Business, Events, MMORPGs, Pro Gaming, Virtual Worlds
NY Games Conference, Day 2: Panels, and Pirates, and Pros— Oh My!
Despite the torrential downpour outside of the venue, umbrella-armed crowds slowly but surely trickled into the Museum of Jewish Heritage at Battery Park last Friday morning to attend the second and final day of the NY Games Conference, myself included. It was an earlier commencement than the previous day, and if it weren’t for the vastly interesting panels, I probably would’ve nodded off in my complimentary coffee.
Gaming tournaments are a risky, unknown entity to most television networks. Big name games do not necessarily guarantee ratings. CBS learned this when its World Series of Video Games was forced off the air last September in the midst of its second season, despite offering competitions in such giants as World of WarCraft, Quake 4, and Guitar Hero II. Major League Gaming’s Halo 2 Pro Circuit garnered live coverage on USA Network in 2006, but not since. While niche networks such as G4 and Spike may offer replacements to fill the void left by larger networks’ abandonment, they do little to promote gaming to the general viewer, or anyone who’s not already ‘hardcore’ and playing Call of Duty 4 instead of watching TV.