Data map: The 2019 NEST National E-sports Competition (League of Legends) Summer Finals was held in Guiyang, Guizhou. The first match against the BLG team won the WE team 2: 0. China News Service reporter Qu Honglun photo
Chinanews.com client Beijing, May 27 (Wang Hao) With the closing of the LPL (League of Legends top-level league in China) summer transfer window, in the past two days, teams have announced the signings of the team, which has been reported on social media. The discussion is quite high. The League of Legends mid-season cup, which will open a few days later, will undoubtedly become a new online hot spot.
Looking back over the past few years, the enthusiasm for e-sports has been increasing. Even when the epidemic hits the world sports world, many e-sports leagues can maintain a high degree of discussion. It is undeniable that online development is a natural advantage of e-sports, but more importantly, they have made many beneficial attempts on this basis-in a modern Internet buzzword, it will "complete work" .
Pack lightly
On the afternoon of the 28th, the League of Legends Mid-Season Cup match will be launched online. The top four teams from the Spring Division in Mainland China and South Korea will be divided into two groups. Eight teams will compete for a championship. Alternative to the mid-season championship.
The annual mid-season championship is an international event, with the champions of each division participating, second only to the global finals in gold content. However, due to the impact of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, this year, helplessly announced the cancellation. The reason why the mid-season cup does not bring the European and American teams to "play" is mainly due to the geographical distance and the difficulty of controlling the network conditions, which may affect the fairness of the game.
Mid season cup poster.
In fact, from the announcement of the cancellation of the mid-season championship game on April 23, Beijing time, to the earliest proposal of the T1 team of the South Korean division in early May to hold a China-Korea confrontation, and then to the release of the mid-season cup competition on May 13, Beijing time, only a total 20 days.
At present, many of the world's e-sports events are in a period of savage growth. The International E-sports Federation was only established at the end of last year. Its voice in the organization and development of events is much smaller than that of FIFA, FIBA and other organizations in the traditional sports field. Many e-sports events are dominated by game manufacturers.
Although such characteristics hinder e-sports from entering the comprehensive sports games such as the Olympic Games, on the other hand, it makes the coordination of the events more convenient. The mid-season cup, which was "born" in just 20 days, filled the window period caused by the cancellation of the mid-season championship, ensuring the heat of the event.
In addition, compared with traditional sports, e-sports basically do not have a TV as a communication medium, and events are basically broadcast live on the Internet. This has certain restrictions on the promotion of eSports.
Data map: WE team players are in the game. On the same day, the 2019 NEST National Esports Competition (League of Legends) Summer Finals was held in Guiyang, Guizhou. The first match against the BLG team won the WE team 2: 0. China News Service reporter Qu Honglun photo
But at the same time, the explanation and packaging of the live broadcast of the event are more lively and open, and the ability to create "stalks" is also stronger. E-sports players can even sing in the post-match interview, which provides more material for the promotion of the event.
Compared with traditional sports events, e-sports have some "congenital deficiencies", but at the same time there are fewer constraints, you can lightly go into battle and snatch the market.
Internet darling
Beijing time on the 25th is the first day after the LPL summer transfer window is closed to allow team officials to declare. Multiple entries including "LPL transfer period", "LPL Summer Games OMG lineup list" and other entries were posted on Weibo hot search on the same day. During the season, iG, RNG, TES and other teams with large LPL traffic are likely to be more lively when playing key games than now.
The number of topics read during the "LPL transfer period" reached 450 million.
In addition, some well-developed e-sports leagues are more "like a fish" in online marketing than traditional sports. For example, during the LPL season, before each game, the two teams will separately launch event posters, many of which are artistic and interesting boutiques.
And every once in a while, the team will also publish videos in the form of Vlog, which not only completes the implantation of sponsors, but also shows the daily life of the team to the audience.
Interestingly, some League of Legends teams from Europe and the United States have also registered social media accounts on multiple platforms in China, which is different from the familiar form of "English to Chinese" operation. These accounts are well integrated into China ’s current The popularity of the Internet has made these European and American teams gain a certain popularity in China.
It is not limited to the field of League of Legends. At present, some of the more prosperous King Glory professional league teams in China are also doing well in this regard.
Screenshot of Weibo.
On the other hand, some traditional sports leagues in China have a general effect in this respect. For example, Guangzhou Evergrande, the most successful club of the Chinese Super League in recent years, has a more formal and serious operating style on its official Weibo, and rarely shows the team's content other than games.
Of course, the natural influence of the football project and the excellent results of Evergrande itself have guaranteed its high popularity. But I have to admit that the propaganda style of the e-sports team is more attractive to the "melon-eating masses" on the Internet.
Civilian route
With the fierce development of e-sports in recent years, more and more funds are invested in the e-sports industry. From the perspective of the entire event, some major international brands have sponsored, and some popular teams of popular projects also have a lot of individual sponsors.
The salary of the players has also gradually increased. Media reports have reported that some of the top players of the LPL have an annual salary of more than 10 million. In comparison, the Super League ’s current domestic player salary cap is 10 million, the national team is 12 million, and the CBA domestic player salary cap is 9 million.
Screenshot of Weibo.
The top e-sports players in the pyramid have lost their salaries to high-level players in traditional sports. But compared to traditional sports, e-sports players are more "grounded".
There is a one-month offseason between the LPL spring and summer seasons. During this period, these highly-paid e-sports players live on the live webcast platform and "complete the work", which looks like ordinary nets. Addicted teenagers make little difference.
And these contents have also become an important material to maintain the heat during the offseason, and some self-media have even gained more traffic during the offseason than during the season.
In fact, for many e-sports players, live broadcast is also their job. The contract of the live broadcast platform can also bring them a lot of income, and the audience has increased their understanding of them during the live broadcast. Imagine that star players such as Yi Jianlian and Wu Lei frequently engage in live webcasts during the offseason?
Profile picture: The audience is watching the finals. On the same day, the 2019 NEST National Esports Competition (League of Legends) Summer Finals was held in Guiyang, Guizhou. The first match against the BLG team won the WE team 2: 0. China News Service reporter Qu Honglun photo
During the tournament, e-sports competitions also pay great attention to serving the audience. Before the outbreak, after a game is over, fans of the winning team can come on stage to give small gifts, take photos, and even allow players to wear their own accessories and hats of their choice.
Some of this close interaction is like a signing and shaking hands in the entertainment industry. For fans, this is undoubtedly very attractive.
Affected by the epidemic, a large number of e-sports events were affected in the first half of this year, but some professional events can still maintain a high degree of attention. Perhaps there is an opportunity in danger. When traditional sports events are hit, e-sports is ushering in an opportunity. (Finish)