For the next Team of the Week in FIFA 20, predictions are now known. We show you the forecasts for TOTW 10 (Team of the Week).Top stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, and Toni Kroos are highly favored.
Although league play is on hold and international matches are currently being played, the Team of the Week in FIFA Ultimate Team continues.
This week focuses on the players’ performances with their national teams.
What are TOTW Predictions actually? In the predictions for the Team of the Week, members of the FIFA community try to estimate which players could land in the next Team of the Week.
Fans closely monitor the performances of real football players and speculate who has played well enough to secure a spot in the TOTW.
Prediction for Team of the Week 10 in Ultimate Team
These predictions are from FIFAUTeam:
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This is how the 1st Inform card of Ronaldo might look: The top star from Juventus Turin scored the 55th hat-trick of his career in the international match against Lithuania. This could earn him his first Inform card in FUT 20.
This is what Ronaldo’s first Inform card might look like
These Bundesliga players are highly favored
These are the candidates from the Bundesliga:
Yann Sommer had an outstanding game against Georgia. With 5 saves and a clean sheet, the Swiss could have earned his 2nd Inform card.
This is what Sommer’s 2nd Inform card might look like
Stefan Lainer is the second player from Mönchengladbach rumored for a place in the next TOTW. This is due to the strong performance that the Austrian defender had. He scored one goal and provided an assist in the 2:1 against North Macedonia. Whether this is enough for an Inform card will be revealed on Wednesday.
Robert Skov scored 2 goals and provided one assist in Denmark’s 6:0 victory over Gibraltar. These are good arguments for a TOTW card.
Then TOTW 10 will appear: Starting Wednesday, November 20 at 19:00, the new Inform cards of Team of the Week 10 will be available in FIFA 20 Ultimate Team. They can be found in packs for 7 days.
This is how you can use the predictions now: To quickly earn coins in FUT, you can make use of the TOTW predictions. Here we show you how it works:
Two professionals from FIFA 20 have been penalized by EA. The reason is a chat they had 5 months ago. Both players admit to having said what they are accused of but see the penalties as too harsh. One player felt provoked by racist remarks – the other considers it a revenge action by a third party.
Who are the two players in FIFA 20 and how were they punished? One player is Jas “Jas” Singh (20). He is a FIFA professional for West Ham United and a practicing Sikh. Jas has been suspended by EA for the FIFA 20 tournament in Bucharest, Romania. One must be among the world’s top 32 players in FIFA 20 to be invited there.
The other player is Nawid “GoalMachine” Zoorzai (20). He is Canadian and was a player for AS Roma Esports. However, Goal Machine was fired by his club after the incident. He has been suspended by EA for two tournaments.
What were they suspended for? It concerns the “FUT Champions CUP” (FCC). Here, 32 players per platform compete for a prize pool of $200,000.
The news of the suspension was already published on the US site of FIFA 20 (via ea.com):
Jas Singh is banned for “threatening physical violence” and for publishing content that EA deems inappropriate or hateful.
Nawiidd10 is banned for “hate speech.” Such a penalty applies to negative remarks about race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or origin.
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This is what Singh says: Jas Singh states in a Twitter video that he was “racially insulted.” The other player allegedly threatened to “shave his beard and head.”
This is, for him as a Sikh, a racial insult, which he reacted to angrily. Singh then threatened to injure the other FIFA 20 pro.
In Sikh tradition, it is required to leave the hair uncut.
Singh regrets his angry reaction but feels the punishment is too harsh. He believes he should be able to defend himself when he is racially insulted. He feels treated unfairly because he takes his religion very seriously.
This is what Nawid says: He presents the situation as one involving a group chat among FIFA players from 5 months ago. If Singh had genuinely felt racially insulted back then, he could have reported it to EA immediately. Instead, they reconciled the next day. Because there were only “jokes” in the group chat.
According to Nawid, another pro from FaZe got hold of the screenshot, who has a problem with him. That person forwarded the screen to EA. This led to the suspension which Nawid considers unfair.
As a Muslim, he respects everyone and therefore does not want to racially insult anyone. He often says in real life that he “shaves someone’s head” and has said this to other FIFA professionals as well.
This is what the two are said to have said: From the screens that Nawid shares, it is clear that Jas says things like: “I would flatten you if we weren’t in such a pussy industry.”
Nawid says: “Get lost before I shave your head.”
At the moment, the atmosphere in FIFA 20 is heated.
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint combines tactics and loot shooters, so why not also role-playing? Our author Maik has devised a role assignment with his team and has had a lot of fun doing it.
The tactical shooter Ghost Recon: Breakpoint has faced a lot of criticism. Ubisoft itself has already admitted to some errors and promised to continue supporting the title despite poor numbers and believes in its success.
However, the game is too easy in some places and does not consistently require tactical action to achieve its goals. This does not fit at all with the expectations I have for a Ghost Recon.
With a few mental tricks, my group and I have approached the game like a role-playing game and had a lot of fun clearing bases and teamwork.
Give your play style as much character as this bad guy.
Breakpoint becomes a role-playing game with its own rules
The game offers everything a good role-playing game needs – leveling system, quests, loot, an awesome trailer, large open world, but no real roles.
The classes in the game influence gameplay only slightly and allow for many play styles. However, with a few self-imposed restrictions, one can increase the importance of the individual roles in a team.
Currently, the enemy AI makes it a bit too easy for us Ghosts. If you are discovered in a base, it is usually enough to hold your current position, and the enemies gradually run into the line of fire.
With the role assignments, the difficulty level and the required teamwork increase enormously, but the gameplay improves significantly for me.
Vehicles help with exploration, but are not absolutely necessary.
These are the restrictions:
Retreat when discovered
Restricted mini-map and markings
Fixed access to weapon classes
No recon drones
Only one primary weapon and a sidearm
Use of gadgets restricted by roles
Use of class techniques is prohibited
Standard equipment of the classes consists of fragmentation grenades, flashbangs/distraction devices, field bottles, and binoculars
Players may ping points for orientation
Only first aid kits are available for healing
Sniper/precision rifles only permitted for the sniper
No vehicles allowed
Individual rules can be lifted by the roles so that, for example, the sniper may use a reconnaissance drone.
At the start of the game, the division is established. The four roles are suitable for a full squad, and each is responsible for adhering to their role play.
The rules should be clearly established beforehand to avoid misunderstandings. In addition to the restrictions above, the devised classes will then have their own specifications.
Medics take care of the team’s retreat and healing.
The 4 roles in detail:
Sniper
Weapon classes: Snipers only
Gadgets: Can use sensor grenades and reconnaissance drones
Recon: Mini-map without enemy clouds, can mark enemies and use reconnaissance drones
Other: May use the panther class ability
Task: Is the scout and reports enemy positions, takes care of snipers and team planning.
Recommended class: Panther
Infiltrator
Weapon classes: Free choice
Gadgets: May select a gadget from the engineer in addition to standard gadgets
Recon: No mini-map, no enemy markings
Other: May use the panther class’s camouflage spray
Task: Responsible for the advance into the base, sabotages the power generator
Recommended class: Panther
Engineer
Weapon class: Free choice
Gadgets: Can use all gadgets
Recon: No mini-map, no enemy markings
Other: Due to his full backpack, this class cannot run
Task: Responsible for heavy equipment and engages in combat when necessary.
