Missing a golden opportunity...

Ironstryde·Mar 2, 2014·26 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

GriftrixMar 2, 20146 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!

ModCaptainMårvelousMar 2, 20143 votes

Have you guys considered "Rioter Spotlights"? People from various departments showing how they work, what they do, etc. (NDA nonwithstanding). Would be a great way to showcase the work Rioters do and how they achieve such positions.

GriftrixMar 3, 20145 votes

Maybe we should have a vote on some Rioter AMAs. Post a few people from different departments, see who has the most interest (or satisfy a variety of interests, 2 champ designers with most interest might not be as cool as mixing it up, for example). What do you think of that idea? There are probably some people who would be happy to share about their professional experiences and what it's like working with the super awesome teams we have.

ModCaptainMårvelousMar 3, 20142 votes

Wouldn't be a bad idea at all. Heck, you could even host them here to drum up some support for the community beta while also giving people insight to said work. Foremost I can see these being helpful for three types of people.

People who are legitimately interested in where Riot/a specific department is going and/or what sort of things are in the works. (ETA non-withstanding)
People who are interested in a job at Riot or a job in this field. (I'd fall under this'un)
People who want to befriend and learn a little more about what it's like to, say, be an animation guru.

Personally, I'd probably see some departments getting way more questions than others (Such as the champ design department and the art department) but that doesn't mean you couldn't host multiple AMAs. Probably the best way to do it is to have two a month and separate the categories, such as having an Animator for the 1st AMA and have a Business head for the 2nd.

Those are just my views however. Riot's very good with the community and I definitely think you guys shouldn't need too much of my input to drum up an amazing idea!

IronstrydeMar 3, 20141 votes

AMAs are definitely a cool interaction. Pretty cool to ask the source... why did you make this choice? Did a limitation cause you to make this decision? Definitely find the new champion AMA's highly insightful and entertaining. Plus I'm sure this is way less stressful for the designers/artists. You guys are always dealing with upcoming content, easier to not let something slip or be quoted on something you didn't have time to think through.

The model sculpts and other such art showcases are incredible to watch. Would love to continue to see this type of content. I guess I wasn't suggesting "celebritizing" Rioters if they don't want to be on camera. 2 minute video tour of the studio. Some looks over their shoulder while working (the kind of stuff you saw Lucas Arts do, or a blu ray special feature type vid.) A listen in on a champion design staff meeting would be a really cool short video piece. Fly on the wall snippets are just as cool (I'm not interested in a Riot reality show haha. I'm sure this is what staffers fear some people would want.) It would be awful to work under a microscope. I was just thinking of short things like that. If that isn't a valid approach, totally understandable.

As far as this type of content in LCS, I understand if a big enough interest is not there. On the other hand, I do know people would love content preview and patch reviews. Champion teasers and things of that nature would definitely add to the already existing hype before matches. Sometimes trailers before the movies are as exciting as the films! I don't want to see spotlight taken away from the sport. As I've mentioned before, I think celebrating the fact that this sport exists is a fantasy world is a really cool dynamic that should be exploited. The anime trailer of the pros at worlds was a cool example.

IronstrydeMar 3, 20142 votes

I definitely see your point. Perhaps I was a bit overbearing on mine. Each day of LCS can be over 6 hours of broadcast. I'd be totally satisfied with even a 3-5 minute piece here and there. I would never want to see this kind of content take over the down times on the broadcast. That would not be fair to the players and esports staff in general. Then again, esports wouldn't exist without the creation of digital worlds. We'd simply still only have sport.

A digital arena/world is what makes this experience so special. I think that should be celebrated if even just a little. I'm being presumptuous, but I'd wager even some of the pros would enjoy a snippet here and there giving some insight as to why the place they wage war each week is what it is. The majority of the content should definitely focus on the players and sport itself, but variety is the spice of life, as they say.

DantilqMar 3, 20141 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.

XzandrateMar 3, 20141 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.