BLOGS
A new idea of mine for more American CS coverage...
We need some more American news on this site!
By alice 'ali' lew
Jun 23, 2009 00:50
We need some more American news on this site!
There is no doubt that the SK Gaming site is the "go-to" site when wanting to find out what's going on in the e-sports scene, but frankly, there really isn't much about the North American CS scene besides teams having a couple roster changes here and there.
I think we can all agree that the North American and European counterstrike scenes are very different in nature. The American scene is with no doubt smaller and with not as many "professional" or "competitive" teams as the European scene. I can only reminisce of the good ol' days where American teams such as 3D or coL would be battling it out in all international tournaments for a world class title. These days, there are only a handful of American teams that we can even consider to have the potential to be "world-class" teams.
Sometimes I wonder why North American teams have always had such a struggle competiting at a high level. Is it because the North American scene is so volatile and that Americans don't have strong competitors to train against? One year we're one of the strongest competitors in the scene and the next year we're no where to be seen at the top of the list. Or is it because of the shitty internet North American players possess? As seen in screen shots of our matches, teams that are playing on opposite sides of the country have to deal with 60-80ping on a daily basis...
Anyway, what I was thinking of was interviewing some North American players for you guys to get some insight of how American esports really is. What I need help with is who to interview and what questions to ask!
Gunna post a new poll on my profile so you guys can vote on who you guys want me to interview. Remember this is just for fun and hopefully you guys enjoy my idea!
*EDIT* -- I guess I'll leave the poll until the end of the month so everyone can vote! Winner will be determined on the first of next month. Thanks for everyones interest!!!!
I think we can all agree that the North American and European counterstrike scenes are very different in nature. The American scene is with no doubt smaller and with not as many "professional" or "competitive" teams as the European scene. I can only reminisce of the good ol' days where American teams such as 3D or coL would be battling it out in all international tournaments for a world class title. These days, there are only a handful of American teams that we can even consider to have the potential to be "world-class" teams.
Sometimes I wonder why North American teams have always had such a struggle competiting at a high level. Is it because the North American scene is so volatile and that Americans don't have strong competitors to train against? One year we're one of the strongest competitors in the scene and the next year we're no where to be seen at the top of the list. Or is it because of the shitty internet North American players possess? As seen in screen shots of our matches, teams that are playing on opposite sides of the country have to deal with 60-80ping on a daily basis...
Anyway, what I was thinking of was interviewing some North American players for you guys to get some insight of how American esports really is. What I need help with is who to interview and what questions to ask!
Gunna post a new poll on my profile so you guys can vote on who you guys want me to interview. Remember this is just for fun and hopefully you guys enjoy my idea!
*EDIT* -- I guess I'll leave the poll until the end of the month so everyone can vote! Winner will be determined on the first of next month. Thanks for everyones interest!!!!
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http://www.sk-gaming.com/rss/blog/ali
Edit, and they should get some NA crew to bring in the NA news, the timezone difference probably makes it harder for them to cover both sides as effectively as they probably want.
and i agree, we dont have much american cs news, but i think a lot of the europeans turn their back to american cs when they decided to switch to CS:S, and then back to CS1.6. And since they've been back to 1.6 they have yet to prove themselves. The only thing we hear about american CS is team EG and coL. EG because of lurrpis (he's doing a beckham, hope it will work for them) , and coL because jtblk likes to spam (love you really).
You also cant turn a blind eye to the fact that the playing style, and sometimes, skill, is hugely different.
i also think the lack of news is because of the number of times american teams play european teams such as SK. Im sure most american players get their CS news from American team websites where the news is more related to the teams they play on a daily or weekly basis. what interest would they have getting news from a European based website who has a team against whom they may have the opportunity to play with perhaps at WCG or DreamHack, ie, twice a year if they're lucky.
On the other hand, it has its charm, because international games such as EG vs. lemondogs or coL vs. SK or whatever, are more entertaining, because neither can just predict what the other team has been cooking up accross their side of the ocean.
*edit* sorry for the long post :( i just find it interesting, i will be reading ur interviews if u make them!
but i can totally agree on why we don't have alot of american news on this site, but i guess im tryin to change that. :) imo, we're totally trying to work our way back up from what CGS brought us down to (f u source!) and im hoping american teams can prove they can be a top contender as they once were.
there is a definite difference in playstyle/skill, but ur right! its just that factor that makes it so much more interesting for us fans to watch!
Do you think the US can have strong teams that can compete or place high in international competitions like it used to be? - refer to the part in your blog "One year we're one of the strongest competitors in the scene and the next year we're no where to be seen at the top of the list.")
"I can only reminisce of the good ol' days where American teams such as 3D or coL would be battling it out in all international tournaments for a world class title." - This part for example you can ask what happened to those times? Why is it that the US doesn't have these moments anymore?
:/ That's all I have for you. Honestly that is probably why I am glad that SK.ladies wins ESWC, simply because the US has at least a successful team winning international event or when Justin Wong and his crew travels to Europe and dominates.
The whole EU vs US rivalty was great. Everytime we played CPL in Dallas, the crowd was split and screaming USA or SK when we played 3D for example and who would forget the epic clashes we had. It's time the US or NA teams are picking up again and one way is to start spreading the word they are ready to pick a fight woth the EU teams ;)
To add to what you said RAINFALL, I think American teams put up the same amount of intensity during practice and training, but since the level of competition in North America is no where near what it is in Europe, I guess it's hard to establish the same type of skill? (eh, maybe not skilll... but I don't know)
IMO, CGS set America back like 2 years. LOL
As for more American news, well... like you said, there's not much going on. As a more WoW-centered writer i do get to write a lot more about American teams and players than our CS/WC3 staff but i also remember the days when GotForums used to be the site to visit. Back when CAL was worth watching and the scene was alive and well. Since CGS that all changed (well, okay, CAL was kinda boring long before CGS came along, but w/e). But take it from me as a Brit, you could have it a lot worse.