Recommended class: Assault soldier
Medic
Weapon class: Free choice
Gadgets: May use syringes and the medic box to heal others
Recon: No mini-map, no enemy markings
Task: Stands between the infiltrator and engineer and is responsible for healing and retreating if the team is discovered.
Recommended class: Medic
With a free HUD, the game looks significantly better.
HUD is almost completely deactivated
The mini-map and enemy markings should be completely deactivated. In the menu under the “Interface” tab, you will find the second point “View Template” under “General” – here switch to “No HUD”.
However, it has been shown that determining one’s position and indicating certain points can be somewhat difficult. Therefore, the recommendation: Set the HUD markings “Communication” to Dynamic so you can still ping yourself or certain points.
The idea behind this is that the scout passes the marked enemies to his team while trying to keep an eye on the entire operational area.
You shouldn’t use all the sneaky tricks the game offers.
Some items are a little too strong
With the setup of the team, you should also consider which items do not fit into the loadout.
Consider which items might not fit into the tactic and leave those out completely. In the end, you decide which gadgets to use and how best to clear the base.
Thus, the simultaneous fire drone is a really powerful weapon, but for tactical use, it is quite overpowered.
You can come up with any kind of mission or task.
Role-playing ends with your imagination
This role-playing game can be taken even further. A team that starts the game together can set guidelines in the skill tree and lock certain perks for the roles.
At the beginning, players only have one weapon, and so far it is not possible to drop the secondary weapon. However, if no second weapon is equipped at the start, only the one primary weapon will be available for that time.
Even your own quests can be created and missions thought up for sought-after blueprints. Set goals to be completed along the way, finish a stronghold within a certain time, or go straight for the final boss.
Set a goal and GO! We usually planned a route on the map and went through the strongholds one by one. This way, I saw a lot of the game and still progressed well, especially when the target stronghold also solved a main mission at the same time.
If you want to try this with roles, don’t give up after the first chaos and try again. If you manage to clear an entire base without alarm together, it really is a special feeling!
What do you think of the current Breakpoint? Do you think the game is more fun with a role assignment?
40 players of the Alliance have kidnapped a Tauren in WoW Classic in a mean way. Just so that the king of the Dwarves gets a steak …
Strange and unique things happen repeatedly in World of Warcraft Classic. Last night, there was an extremely amusing incident. A Tauren player, who was on the way to the raid “Molten Core,” was kidnapped by an Alliance guild and dragged all over the world. And all this just so that the king of the Dwarves gets a steak…
What happened? On the realm Arugal in WoW Classic, the guild “Bunnings Warehouse” came up with a special prank. Once again, the king of the Dwarves, Magni Bronzebeard, was to enjoy some steak. But for that, they needed a Tauren, as they apparently provide the best meat.
So the guild lay in wait for the Tauren “Semmsem,” who was on his way to the molten core – he is the bearer of “Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros.” At this point, Semmsem has likely achieved most of what is possible in WoW: Classic.
Through mind control, the Tauren was taken over by priests and then slowly led towards Ironforge.
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How did it work? Priests could use the spell “Mind Control” to slowly but surely bring Semmsem to Ironforge. Since players under mind control are considered “friendly,” they are ignored by the guards.
If Semmsem took too much damage, he was simply transformed into a sheep (which quickly heals the player) or healed by other Alliance priests’ mind control.
This is how the kidnapped Tauren reacted: By the way, the Tauren player Semmsem seemed to be more amused than angry about it, as he participated in the game the whole time.
When he is killed by other players because he was immune to mind control for a few seconds, he even accepts resurrection by the soulstone to bring the spectacle to an end.
In the end, the entire Alliance guild saluted the Horde player Semmsem for his heroic feat of becoming a feast for the king – and because he participated in the fun the whole time.
Stories like this will undoubtedly remain in the memories of players of WoW Classic for a long time.
Have you also experienced such stories? Or do you consider such an action silly and a waste of time?
For some players, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is purely a multiplayer game and a serious matter. However, a too rigid focus on one’s K/D and performance can quickly ruin the game.
How do CoD players approach multiplayer? Every player approaches a game a little differently, as is the case with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare:
There are soldiers who take a more relaxed approach in multiplayer
but also performance-oriented, competitive players who start every game with a racing pulse.
For some players, the K/D, that is the ratio of kills to deaths, is the most important value in the game and even influences the fun of the game, which can quickly fade after a few rounds with poor results.
Multiplayer titles like CoD need to make it work with their matchmaking to reconcile personal and competitive play styles. Unfortunately, Modern Warfare currently only achieves this to a limited extent.
With SBMM, such values then partially determine what type of players you play with. A better performance leads to stronger teammates and thus influences the difficulty of multiplayer.
Thought experiment on balancing
How do the play styles match at SBMM? This type of matchmaking makes sense as players with a similar skill level should face each other.
However, it usually looks different in reality. A too strong focus on performance metrics can quickly turn the game from a fun experience into a serious matter.
A graphic from the Redditor “mrfoster42” contrasts the play styles “Personal” and “Competitive” with the balance of a match.
What does the curve mean? The curve is meant to illustrate the current problem with Modern Warfare’s matchmaking.
The higher the curve, the fairer the game. “mrfoster42” categorizes the matched games into 5 categories:
Green – The players are at a similar level and have a balanced game, as it should be.
K/D around 1.00
Orange – You are stronger than 1.0. Now you play against soldiers who adhere to meta loadouts and play styles. A challenging game at a high level.
K/D between 1.50 and 2.00
Red – Here you were clearly too strong. So you face the strongest players, and everyone uses the OP weapons and meta play styles. The soldiers give it their all and are often on another level.
K/D over 2.00
Blue – You end up here if you are slightly weaker than average. Now you keep playing with players at a lower level and find your play style. Loadouts are chosen at will.
K/D between 0.50 and 1.00
Purple – Games at the lowest level. Here you face “Blind” players.
Doubts about the fairness of matchmaking
Why can matchmaking ruin the game for me? According to “mrfoster42”, these skill areas restrict matchmaking to a very small intersection of players who can play at the same level.
For you can quickly fall below the ideal K/D of 1.0 and out of the “optimal range”.
What mrfoster42 complains about: If you are too good, you deal with players who are significantly better and struggle with your fun in the game. Even at the lower level, opponents are often too easy, making the matches unfair as well.
Another problem is not fully filled lobbies, which occur due to a lack of players at high levels and poor pings when your good connection doesn’t really factor into matchmaking.
What does he want to show with this? The thought experiment aims to highlight that only a relatively small number of players enjoy balanced matches, and thus the multiplayer of CoD has a construction flaw.
A too high K/D can lead to much frustration and ruin the game for good players, but also soldiers below average level hardly have any good matches, he claims.
Developers suspiciously quiet
What do the developers think? The developers have not really made statements regarding matchmaking in Modern Warfare. The community has long requested statements about SBMM, and many are frustrated that the developers are so silent on this matter.
