur is Dying’s “you just survive” mechanic.

3. That simple necessities, such as food, medicine,  education, and communications, takes years (if not more) to save for. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to get these things.

Critique: Overall, I enjoyed this game. It made you think about the decisions you were making, and yet you felt a sense of progression and achievement by making good decisions.

Pandemic 3

review coming soon

Straw Building: Does it have Meaningful Play?

Is using straws and tape to build a simple free-standing structure constitute meaningful play?

My answer, simply, is yes.

The game is largely descriptive due to the teamwork elements but also some of the decisions along the way. You find meaning in the game by making decisions -- who leads the project, what type of construction system, who is doing what parts of the construction. The limits of time and construction materials all help create a more interesting and "evaluative" process to the game.

"Integration" comes full-circle when you begin to near the finish and look at other free-standing structures. You see where your decisions have led you, where other people's decisions have led them, and you truly begin to understand the impact of your early decisions. Many times this will lead people to quickly change their idea or to add a small last bit of height (which ultimately fails).

Games are about decision-making, achievement, progress, and working towards a goal. The straw-building exercise fits into this mold perfectly, and thus, I would consider it a game.

Web Comics and using Interactivity

After reading three online comics, I've found that the added layer of interactivity brought by the use of javascript and animation add a lot to a very traditional way of telling storys through graphic novels, which is very panel-based. These comics "thought outside the box."

The first comic is an odd manga-like short story that's, frankly, a little frightening. Even though the comic was not in English, it was able to communicate a very odd short story. It still used the traditional panel, scrolling down and viewing the square boxes as the story moved forward in a linear fashion. But the speed at which the panels were observed changed depending on the part of the story. Quick, flashly, and abrupt animation took over when you observed sudden reveals or frightening revelations. It also used simple animation on a couple frames to bring it even further to life. I enjoyed these small additions quite a bit, and would definitely conclude they are a "comic" even with a small amount of animation applied.

Where I might draw the line is the use of sound. Using sound in the medium makes it less a visual experience, and more an audio/visual experience more akin to animation or some definition of "mixed media." If this comic we played without sound, even with the animation, I would consider it to essentially be a comic. However, moving too far "out of the box" makes it more akin to a short animation or motion graphic, rather than a traditional comic.

The other two comics are Part I and Part II of Scott McCloud's "The Right Number." In this comic, you "flip the page" by pressing a small panel inside of the full panel, essentially delving "deeper" into the story with every press. It's a bit difficult to explain without simply experiencing the comic yourself.

Though for it's time, "The Right Number" was controversial as a graphic novel, in recent years it's become far more readily accepted as a true graphic novel. This was mainly because of how he used the traditional panel is a very non-traditional way. As Scott McCloud explains, "[The Right Number] plays with the idea of treating the screen as a window rather than a page (the so-called "infinite canvas" style, most often associated with my book Reinventing Comics)" (source).

Despite changing the norms and using a flash-based system to show the art, I feel it still has all the needed requirements to be a comic. It's slightly experimental, yes, but it still uses panels fairly traditionally, has a linear fashion, and still makes a lot of sense as a comic-reading experience. On top of that, the story is very fresh, deep, and just plain good. The story really feels like you're going "into the mind" of the main character. I believe the format really helps in presenting this story.