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Comment by AmericanChopper | Hacker News Reader

> can you host your own servers

So the thing holding esports back is not enough barriers to entry?

Needing explicit permission / cooperation from the developer of a game to run a tournament is more of a barrier to entry than needing to host a server.

I can’t think of a single popular online multiplayer game where I would need permission or cooperation from the developer to operate a tournament with my friends/local community...

This doesn't raise the barrier to entry it lowers it. Players can continue to host their own servers for old games. Back in the day, teams would host their own servers and recruit good players they met on them. Also allowing LAN parties (not quite the same thing as hosting servers, but similar) fosters a physical sense of community which is crucial. The culture of kids going to each others' houses to play Smash is probably a huge part of why it's so popular as a competitive game.

> fosters a physical sense of community which is crucial

Then why have none of the most successful esports had this characteristic? A characteristic they have all shared however, is a simple, out-of-the-box online multiplayer experience.

Archiving old games is an entirely seperate concern.

Well the original—at least from my perspective—esports game was quake, which spawned quake con. At some point when quakecon startee really gaining traction, most games from that point forward stopped implementing a lot of the capability which fostered those types of communities.

While esports has gained a little bit more traction since then, my suspicions are aligned with the article, it’s mostly due to dumping massive venture capital into hyping it. And it seems to have hit a wall.

I bet, if they want to move beyond the wall it has hit, one of the key moves will be to start implementing those features discussed above, which will foster the communities which will allow those organic communities to form.

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