Grinding Gear Games has announced a mobile version for Path of Exile. They made a joke at the expense of Blizzard. Their announcement of Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon 2018 was legendary in its failure.
These were the major announcements: Path of Exile held its own event, ExileCon, in New Zealand over the weekend. There they announced three big things:
Then Trevor Gamon appears, subtitled as the “Mobile Fall Guy” – the scapegoat who will take the heat for developing a mobile game. Such a scapegoat was Wyatt Cheng with Diablo Immortal, who made the remark, “Don’t you guys have phones?”.
During the announcement, the CEO of Grinding Gear Games, Chris Wilson, visibly enjoying himself, said:
Needless to say, it was really hard to announce this about a year ago. We thought, let’s give you a sequel first and show that.
The audience understood the joke and had their fun.
Is this a delayed April Fool’s joke?
Here’s what’s behind it: At BlizzCon 2018, fans expected the announcement of Diablo 4, but were given “only” the presentation of the mobile game Diablo Immortal. This caused a shitstorm among disappointed fans.
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In Fortnite, Chapter 2 has started, and with it, we have received a new map. Which 5 landing spots are now the best in Chapter 2? We show you which places can be particularly worthwhile and where you can find a lot of loot.
With the start of the new chapter, we received a new map with many places to explore. A few weeks have already passed, and we have gotten to know the map a little.
But which landing spots are particularly worthwhile? Choosing the best landing spot can be difficult as it always depends on how much loot you find and how many opponents you encounter.
Especially at the beginning, you will encounter many opponents everywhere as many players want to explore as many places as possible.
We show you in this overview which landing spots can be particularly worthwhile for you.
Landing Spot 1: Slurpy Swamp
What makes this place so special? Slurpy Swamp has a lot to offer and is particularly suitable at the beginning of a match because there are many options to recharge your shield. There are shield mushrooms around Slurpy Swamp, Slurp barrels, Slurp tanks, and trucks. You can even bathe in the swamp to recharge your shield.
In total, you will find about 18 chests in Slurpy Swamp. Additionally, there is a reboot bus right in the middle of the location if you need to bring back your teammates.
Pro
Enough chests (especially suitable for solos and duos)
Many options to recharge shields
Reboot bus available
Contra
Higher chance of encountering opponents
Landing Spot 2: Steamy Stacks
What makes this place so special? Steamy Stacks not only looks cool, but it also has a lot to offer. It is also the only place that offers a mode of transportation not involving motorboats. You can actually fly from the reactors, like using a jump pad.
Additionally, you will find about 23 chests in Steamy Stacks that can yield a good amount of loot. If you need to bring back your teammates, you can also find a reboot bus there.
Pro
Good loot opportunities (many chests)
Integrated escape opportunity (you can fly from there)
Reboot bus available
Contra
Little wood to collect
Landing Spot 3: Misty Meadows
What makes this place so special? Misty Meadows is a town in a medieval style. There are good loot opportunities there since there are about 25 chests in the town. You can also find a reboot bus to respawn your teammates.
If you like fishing, Misty Meadows offers this opportunity near the water, as you can find some fishing rods there. If you need to move quickly, you can also find a boat there to escape quickly.
Pro
Good loot opportunities (suitable for teams)
Fishing opportunity
Motorboats available
Reboot bus available
Contra
Chests are well hidden, takes time to loot
Landing Spot 4: Sweaty Sands
What makes this place so special? In Sweaty Sands, you will find plenty of loot, as there are about 34 chests at this location. This also increases the chance of finding good loot.
Additionally, there are good fishing opportunities in Sweaty Sands since you are right by the beach.
Pro
Good loot opportunities (especially suitable for teams)
Fishing opportunity
Cool vibe (vacation atmosphere)
Reboot bus available
Contra
Higher chance of encountering opponents
Landing Spot 5: Weeping Woods
What makes this place so special? Although you will find fewer chests in Weeping Woods than at other locations, it is still suitable for solos and duos. In total, you will find about 11 chests.
The landing spot is centrally located on the map and is thus further away from the storm. Additionally, you can collect a lot of wood in Weeping Woods, which you can use for building battles later.
Pro
Suitable for solos or duos
Plenty of wood to farm
Located relatively centrally on the map
Contra
Little loot opportunities
How do you like the new map so far? What are your favorite landing spots?
The shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has been out for almost a month. But it does not live up to the promises made during its announcement. A new mode, which has now been discovered by data miners, could change that. It would fulfill the promises made by the heads of Activision Blizzard.
That’s why the new CoD Modern Warfare doesn’t make sense: A company like Activision Blizzard speaks to investors a year before the release of a game about what they are developing and how great a success it will be.
Investors decide based on this information whether to keep their money in the company, invest new money, or pull out their investment.
This “talking about unlaid eggs” was done by Activision Blizzard for Call of Duty Modern Warfare in their 2019 business reports.
it was supposed to keep the player base “through the launch quarter”
internal excitement was said to be “immensely high for the game”
and it was believed that the “post-launch” content for Call of Duty would provide a “game-changing” experience
That was the promise: For investors, it was clear that the “new Call of Duty” was supposed to target mega-hits like Fortnite – remain active for a long time and generate a lot of revenue.
It was supposed to be more than just “the regular” Call of Duty. Activision Blizzard signaled to investors that they recognized the signs of the times and wanted to respond.
And the mode would also provide the “game-changing experience” that the bosses spoke of in May 2019.
Therefore, there is a lot to suggest that taking a closer look at this “leak” is worthwhile. Because it would actually change the “gaming experience” significantly and could make CoD Modern Warfare – also from the investors’ perspective – as attractive as it was promised to them back then.
Modern Warfare is currently already the biggest game of 2019 in the USA – with such a “second boost,” the success would only grow larger.
Such a mode could become a huge success – especially since the gunplay of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is highly praised. Criticism tends to focus on the maps. In addition, Activision Blizzard would achieve a major coup: Because with such a move, adding such a large feature at a later stage would be something hardly anyone would expect.
then they would have made the first sale for the October release primarily through the “single-player mode”
and a second sale later in the year, primarily through the “multiplayer mode”
Many details about the supposedly new mode are already known. For instance, there are said to be “1vs1” battles in a Gulag:
In Germany, it is difficult to officially consider eSports as a real sports discipline. What needs to change here for electronic sports to become “real sports” is explained by expert Timo Schöber – head of the think tank Esportionary.
The competitive playing of video games, known as eSports, is on the rise worldwide. In over thirty countries, eSports is already an official sport, with all that entails: visa facilitation, sports promotion, research, grassroots sports landscapes, and societal recognition.
In Germany, there are difficulties in many areas. While the political and societal acceptance of eSports is clearly growing here, little has changed in the actual status of eSports regarding recognition as a sport.
About the Author: Timo Schöber is the author of the bestseller “Screen Athletes“. In addition, he is a lecturer at the European University Viadrina and head of the think tank Esportionary, conducting research.
