Gaming: The Revolution will be Televised

Video games are undergoing an incredible upsurge in popularity and appeal recently. Like Mario after ingesting an Invincible Starman, they’ve speed-warped their way from screen to screen. Games moved from arcades into homes thanks to consoles and online versions. They then went on the road with Gameboy and future generations of portable devices. Now they are moving into movie theaters and arenas where competitive gaming events are being held. Five major league gaming leagues that have started up recently: Championship Gaming Series, Cyberathlete Professional League, Major Gaming League, World Cyber Games, and World Series of Video Games. The Championship Gaming Series (CGS) events are even being broadcast on cable networks.

Yesterday’s USA Today checked in on the growing phenomenon with a series of stories:

Broadcasters are still experimenting. DirecTV has the first live CGS broadcasts in high definition. More than 1.5 million watched CBS’ July 29 airing of the World Series of Video Games, a draw “on par with action sports. Those are good numbers,” WSVG commissioner Matt Ringel says.

The target: advertiser-coveted male viewers ages 18 to 34, nearly half of whom — more than 16 million — play games, according to Nielsen Media Research.

DirecTV’s game series “certainly beats out a lot of other 18-to-34 male programming in that time frame,” says the satellite service’s Steven Roberts. The network won’t release numbers, but he says viewership grew during its July broadcasts. New technology “allows us to get into the games and cover them as if they were an NFL game,” he says.

Beyond TV, the revolution is also being documented for the silver screen. “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters,” opening Friday, focuses on an arcade rivalry over Donkey Kong.

The documentary travels back in time to the mainstream media’s first major recognition of video game competitors: a November 1982 shoot for Life magazine. Among 16 teenage gamers gathered at the event in Ottumwa, Iowa — the home of Twin Galaxies — was Mitchell, then a whiz at several games including Kong, Centipede and Pac-Man.

It’s also being vlogged. Swoozie, a member of the LA Complexity, has been recording online video diaries about his experience playing in the Championship Gaming Series. It’s an oddly compelling hybrid of WWF pregame shows and Justin.tv. Sports are all about personalities. If pro-gaming can score guys like this, that will be the reason to watch.

USA Today: Your next move: Watch, don’t play video games
USA Today: Gamers ready to compete on TV and on the Web
USA Today: ‘King of Kong’ follows players in pursuit of the high score

Related PSFK articles:
Video Games Officially a Sport