Cinemas use to be a location where the source of entertainment came from the movies shown. You would go in, buy overpriced popcorn and drinks and then sit down for a couple hours watching that new hit film. Now films are not the only product that cinemas are showing off.
Esports have become a big thing. Games like League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter Strike to name a few all have big competitions with even bigger rewards. Many people tune in or go to watch the competition. Teams are forums and practice just like any other team of any other sport does. Something new, Super League Gaming, was founded in an attempt to bring esport like competitions to a more friendly competition in a local setting.
After buying a ticket from a participating theater, you show up with a laptop, and ready to play the current choice of game, Minecraft. They chose Minecraft as one of the first games to try out because being one of the most popular games, it had the ability to attract a large amount of people from a large range of ages. Additionally, the game could be easily modified for Super League’s purpose. Showing up, the event starts off with some casual building on your own plot. It then moves to a version of Hunger Games in Minecraft.
The reason for the theater, besides a common location is the main screen. Displayed on the screen is a spectators view showing off the current game, along with an overlay that has a current leader board. Spectators in the theater can watch the current game, and players can look up to get a third person view of the game.
To me the idea is amazing. Movie theaters are looking for additional ways to make a profit, and this is their solution. Hosting games and competitions would attract many people. It wouldn’t have to just be Minecraft. The creators of Super League Gaming have said themselves that they’re looking into other games that they could host, League of Legends mentioned specifically.
I find that there is a lot of room for improvement for Super League’s current setup. Right now, this is only offered in a select few locations and theaters. This is to be expected, as this is a new idea with need of testing the market. To be practical though, this needs to be offered in the future at more movie theaters. Additionally, there is little reason for someone to go pay a lot of money to play in a theater when you can sit at home and do the same thing. There needs to be a beneficial reason to why someone needs to go to the theater to do this.
Either way, next time you go to the theater, you might not be paying to watch a movie, but instead bringing your laptop to play some games with your friends. If you’re interested, more information can be found at their website.
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