The Development of eSports in Germany
While mainstream media currently refer to the “new phenomenon of eSports”, this phenomenon is not as new in Germany as many think. eSports teams, known as clans, were founded in Germany as early as the mid-1990s. Notably, OCRANA (1996), SK Gaming (then Schröt Kommando, 1997), and pro-Gaming (1998) have elevated the German eSports landscape to a very structured and professional level – and SK Gaming remains one of the international top clans to this day.
With the establishment of the Electronic Sports League (ESL, 2000), the organization was founded in Germany that is now the world’s largest and most important competitive organizer. The ESL created structures that were previously known in Europe only from the Dutch ClanBase (1998). The competition between tournament and league operators of that time is legendary.
Today, tournaments are still held under the ESL flag.
Due to various innovations, comprehensive monetization, and continuous improvement of its own offerings, ESL ultimately prevailed. It first became the most important provider of tournaments and leagues in Europe, and later worldwide – and remains so to this day.
These few examples make two things clear:
On one hand, German eSports is much older than is often assumed.
On the other hand, eSports from Germany is of immense importance for the global market, especially because market participants are established here, which are among the most important and best in the entire eSports.
The status quo regarding recognition and promotion as a sport is less encouraging.
Although there are high prize pools in eSports, financing is tough – for players and clubs.
The Problem with Sporting Recognition in Germany
In other countries, recognition as a sport can occur relatively easily from a political side. Here, there exist sports ministries that control the official recognition as a sport from a political side.
For the founding of the Korean eSports Association (KeSPA, 2000), the initiators directly involved the country’s sports ministry and thus eliminated hurdles early on. In South Korea, eSports has been recognized as sport for decades, is socially accepted, and is largely positively evaluated by the public. There, eSports players have the same status as football professionals have here.
What could be so simple is much more complicated in Germany. The authority over what is sport and what is not, solely lies with the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). This is unique in this form worldwide.
Democratic processes, politics, and societal engagement cannot thus decide what is considered as sport. Only one sports association has the decision-making power over what “real sports” is and what is not.
Why the German Olympic Sports Confederation Rejects eSports
The stance of the DOSB towards eSports is critical to negative. The association regularly communicates its negative stance on the issue. Furthermore, it attempts to act against eSports with commissioned reports. Due to physical aspects, eSports is not considered sport. Additionally, it rejects video games with violent content. These theses and the arguments against eSports put forward by the DOSB have been scientifically and otherwise disproven multiple times.
Various studies on eSports make it clear that it should indeed be regarded as sport concerning physical aspects. These are not commissioned reports whose results always favor the commissioning party (see DOSB), but rather robust research from independent entities. The renowned German Sport University in Cologne, particularly Prof.
Dr. Ingo Froböse and his team make it clear from a scientific perspective that competitive sports through video games is nothing other than a relatively new sport. eSports players execute up to 400 actions per minute on keyboard, mouse, or controller. Heart rate and cortisol levels (stress hormone) are comparable to those of a Formula 1 driver. Team play, communication, and interpersonal dynamics do not lag behind classic team sports – on the contrary, eSports is often much more intense in this regard.
What “glorification of violence” is supposed to mean from the DOSB’s perspective remains nebulous. Games like Counter-Strike (CS) can certainly not be meant. Anyone who has dealt more deeply with CS knows that the game primarily revolves around strategic and tactical aspects, team play, and communication. Even shooting opponents has nothing to do with glorifying violence. The representation of violence is something entirely different from glorifying it. Moreover, violence in CS is not an essential game content in terms of eSports.
The latest attempt of the DOSB to act against eSports as a whole is the newly created term “eGaming”. A term that no one outside Germany knows. The association refers to all sports simulations as “eSports”, while everything else, such as shooters like Counter-Strike and strategy games like League of Legends (LoL), are considered “eGaming”. Through the term “eGaming”, the DOSB tries to exclude all video games that do not depict sport in the real-world sense from eSports. On one hand, this attempts to divide the eSports community, while on the other hand, it aims to give more expression to its arguments against certain genres (shooters, strategy games, etc.).
Nothing could better illustrate that the DOSB has not understood why eSports is a sport. It is not about what is depicted on the screen, but about what happens in front of the screen: mental and fine motor peak performance, multitasking, quick decisions, and much more.
Around eSports and its teams, loyal fans are forming – hardly distinguishable from a football stadium.
Meanwhile, the DOSB is increasingly trying to push eSports into the sidelines with commissioned reports. Commissioned reports that are often scientifically untenable and poorly implemented. A recently published legal opinion showcases this very impressively. Here, the attempt is made to classify eSports as not a sport due to certain characteristics.
For a press release from the Berlin Institute for Ludology (game research), I once formulated it this way:
“The DOSB rejects eSports but now tries to establish this with crude restrictions on certain definitions of the sports concept legally. In my view, this primarily shows that the DOSB sees its credibility fading away.”
To understand why eSports is clearly considered sport even in scientific terms, one should look at what actually defines a sport.
What is and what is not sport cannot be sharply delineated. Nevertheless, there are many indicators by which one can determine whether something should be defined as sport.
In discussions about whether eSports should be considered sport or not, the counterargument is likely to arise that sports are only those activities where one moves physically a lot.
Even in this sense, eSports would meet the requirements for a sport (let’s remember: fine motor skills, 400 actions per minute). Furthermore, in this argumentation, a look at the member structure of the DOSB is extremely enlightening. It includes sports like darts, billiards, and shooting. The overused chess will not be further discussed here.
To sport, there is more than just pure physical activity.
More important in looking at the definition of sport, however, is that an examination of the definition with blinders on is not very meaningful. Sport is defined by more than just movement. There are also: clear rules and game objectives, communication and teamwork, fair play, comprehensive structures and organization, competition orientation, training plans, opponent analyses, playing and the meta, preparation for opponents and competitions, planning of a regulated daily routine (nutrition, alternative sports), ambivalence and suspense, symbolic actions, relevance to the present, freedom and voluntary participation, non-essentiality, repeatability and infinity as well as purposelessness and meaning creation.
It is about self-efficacy, self-confidence, and identity formation as well as aesthetics. eSports fulfills all these definitional criteria – although only a part of these should be fulfilled for something to be considered a sport. The one-dimensional view of sport reduced only to physical movement is neither modern nor sustainable.
It’s important regarding eSports: it is not about gaming. Gaming describes playing for leisure out of joy. However, eSports is about competition, performance, and participation in tournaments and leagues.
While the DOSB remains entrenched in reactionary thinking and represents a minority opinion with the differentiation between “eSports” and “eGaming”, political steps are already being taken to promote eSports – or not?
The jubilation in the e-Sports scene was great when the coalition of CDU, CSU, and SPD at the federal level presented the current coalition agreement in 2018. They wanted to recognize eSports as a sport – with an Olympic perspective. This was not the first step in this direction, nor was it the first time that this ambitious goal has been diluted by politics. In the meantime, the government has moved very far away from the once made, grand promises.
