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Missing a golden opportunity...

Ironstryde·3/2/2014, 2:49:24 AM·26 votes·3,407 views

Dear Riot,

I'm very much a fan of the game and esports in general. I feel like you guys are missing a golden opportunity however. You do a fantastic job in production value. Your casters are incredibly entertaining and seem like genuinely nice hard working people. Your game is second to none and your coverage of the LCS has really taken professional video gaming to the next level. You've really made things interesting with the pre-show. LoL is a very unique professional sport. Short pieces on pro players personal lives and back stories are entertaining pieces and you emulate that aspect of your broadcast very well from sources such as ESPN.

That being said, I think you are making a mistake by making esports and the game production side of things two separate beasts. The error manifests itself by not showing enough of what is behind the curtain. The uniqueness of this "sport" is the fact that it is also a living, breathing creature of art and mathematics. As a player I have utmost respect for the professional players and their level of play. Some of us are not overly interested in their personal lives. The same goes for other sports. Many of us are not just esports lovers but video game lovers in general! You should use at least part of your pre-game show to present us with some of your own talent. Showcase the art and development teams. Showcase the game designers, or a brief video on the process of creating a champion. Wow us with a 5 minute piece on the hardware and software that keeps this global monster afloat on a world stage hosting millions of people. Go nuts! Make content announcements live, you can always upload the videos to the site after. Many people will eat this kind of stuff up.

Show us where LoL is going and the amazing talent that got this company where it is today! Esports is really headed in the right direction, and much of it due to Riot's efforts and influences. With the global viewership that the LCS maintains, I really think you should keep video game production and the sport itself intertwined. I know all may not agree. Some may argue that they don't do this in football (American or other. You know... Soccer!) This is a new animal however. There is no need to follow static paradigms. Show us the pro's runes and masteries, give us breakdowns on champions both overpowered and underutilized. Make nothing taboo in your broadcast. Cover anything that strikes your fancy. Keep up the good work and think outside the box with your content.

Thank you for listening to a long winded summoner. I hope you made it this far.

TLDR: Showcase the game itself during LCS. Give us content previews and behind the scenes looks at how this ship stays afloat. Give some props to the people who make it all happen!

8 Comments

Griftrix3/2/2014, 11:40:14 PM6 votes

I'm glad that you find the inner workings of game making and balance interesting, but I personally (I don't work in eSports) don't want to take the spotlight away from the sport, the players, and the fans. What you're saying sounds like others might be interested as well, but maybe the LCS broadcasts isn't the right place to mix it in. I dunno, just my 2 cents, and by no means an official opinion on anything at all.

I'm glad you enjoy the show, and hope we can do more things you like!

Dantilq3/3/2014, 11:07:45 AM1 votes

I totally agree, I'd love to see more stuff from the reds, Reflections Interviews with some of the reds would be perfect IMO. When I asked Thoorin about it, he said that Rioters have said no every time he asks them.

https://twitter.com/Thooorin/status/430761000451993600

This would be a better place than LCS IMO. Not stealing any spotlight from players, but having their own 2 hour of fame or however long the interview would be.

Xzandrate3/3/2014, 7:53:02 PM1 votes

Well the LCS does keep evolving, and I liked the pre-show this week.

I'd love to have a larger review on the patch changes that they are playing on, maybe by someone on the balancing team, they could give some thoughts on why. Often the broadcasters will touch on the changes during chap select but they don't always have time to expand on it. If there was a champion spotlight, or champions to watch spot during the pre-show I think that would be ideal.