The fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 is further aiming to establish itself as a serious eSport game. And so they are tackling typical issues that come with such a competitive mentality, such as players insulting and flaming each other.
Guild Wars 2 takes eSports very seriously. There is no doubt about that. Even though the previous efforts have yet to really attract the interest of Twitch viewers, ArenaNet is firmly determined to establish Guild Wars 2 as an eSports game. They likely see themselves at an advantage compared to other MMORPGs due to the comparatively low influence of equipment on character strength and the skill-based nature of the game.
The hordes of MOBA players, the currently trending eSports trend, would probably love to have every MMORPG in their ranks or at least a part of it. They would be desperately needed fresh blood, while the core player base of MMORPGs is getting older. These theories are at least read quite often and seem to be plausible and supported by the numbers. In the coming years, some MMORPGs will probably notice trends that aim to attract players more from League of Legends or DOTA 2 rather than World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic as it was in previous years.
GW2 intensifies previously sluggish eSports measures
Josh Davis has been appointed as the “Competitive Events Manager” and already announced another huge tournament in China, where a prize of $50,000 is at stake and where, right before Nikolaustag, the best teams from Europe, China, and North America are to compete in a tournament for the world championship. A similar tournament was organized for Gamescom in Cologne and here, in addition to local players, top players from China and North America were flown in – despite the effort, the battles didn’t really get much attention on Twitch.
They also have their own streaming show that deals with this specific form of PvP, presents the mode extensively at conventions, and actually does everything to make it clear: Guild Wars 2 is the eSports MMORPG. As mentioned: Currently, the success in terms of viewers is still lacking. But apparently, they are willing to wait for it.
Here is a recent presentation of Guild Wars 2 at the EGX in London, clearly showing that they aim to introduce MOBA players to MMORPGs.
Guild Wars 2 will not tolerate bad behavior
In the official forum of Guild Wars 2, Josh Davis was confronted with a typical problem of eSport games: top players are ambitious, the competition among themselves is fierce, nerves are frayed, insults and flames fly back and forth within a team and also between competing teams.
A stream between two teams was recently posted in the GW2 forum. It is no longer viewable, but from the comments, it is clear that things got quite heated.
On the second page, Josh Davis made it clear that such behavior will not be tolerated under his supervision. Like Riot recently threatened players with penalties up to exclusion from eSports, if they behave “toxic”. This could probably be most aptly translated as “like an ass”.
Pro gamers must behave professionally soon
Davis presents his post as a “friendly reminder”, but makes no doubt that he intends to take strong action against such behavior. A corresponding code of conduct is planned.
In recent weeks, Riot has stood out for regulating the sometimes severe behavior of their pro gamers, to elevate eSports in League of Legends to a new level. Even top League of Legends players are now threatened with exclusion if they cannot keep themselves in check.
Understandably: After all, these players set an example, stand in the spotlight and their behavior reflects back on the game. Those who want to be treated like a pro and celebrated should probably get used to the idea of behaving professionally.