Unfortunately, this is also the case in Schleswig-Holstein. While Daniel Günther (CDU) had shown up at the world-famous Wacken Open Air recently in an e-Sports T-shirt, he reversed course at this year’s meeting of the Schleswig-Holstein State Sports Federation. It is stated on the website of the federation:
“His view on the topic has changed after numerous informative and enlightening discussions. The shared perspective of the state government is that they share the view of the Schleswig-Holstein State Sports Federation and the German Olympic Sports Confederation that eSports can only be what derives from real existing sports and is transferred into the virtual world. This could, if handled wisely, also scientifically build, in his opinion, a value for sports. The prime minister also reaffirmed that definitely what he would call eGaming does not belong to that.”
This is the worst form of a broken promise that eSports players in the land between the seas could have imagined. Originally, a comprehensive promotion of eSports was announced in Schleswig-Holstein. Important projects had been planned, especially an e-Sports academy at the University of Applied Sciences West Coast. Here, study programs, research, and events could have taken place, especially since research on this topic has been successful at the FH anyway.
While the CDU at the state level seems to have turned 180 degrees under pressure from traditional sports associations, it is not the case that the entire state government has collapsed, as Mr. Günther implied. Especially the FDP continues to push the topic, so that meaningful and already comprehensively planned projects like the e-Sports Academy can continue to hope for funding. A higher education institution like this would be an absolute flagship project.
Furthermore, traditional sports clubs, e-Sports clubs, and a planned state center have access to funding of 500,000 euros. So at least some progress is being made in the north.
The funding comes, however, from economic rather than from sports funding. This may be a sensible one-time measure – it is attributed to the commitment of many volunteers, clubs, and politicians – but it should not be a permanent solution. e-Sports should be funded as what it is: sport.
If many levers are already set to “green”, the definition of sports and science sees eSports as sports, why can’t a big breakthrough be achieved?
The ESBD was founded in 2017 in Frankfurt (Main). It sees itself as the umbrella organization of German eSports. Around 30 members are organized in it in the form of clubs and other organizations.
That the claim “umbrella organization” is not sustainable is already evident from the membership structure: German top clans like SK Gaming, mousesports, or PENTA are not members of the ESBD. The association explains this with the international orientation of those clans. On one hand, this is like the German Football Association (DFB) standing without FC Bayern Munich, for whom winning the Champions League is their most important goal every year.
The logo of the ESBD
On the other hand, one wonders why Berlin International Gaming (BIG), which also has an international orientation (as the name suggests), is organized in the ESBD. The main team in Counter-Strike: GO, which is BIG’s main horse, hardly participates in national competitions. At the same time, mousesports, which is not a member of the ESBD, produces German champions in StarCraft II.
However, the actual problem regarding the ESBD is its external impact. They want to negotiate on “equal footing” with the DOSB. The DOSB represents 2500 times more organizations than the ESBD, while the DOSB is 60 times older. Given the size of the DOSB and the insignificance of the ESBD, speaking on “equal footing” seems presumptuous even to many eSports players. Especially and primarily because the ESBD itself is highly controversial even within the eSports scene. Many even reject the association outright.
Despite everything, an association must be measured by its success. Core goals of the ESBD are the achievement of recognition of eSports as sports and the promotion of eSports in the sense of a sport. None of these goals have been achieved by the association after two years of work.
While the ESBD president recently tweeted that they have “achieved an incredible amount for eSports as an association”, large parts of the German eSports scene have raised their eyebrows: What specifically is that supposed to be?
The latest initiative of the association aims at promoting eSports in other ways. Various possibilities are being discussed within the framework of the tax regulations, such as treating games as cultural assets or promoting them through youth work.
This approach by the ESBD and others creates considerable confusion in the external perception. Critics argue that it is not the recognition of eSports as a sport per se that matters to eSports, but just to somehow obtain funding.
Perhaps the detour over other possibilities has a practical benefit in the short term because projects can be initiated. But at what cost? For societal perception and the years-long struggle for eSports to be recognized as a sport, the approach of the ESBD and a few other individuals and organizations is devastating.
eSports is sports. This is clear from a sports and gaming scientific perspective. The recognition of eSports as a sport would result in funding, but this funding should never become an end in itself.
What needs to be done?
To get eSports recognized, supporters must stand firm like the Overwatch – a popular game in eSports.
The Crucial Factors to Help eSports Achieve Recognition
While the ESBD as an association has left much burned earth both within and outside the eSports scene, there exists in Germany an association that could serve as a strong negotiating partner with the DOSB and parts of the politics: the game – Association of the German Games Industry (game). The game primarily advocates for the interests of game developers and manufacturers as well as the video game industry in general, but also has a section dedicated to eSports.
The game association has an excellent reputation and possesses extensive expertise, so in my opinion, a complete separation of game from the ESBD regarding eSports would be desirable. This would make the entire debate with the DOSB more objective – and a game could negotiate on “equal footing” with a DOSB much more easily than an ESBD.
For years, entire halls have been filled with eSports tournaments and that cannot be ignored in the long run.
At the grassroots level, municipal, regional, or state-wide grassroots sports clubs are already doing excellent work today. These need to be monetized in terms of non-profit and volunteer work, allowing them to fight for eSports independently. The work of such grassroots sports clubs encompasses many tasks: education and advice, political communication, addiction prevention, organizing events, conveying media competencies, collaborating with educational institutions and parents, and much more. Especially regarding societal perception, grassroots sports clubs build many bridges and thus achieve acceptance and create synergy effects with other organizations, such as traditional sports clubs – youth recruitment.
But also, outside of the amateur sector and volunteer work, efforts must be consolidated. ESL is a globally recognized and strong brand whose weight must be considered. Similarly, German top clans play an important role in recognizing eSports as sports, as they push many aspects of the sports definition “to the extreme”. In doing so, they show outsiders what eSports is “at its best”.
Games like FIFA 20 are also an eSports discipline that is modeled after “real football”.
Why eSports Will Be Officially Recognized as “Real Sports” in the Future
That eSports will also become an official sport in Germany is no longer a question of “if”, but rather of “when”. The stronger the forces of credible and established eSports organizations and supporters can be united, the faster the recognition of eSports will follow. It is clear that due to its many properties that match the definition of sports, eSports can only be a “real sport”.
The demographic change and the massive junior problems of many sports will also increase pressure on traditional sports to incorporate new concepts and sports into their own structures. We are already witnessing this, as not only large professional clubs from the Bundesliga but also many local sports clubs are creating their own eSports facilities and structures.
Much research is being conducted in the field of eSports – the field is still young.
In addition, research on eSports will intensify. The research field is relatively young and offers a lot of potential. Through the objective evaluation of many discussion topics that comes with science, more arguments for eSports will likely be revealed.
If eSports moves forward credibly together, recognition will soon follow. For this, one should first completely separate from the ESBD and implement associative competencies fully in the game association. Furthermore, grassroots and professional sports, research and science, and those parts of politics that see eSports as sports should work closely with the game association to place the issue with various forces at the DOSB.
I am looking forward to the future. Especially the engagement of many dedicated volunteers will ultimately ensure that eSports will finally be recognized for what it is: real sports.
What do you think about the issue of eSports and its official recognition?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Each of us plays MMORPGs in our own way. What type of player are you? Test yourself in our quiz!
What is this about? MMORPG players are as varied as grains of sand. They are all people with different priorities, needs, and opinions. This naturally reflects in the way they play their games.
