CommunityFortress

Continuing my look at community issues, I want to touch on an important subject today: Parents.

This conversation topic was inspired by a particular line in a post about the future of ESEA-O on GotFrag, and my time spent as a Rowing Coach for two years. The line in question: "In other words, people probably don't pay the entry fee because it's a hassle (and their parents won't agree to pay for it), not because they did a cost-benefit analysis and deemed it imprudent."

This sentence demonstrates that we, as in the community of competitive TF2ers, need to realize a couple of things.  

First, if our hobby is to grow and succeed, it needs money. I don't just mean larger pools of prize money to attract players, but money to pay for administrators, league officials, servers, bandwidth, expanded league coverage, and anti-cheat measures.

People always cite the qualities of TWL as an argument against paying league dues to ESEA. TWL is great and is a needed counter-part to ESEA, but it is obviously a looser more casual league that can be run by volunteer administrators alone. They don't have the resources to expand their websites, includ a scheduling system where players can examine upcoming matches or a location to find demos/stv. Teams must provide their own match servers. TWL doesn't have the resources because they are volunteers. Volunteer run no-pay amateur leagues are an obvious boost to our community, but can't provide for the future.

The second things players usually cite when complaining about paying dues for ESEA is that the ESEA client is bugged and problematic. It's important to realize that Valve's constant updates of TF2 are what makes it more inconsistent than ESEA's CS client. These issues will surely improve and hopefully Valve and ESEA can co-ordinate some sort of update system that doesn't break the client every other week. Problems with the client and other disputes needing an administrator would surely be attended to quicker if ESEA had more staff. ESEA can only have more staff if they have more money. With more money ESEA could not only hire full-time administrators but they could also pay for promotional staff who issue match write ups and help secure sponsors, who in turn would deliver better prizes.

This issue is not just about putting money into ESEA, but putting money into the game. If you don't want to support ESEA for whatever reason, pay to play CEVO, or make your way to some LAN parties. The realization needs to be made that we need to support the infrastructure before sponsors/advertisers will step in to cover costs. Without pay to play leagues we will not be able to make the next step. The truth of this fact is demonstrated with every other sport in the world.

If you want to go play Basketball, you have three basic options: get a group of friends together at a public b-ball court, go to the YMCA/Gym/Park and join a pick-up game, or play in either a local, school, or professional league. In all of those leagues, someone is paying the bill. School leagues are paid for by the School District/University and professional leagues are supported by Advertisers, TV deals, and merchandise. For a local league, no matter what caliber, the cost is shouldered by the players. In the case of little leagues, the parents pay, and that is where they re-enter the conversation.

The line I quoted above resonated in my head for a couple days due to this particular section: "their parents won't agree to pay for it". I reacted immediately after reading it: "Why the hell not?" This brings us to the second realization we need to make.

During my time as a rowing coach, particularly as one for a student-run club team, it was clearly apparent that our team prospered thanks to the support of the parents, a fact that my head coach stressed to me. Rowing is an expensive sport with race fees, travel costs, expensive equipment and several coaches meager salary. On top of paying for their college kids to take part in the sport many of these parents shared their hospitality by welcoming us into their homes for team dinners and places to sleep. I'm well aware of Rowing's rich kid sport status but the fact is that parents are willing to support their child's hobbies.

The only reason parents won't agree to pay your league fees is because they haven't been asked. Now I'm sure somewhere out there, someone's parent said, "Well, Billy, we're a little tight on cash, can't you just play in TWL?", but I think the generalization is true.

Of course it is a matter of having the correct relationship with your parents, but if this is your hobby you need to stand up for yourself. Having a correct relationship with your parents about your competitive video gaming hobby means the following: Do your chores, do your homework, don't be an asshole, and don't be ashamed. Its a give and take relationship. Make it clear that you are still going to college, you're not trying to become a professional video gamer, but that its a hobby that you enjoy and is bettering you as a person/techie. With all those things accomplished, I can't imagine a decent parent turning down giving you $5 for your team fees.

If you're a little brat, never talk to your parents, don't help around the house, and only play videogames all night, what do you think they'll say?

If gamers are too ashamed of their hobby to discuss it in such a reasonable matter with their parents, then we are in trouble anyways. Parents are always willing to support their child. The teamwork, communication, and strategical thinking of TF2 can offer the same positive benefits of other sports.

It's not just the player who must cater to the parents, but also the team. I guarantee you that if any team captain who has had problems with their talented 16 year old disappearing 5 minutes before scrim time actually spoke to that player's parents, they could solve the problem in a way more beneficial than raging at the kid when he returns. Parents intruding on other sports happens all the time and High School coaches often have to negotiate with parents to get what they want. Dinner time is always an issue in ESports, but if a player and captain communicate their thanks to the chef alongside their need for practice parents would surely be accommodating.

Money needs to be brought into the game to help it improve and expand and parents can help that. League fees are a reasonable way to do this. $5 is such a minimal amount of money, that for a college student it means 1 less six-pack for the weekend. If you are so broke that you can't contribute $5 to your hobby, then you need to find a job. That goes for high-school students as well.

On top of league fees, money is brought into the game by buying products that support gamers. Gaming isn't a cheap hobby. Go do some hard manual labor, wash some dishes for a decent restaurant, and buy yourself a Steel Series mouse and pimpin new video card.

I'd be interested to hear about people's different experiences dealing with their parents, please share them below.

 I'll admit that my own experiences talking with my very cool understanding parents about playing competitively were a little shy and awkward at first. Being open with my parents did get them to agree to let me go to a clan social gathering 500 miles away when I was 17. If you don't ask, you're not going to get anything.