Let e-sports stars and entertainment stars compete on the same stage?
The level of competition is greatly reduced and the audience is questioned, and the traffic economy has become a "double-edged sword"
Shen Zhao Jiang Tiansheng Tan Dingyuan
Recently, a variety show called "Battle to the Peak" is on the air. Entertainment stars such as Yang Mi and Gong Jun compete with e-sports players on the same stage. However, due to the participation of a large number of entertainment stars, the level of competition on the field is great. The discount was criticized by many viewers.
Previously, manufacturers have repeatedly claimed that attending variety shows and other activities can help professional players solve the "next stop" problem after retirement, but the reporter found that most of the players invited to variety shows bring their own traffic, and they don't need to worry about their livelihoods. Players who face the pressure of survival after retirement have not been taken seriously.
Yangzi Evening News/Ziniu News reporter Shen Zhao Jiang Tiansheng intern Tan Dingyuan
The cross-border combination of e-sports has "changed the taste"
Since 2013, variety shows have tested the water and invited e-sports players to attend as guests. At that time, most of the programs were invited because they won championships in major events. Since 2018, variety shows and e-sports players have crossed borders. The combination began to change. The e-sports players on the show retired as "players" after "reality shows", and their record was just a label. It's just the tip of the iceberg that the entertainment industry has "infiltrated".
Manufacturers are promoting their own events, and they often talk about "e-sports becoming a nationally recognized official sport" and "e-sports entering Asia", but the actual operation is another matter. Meetings, making support materials, picking up airports, organizing CPs, controlling comments on Weibo Square, and engaging in e-sports variety shows... The gameplay of these fan circles once made people wonder if the manufacturers are really doing a sports event.
The star-making movement in the e-sports circle is a direct result of manufacturers embracing the traffic economy.
What kind of e-sports player will be "made a star"?
Ability and record are indeed one of the factors, but appearance and personality are also the key. A good-looking boy or girl can make a shining appearance and attract attention when he packs it. If he has a witty mouth and a familiar personality, it will be even more so. It is suitable for going to the field of variety shows and live broadcasts.
Since embracing the entertainment industry, there is naturally a lot of muddy water in the entertainment industry. Fans of e-sports players criticize each other, cast votes for their beloved e-sports players, pay attention to social platform data and be ready to boost sales for the players' endorsement products... Even the e-sports competition itself, which is the foundation of e-sports players, has become tense. The evaluation of the star player's competition may lead to a war of words, and the winning or losing of the competition will also become the basis for "pulling and stepping", and even more so. Personal attacks will have a negative impact on the reputation of players and clubs.
Due to the particularity of their occupations, active e-sports players are often half-aged children. Year-round competition and training have also made them disconnected from society and school education. Manufacturers' pursuit of traffic has pushed them to the spotlight. , After frequent commercial endorsements and participating in various variety shows, the time for self-training is reduced. How many of these young people who have not yet stabilized their three views can keep their hearts in the pursuit of sound?
In order to quickly gain benefits from players, actively embrace traffic, and create batches of e-sports star celebrities.
Some people are very popular, some people are facing an existential crisis
In fact, the e-sports players who make money do not necessarily have a good performance in the competition. The e-sports players who are full of honors may be empty in their wallets. Manufacturers often say in their promotions that behaviors such as going to variety shows can help e-sports players solve the "next stop" after retiring. "The problem, but the reporter's investigation found that most of the players invited to the variety show have their own traffic, and they don't need to worry about their livelihood. For example, the retired player Menglei invited to "Battle to the Peak" this time, he only has a short video platform. With more than 30 million fans, the invited retired coach Guo Jiayi is currently the first-line anchor of a live broadcast platform.
However, some players who face the pressure of survival after retirement have not been paid attention to... The reporter learned that Song Tao, 29, won the first King Glory Professional League championship in 2016. , but all failed. In an official documentary released by the manufacturer last year, it was shown that Song Tao returned to his hometown to work in a courier company and was responsible for the sorting of express delivery; Liao Feiyu, who was also the champion of the first King Glory Professional League, is currently Working as a teacher at an e-sports training institution in Chongqing... Of course, these two at least have jobs, and Yuan Zhongzhi, another member of the championship team at that time, may not even have a "job".
In May of this year, a reporter from the Yangzi Evening News interviewed Yuan Zhongzhi at an amateur e-sports club in Nanjing. The former professional league champion was playing for this amateur club at the time, and he told the reporter, "I also thought about whether there is anything other than games. There are other things that can be done, but there is no direction. Now that I think about it, it seems that I am not very good at it, so I can only do it here first." When it comes to income, Yuan Zhongzhi said a little embarrassedly that he is "voluntary labor", and the club only provides Room and board, "Fortunately, I don't usually have any extra expenses, so let's take a step by step and look forward to the investors joining after the results." However, even if the former professional champion joined, this amateur club was eliminated early. .