Some place great value on good endgame and tough raids that bring in great loot. Others, on the other hand, are much more interested in the story in an MMORPG. After all, huge worlds need good lore to seem credible.
But what about you? Which aspects of an MMORPG are particularly important to you? Do they influence your gameplay?
For this, we have prepared a casual quiz for you, where you can find out what type of MMORPG player you are. Write your results in the comments!
The Recluse has solid stats and some good perks, including ‘Ricochet Rounds’ (more stability and range) and ‘Feeding Frenzy’ (faster reload after kills). However, the major highlight is the ability ‘Master of Arms’.
With Master of Arms, the SMG dominates both PvP and PvE. Scoring a kill with any weapon (including the SMG itself) noticeably increases the Recluse’s damage, especially the body shot damage significantly. Accurate aiming is basically unnecessary with this weapon.
Currently taking everything down – The Recluse
Here’s how the Recluse is changing: Bungie is adjusting the unique perk Master of Arms. With the start of the next season in Destiny 2 on December 10, the following changes to the Recluse will take effect:
The precision damage modifier has been removed.
The Recluse will still receive a damage bonus from Master of Arms, but damage will not be applied to precision values when the perk is activated.
The precision damage modifier allowed blind firing to be just as effective as aiming accurately.
Bungie later explained that both body and precision hits will still deal bonus damage in the future. After the nerf, the bonus for body hits will not be as high as it currently is.
When Master of Arms procs there will be a damage buff to both precision and body damage, but it will not longer make every shot count as precision.
Many players are especially annoyed that weapons they have worked hard for are being weakened.
Really?! Weapons played for 2-3 months and then nerfed. At this point, it hardly feels worth it to farm for anything! You might as well play D1; nothing gets nerfed there??
Strong weapons are one of the hallmarks of Destiny. Just think back to the ‘Gjallarhorn’ or ‘Vex Mythoclast’ from Destiny 1. Luna’s Howl or the aforementioned Recluse attract many players to the Crucible. Extremely powerful weapons are like a carrot in front of the Guardians’ noses, pure motivation.
Of course, after the sometimes lengthy quests or terrible drop chances, you want to show off your prized possession and demonstrate what the weapon can do to all opponents. It just feels good to be that powerful.
Gjallarhorn is the iconic weapon of Destiny
Why I think the nerf is justified: I am not a fan of constant nerfs and weakening all the cool things in Destiny 2. Back during Forsaken times, Bungie announced that they wanted individual items or abilities to stand out, and that they didn’t want to “flatten these outstanding nails”.
The philosophy of the Destiny developer has changed somewhat. For instance, they have completely dropped on top weapons. With the seasonal artifact, powerful mods and builds have found their way into the game. However, they now want to increasingly support weapons and playstyles that are underused or perform poorly.
And that’s also the reason why I think the nerf is justified.
I want to experiment, showcase new weapons, or play what I enjoy. Sure, I can do that currently too. But if I want to keep up with ‘the big ones’, there are hardly any options beyond the Recluse.
This weapon is currently almost overpowered and trivializes many activities. The choice between a weapon that is ‘best-in-slot’ (the best that can be equipped) or any other weapon often falls in favor of the Recluse.
This effect can also be seen in other video games. As soon as you have an overpowered weapon or the most powerful spell, you basically only use that item or skill.
Why should I equip something else?
I still want Destiny to dangle a carrot in front of my virtual nose. I want to farm for strong weapons, hope for god rolls, and live out my power fantasy. If I can’t feel powerful through space magic, then how?
I just don’t want an item or combination that is basically without alternatives. Destiny has one of the best gunplay and gameplay in the shooter genre. Therefore, I would like to try out as much as possible.
Let’s face it, there will always be a meta (the most effective strategies/weapons) in Destiny and every other game. But maintaining a balanced approach is important to me. And currently, Bungie is on the right track.
I’m not saying that there aren’t any issues. But the direction is slowly correct. It shouldn’t end up with Bungie forcing a playstyle on me. Too much support for underrepresented gear or rarely used playstyles can constrain me just as much as overly dominant builds or weapons.
Thumbs up for Bungie
What do you think – was I able to express my views clearly? Can you see anything positive in the nerfs, or does it really bother you? You can find strong alternatives to the Recluse here:
Three rogues planned to simply defeat a mage in PvP from WoW Classic . But he turned out to be a professional from the guild Method …
In World of Warcraft Classic, everything revolves around PvP in the open world these days. With the start of Phase 2, players can finally earn Honor Points and thus ascend the ranks and snag some cool rewards.
As there are no battlegrounds yet, the fights mainly take place in the open world. This leads to exciting and sometimes unfair encounters: For example, this fight between 3 rogues and a mage.
This is visible: In the Un’goro Crater, an ambush occurs on the undead mage. He is attacked simultaneously by three rogues of the Alliance and gets into quite a pinch.
However, by skillfully using his abilities, he manages to keep all three rogues at bay.
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The victim is … one of the best players in the world
Who is playing? The mage player is Venruki, one of the pros from the successful guild Method. He is among the best players in the world and has also worked as a commentator for several WoW tournaments to inform viewers about the events during the Arena World Championship.
Taking on Venruki in PvP should definitely be considered multiple times.
How did he manage that? The mage player knows his abilities almost perfectly and knows exactly how to play to keep all the rogues at distance and nearly helpless. For that, he weaves a Frostbolt of the lowest rank into his rotation repeatedly. This does hardly any damage but has a very short casting time and slows the opponent.
With Frost Nova, Blizzard, and Blink, the mage hardly lets anything slip and can eliminate one rogue after another. He even uses bombs from engineering to have additional stuns.
However, it must also be said that the rogues probably do not belong to the best players – because one of them suddenly starts shooting at a distance with a bow. Probably out of frustration because he just couldn’t get to the mage.
Have you also had such situations in PvP? Or would you have mercilessly failed in such a moment?
Actually, our author Max has not missed the tournament mode in FIFA 20. However, Ultimate Team could definitely benefit from such a mode again. The reason: The many, many goals.
These were tournaments in FUT: If you’ve been around Ultimate Team for a while – longer than FIFA 20 or FIFA 19 – you probably remember the “Daily Knockout Tournaments”. These provided one of the qualification options for the Weekend League – especially for those who couldn’t fight their way into Division 1 of Online Seasons.
The path to the Weekend League led many through the tournaments
Both Online Seasons and Daily Knockout Tournaments were replaced by Division Rivals in FIFA 19, and there aren’t any real tournaments in FUT anymore.
I personally never missed them much – mainly because I find qualifying through Rivals much easier than through the tournaments. That frustration when you lost in the final round again – well. However, FUT could certainly use tournaments again.
Tournament mode could solve goal issues
This is the problem: Currently, there are many players who are unhappy that they have to complete Icon Swaps goals in Division Rivals. The rigorous restructuring of one’s team rarely aligns with the fact that you actually want to send your best team into the competitive mode.
After all, many players want to climb ranks in Rivals or collect points for the Weekend League. This becomes more difficult when you have to fit, for example, seven first-owner La Liga players in the starting eleven.
Where to put the goals? Often, it is said in the community that they would prefer to complete the goals in friendly matches. However, there is a high risk that games will be given away just to distribute the goals. That is also not the point.
One idea that I found very interesting recently appeared on reddit: The user “MakyMaestro” suggested a reintroduction of the tournament mode. But not to qualify for the Weekend League, rather to create a space for the goals.
What a new tournament mode could look like
That’s why the tournament mode could help: If there was a tournament mode that also brings you some rewards at the end – just like in the case of a draft – there would be an incentive for players not to give away matches. Requirements for entering individual tournaments could then be the goal specifications. For example, there could be tournaments that:
Can only be played with UCL players
Require a certain number of first-owner cards
Or include similar restrictions, such as league or nation requirements.
This would ensure that participants compete with relatively comparable teams. This would put an end to unequal conditions that some currently experience and might even voluntarily relegate.
Two crucial additions: First, it shouldn’t be a requirement to win the tournament in order to progress in the goals. It should still be about collecting individual wins.
Second, it would be important that tournaments do not randomly shuffle players together. Instead, matchmaking should also come into play to let players compete against others at a similar level.
Would a return of the tournament mode be an interesting addition for you to Ultimate Team? Or are you more into Career Mode? Then you can find the best talents here:
In League of Legends , the world champions FunPlus Phoenix receive not only a hefty prize for winning the LoL Worlds 2019 but also luxury watches: the fashion brand Louis Vuitton is releasing special LoL watches.
What a luxurious prize is this? As David Higdon from Riot informs, all members of FunPlus Phoenix receive special watches from Louis Vuitton. They have been crafted on the occasion of the cooperation between Louis Vuitton and Riot Games.
He then shows images of the FunPlus Phoenix players wearing these watches.
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Currently, it is unknown how expensive this watch is. In the Louis Vuitton shop, some men’s watches range from €4000 to €6000. The most expensive goes up to €50,000.
How much prize money does FunPlus Phoenix get? It is planned that FunPlus Phoenix will receive 37.5% of the prize pool of the LoL Worlds.
However, the exact amount of this pot is not yet known. The base amount is $2,250,000 – of which FunPlus Phoenix will already get $834,375.
However, this prize pool will increase significantly, as Riot Games will add revenue from in-game sales. Therefore, the prize money will likely exceed the million mark.
In 2018, the prize money amounted to $6,450,000 – the winners from Invictus Gaming took home $2,418,750.
This year, the prize money for FunPlus Phoenix could ultimately be just as high.
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A fan and his girlfriend competed against each other in a trivia quiz at the SMITE World Championships. In this, he surprises her with a marriage proposal – quite casually.
So the marriage proposal went down: SMITE fan Matt competed in a trivia quiz against his girlfriend Laura. During the first two rounds, Laura was leading 2 to 0 and was seemingly confident about answering the third question correctly.
However, instead of being asked a question about SMITE, all that echoed in the arena was: “Laura, will you marry me?” Laura seemingly didn’t register the question until the host Hinduman asked her: “Who is Laura? Oh, you’re that one?”
Laura then responds in disbelief and the audience goes wild. Everyone cheers, Matt gets down on one knee and offers her a ring. Laura accepts the marriage proposal.
Excited, Hinduman jumps across the stage and announces: “She said yes! Thank goodness, that could have been really awkward. Congratulations!”
Proposal at the SMITE World Championship 2020
How does the quiz work? In the trivia quiz, participants are typically played sound effects from the MOBA SMITE that they must guess correctly. Anyone who guesses right gets a point.
Instead of the last effect, however, “the one question” was asked – and apparently Laura managed to answer this correctly as well.
What kind of tournament is this? The SMITE World Championship 2020 is a tournament hosted by the developers Hi-Rez, where the best teams in the world compete against each other.
The teams and the current bracket. Image source: SMITE eSports.
Today, on November 17, the final rounds take place and in the semifinals, Team RivaL faces Dignitas and SK Gaming faces Renegades. Those who wish to watch can find the official stream on Twitch or Mixer, where currently many streamers are heading.
Events for major eSports titles like League of Legends or DOTA 2 are on everyone’s lips. However, it’s not only the players of these titles who enjoy the huge events, but also fans who don’t even play them.
Who watches eSports events? Nearly 25% of eSports event viewers do not play the game themselves. This conclusion was reached by the analysis website Newzoo, which specializes in eSports.
This particularly applies to the title League of Legends, which this year has broken several records in viewer numbers. Thus, 26% of the viewers do not play LoL themselves, but simply watch the event. Similar trends exist for other titles:
In CS:GO, around 23% do not play themselves but watch eSports events.
In DOTA 2, it is even 24% who do not play themselves.
Only Overwatch from Blizzard (14%) and the mobile game Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor, also 14%) from Tencent slightly deviate from this pattern.
Where does the information come from? The analysis website Newzoo conducted a survey regarding viewer behavior for major eSports titles.
Active players in the survey are those who have played the game at least once in the last 3 months.
A total of 12 countries from North America and Europe were surveyed online, with respondents aged between 10 and 65 years. In China, where the data for Honor of Kings also applies, only users aged between 10 and 50 years were surveyed.
What do the numbers show? While around 25% of viewers do not play the games themselves, they also remain loyal to their game. 71% of all surveyed watch only one of the three titles that were the focus of the survey.
Only 6% of all surveyed viewers are interested in LoL, Overwatch, and CS:GO simultaneously. The largest overlap among the fans occurs between LoL and CS:GO, with 9% consuming both titles.
eSports events as marketing: The numbers from Newzoo show that successful eSports titles also reach people who do not play the game themselves. Events like the LoL Worlds or the DOTA 2 Invitational are therefore good marketing methods.
At the same time, the fans benefit a lot from these events. They become attached to a brand and largely identify with it.
How about you? Do you watch any of the games without playing them yourself? Do you remain loyal to one game or follow multiple titles? Feel free to share in the comments!
Vicious ganking can quickly turn into the opposite in WoW: Classic especially when a coordinated raid group intervenes …
In World of Warcraft Classic, PvP is currently clearly in focus – at least on the PvP realms. The Honor System in Classic is live and it leads to even more skirmishes, rivalries, and nasty ganks on the PvP realms than before.
But how quickly the tables can turn is seen time and again. We want to show you one of these incidents here.
What happened? On the server Golemagg, a group of 9 Alliance players secured control over the chapel in the Eastern Plaguelands. The Horde players there were murdered, and newcomers were also quickly slaughtered – a typical PvP situation, as it often occurs. A classic ambush, right at the flight master.
But then the Alliance players can hardly believe their eyes. Because in the span of about 5 seconds, an entire Horde raid of nearly 40 players lands in the camp and makes the Alliance look pretty bad.
Although there is some resistance in the first seconds, such as a desperate Blizzard, the resistance doesn’t hold for long. The overwhelming force of players overruns the camp and avenges their fallen Horde friends.
PvP is currently popular: Although PvP is very popular among most players right now, there is also a lot of criticism. Many of the realms are too full, leading to massive lags and delays that make normal PvP fights nearly impossible.
Some players also criticize that there are currently extremely many raid groups just roaming through low-level areas and killing everything they can find – regardless of whether it grants honor or not. This makes normal leveling nearly impossible.
Are you having fun with PvP in World of Warcraft? Or do you prefer to avoid such encounters?
Communication is important in multiplayer video games – But not just to win in competitive matches, but also to have more fun over time. This was explained to us by the voice provider Vivox at Unity Unite 2019.
What does communication mean in games? Most online games support some form of communication, whether it is:
Communication is important to understand each other and make progress. Statistics from a voice provider also show: Those who can communicate in a game play longer.
More Talking = Longer Gaming
How important is communication? Players who talk to others are 5 times more likely to still be playing their game after 5 weeks compared to silent players. This was found by the big voice provider Vivox.
We attended the corresponding lecture at Unity Unite 2019, where we also discovered “the technology of tomorrow“. Vivox presented a number of interesting facts about voice chats and features that help with communication and are being worked on:
Players using Vivox tools spend twice as much time in games as players without them
Cross-platform communication allows console and PC players to talk to each other
Sound quality is important so that many people can communicate at the same time
Features like text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and mute options ensure good interaction
Who is Vivox? Vivox is the market leader and the leading provider of communication services in video games. Many of you probably use their services in games like:
Fortnite
World of Warcraft
PUBG
World of Warcraft
Fallout 76
Conan Exiles
League of Legends and more
Vivox also collaborates with major companies like Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft, Tencent, Bethesda, and Epic. Since Vivox works with the Unity engine, it is likely that some future games will also access their chat features.
Talking in Video Games is Important and Helps
Benefits of Gaming: Many video games, especially MMOs, rely on you talking with your teammates to progress:
In shooters, short “callouts” are important to defeat the enemy
Dungeons and raids in MMORPGs require coordination
Construction and strategy games are easier when players assign tasks and communicate
Short, clear instructions are important in shooters.
It is important not to become toxic and insulting, but to play together instead. Even communication can decide over victory and defeat:
In a match between two equal teams, the team with better communication always wins.
Learning for Life: As studies at the University of Glasgow showed back in 2017, video games even help to significantly improve general communication skills (via Science News for Students and phys.org).
Especially among young adults, such communication during games and video games helps to develop important skills for the future. This can even happen in a “relatively short time”.
How much do you communicate?
We now ask you: How good is your communication in games? Do you talk a lot or have you disabled voice chat right away? Do you feel that communication helps you or does it bother you more? If you don’t see anything, you can participate in the survey through this link.
Let us know in the comments how you voted and why – And if you think communication really has such a big impact on video games as studies and Vivox claim.
In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a data miner has seemingly struck gold. He claims to have discovered a massive mode for 200 players that is assembled from previous maps. It is said to be a “Battle Royale” mode – it sounds like an XXL Fortnite, but with some new ideas.
This is what the data miner says: The thread by data miner Senescallo on reddit is titled “Battle Royale coming to Modern Warfare” – there isn’t much cohesive text, mostly statistics and names of individual maps, locations, perks, and special features.
200 Men in Battle Royale
What kind of mode is this? It is a 200-man Battle Royale mode.
Players will have the option to play solo, in duos, or in squad mode (with 4 players). The maximum health in the mode is 150.
What distinguishes Battle Royale in CoD from Fortnite?
Here are the specifics: Similar to Fortnite, there will be a possibility to revive fallen team members at an “Ambulance”, but you must collect their token.
However, players must win a “one-on-one” against another player to come back.
The place where they fight is called “Gulag”. The leaker says it’s like a “King of the Hill”: Players wait in line until it’s their turn and watch other players in the Gulag fight.
Additionally, there will be a “prison riot” that allows all players to return to the match. However, the Gulag will also be closed at a certain point during the match.
Moreover, there will be various types of missions – only one mission per squad can be active at a time. The types of missions include targeting opponents, finding specific items, or capturing a certain point.
There will be 5 rarity levels, following the known item color code: “white – green – blue – purple – gold” with limited inventory space.
There are 2 types of armors planned, a helmet and a bulletproof vest, both coming in 3 levels. The highest level provides special bonuses: The helmet protects against flash and stun grenades. The vest enhances the effect of healing items.
There are also 20 perks planned, from faster reload times to increased drop chances from opponents.
Players could also “loot” items and then exchange them for XP or bet money on fighters in the Gulag.
This image is shared by the data miner.
What is known about the map? The map is said to consist of 15 zones, including existing maps from Modern Warfare:
Airfield
Boneyard
Dam
Downtown
Gulag
Hospital
Layover
Lumber
Overgrown
Port
Quarry
Storage Town
Supercenter
Trainyard
TV Station
Special landmarks are also planned:
Bank
Fire Station
Gas Station
Gun Store
Pharmacy
Police Station
Matches Previous Speculations
Is this certain? No, but the data miner has previously found some data that later made its way into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
However, it is not certain. He himself says all information could still change.
It is generally assumed now that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will bring a Battle Royale mode “at some point” after release.
So far, “Ground Wars” is the showcase mode for the enormous ambitions that Modern Warfare should fulfill – a 200-man Battle Royale would be a logical step.
NCSoft has been developing the new PC MMORPG Project TL for several years now. Since 2018, not much has been heard about the new online role-playing game, but now there are talks about upcoming beta events.
What is Project TL? The MMORPG was originally announced as Lineage 3 or Lineage Eternal in November 2011. It was intended to be a hybrid game between PC and Mobile and was to be played from an isometric perspective, similar to Lost Ark.
Since the announcement, Project TL has undergone several changes regarding both its structure and the development team. Thus, after initial negative feedback in 2015, it was decided to switch the engine from GW2 to Unreal 4:
To change the engine from GW2 to Unreal 4.
To change the leadership in the team.
To remove the mobile content.
All plans for the beta and for an upcoming release were initially canceled.
How did the development continue? In May 2018, NCSoft announced that the development of Project TL is now on track. Closed beta tests in Korea were to begin as early as 2018, with a release set for 2019.
At that time, it was still unclear when and if the MMORPG would even come to the West. However, a release of Project TL in Europe and North America seems likely, as Blade & Soul and Lineage 2 have also been released here.
Since the announcement of the first beta tests, nothing has been heard from Project TL for over a year.
NCSoft has been and still is focused on the release of Lineage 2M. The mobile game is expected to be a new highlight, as it also offers crossplay with PC.
Overall, NCSoft currently benefits greatly from mobile games. While all PC games together reached about 109 million USD in revenue in the third quarter of 2019, mobile games reached about 183 million dollars. However, producing and maintaining mobile games is much cheaper.
However, in the latest conference call regarding the Q3 2019 report, Project TL reappeared.
Beta test of the MMORPG planned for the first half of 2020
What is the future for Project TL? According to the call, NCSoft is currently focusing on improving the overall quality of the MMORPG, which in their eyes still needs some time.
However, the first closed beta tests for Project TL are expected to take place in the first half of 2020. It’s quite possible that we will finally hear and see more from Project TL then.
Project TL and Lost Ark are two MMOs from Asia that are also highly anticipated by us. They aim to save MMORPGs:
