South Africa 9th in global eSport ranking
South Africa climbs the International eSport Federation ranks
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South Africa 9th in global eSport ranking
South Africa climbs the International eSport Federation ranks
The five-year-olds at LazyGamer took exception to your article:
http://www.lazygamer.net/south-afric...10-of-esports/
Questionable comprehension skills and liberal interpretation of the facts as presented.Quote:
Originally Posted by StaggerLee
Yeah, I saw that...
No comment on the rest of the content, but the MyGaming article clearly states the facts - SA ranked 9th with the IeSF. (It's now 9th due to a correction).
The incorrect assertion from LazyGamer:
Seems Gavin Mannion can't read past our headline, which he interpreted incorrectly.Quote:
. . . this press release shouldn’t have been believed straight-out by sites such as MyGaming (who claimed they were 10th in the world) and el33tonline (who at least said 10th in the federation) . . .
MyGaming headline: South Africa 9th in global eSport ranking
Now anyone with rudimentary reading skills will want to read on to find out which particular eSport ranking we are writing about. You won't have to read very far though, as just beneath the headline is the excerpt which summarises the article neatly.
MyGaming excerpt: South Africa climbs the International eSport Federation ranks
And if you actually open the article:
MyGaming opening paragraph: The International eSports Federation has released its global rankings based on 2013 performance, and South Africa has ranked 9th in the world out of 23 member nations.
How confusing this must have been in order to accuse us of... I'm not even sure what; reporting on a set of information from an organisation they have a vendetta against?
Just a sloppy attempt to snipe at us - the traffic stats from the past few months must really be getting them; oops, now I'm doing it :P
http://s29.postimg.org/5clcpqsqf/tum...AJ71qz4rgp.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by James
Now now, kids.
I suspect that the vendetta is the issue here. Gavin Mannion really hates Colin Webster. I'm not sure whether it's justified or not, but any mention of MSSA in other media gets him going and he leaps at any opportunity to say something disparaging about them.Quote:
Originally Posted by James
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4...jtugo1_500.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by James
I hate LG...
Just a correction to your sniping..
You changed your headline and then accused me of not being able to read :).. nice
You also just reposted a press release wthout giving it any substance which is pretty poor from someone who considers himself a journalist. You gave no context or logic behind it and that is why you were called out.
@Stunt, sorry to hear you hate us. Would you be willing to say why so we can help improve?
@StaggerLee, it's Lazygamer not LazyGamer :)
oh and as for that traffic quip... when you actually get more traffic than us you can talk but right now we both know that's not true..
ergh and to think I needed to register a tag for this
-Gavin
So who are you again? lol Up until today I didn't even know what lazygamer is/was...lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Lazygamer
As for registering, at least you now know what it feels like to belong to a proper forum.
They changed a 10 to a 9? How dare they! That changes everything. :mad:Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazygamer
Yeah I noticed that part lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Eugene
We shouldn't be mean though...there is always room for people like him on earth..God knows why...but there is..lol
http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploa...pcorn-Soda.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by Lazygamer
Thanks Gavin, my mistake. After reading your poorly edited articles, I didn't realise that correct punctuation, capitalization and grammar were that important to you guys.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazygamer
I don't understand why anyone takes the garbage that is Lazy Gamer seriously. Terrible quality journalism--not to mention that I have yet to read a single article of theirs that isn't littered with either spelling or grammatical mistakes--compounded with poorly constructed articles makes for a fucking awful read.
They're like the "You" of South African online 'journalism.' More of a blog than a credible news site...
To be fair there are good articles and bad articles on both. The author of the bad articles should be taken to task for it. I normally do that and then take my downvotes on the chin :D
A blatant trolling article like http://www.lazygamer.net/xbox-360/ti...an-connection/ is just inexcusable.
Ugh, I really dont care either way, but its not ok for Lazygamer to take up half your screen with "Today we fight back" crap. Feels like I'm trying to read through a pinhole.
And I know you can minimise it, but its annoying.
Ugh...well, keeping it classy, I see.
I find the entire situation pitiful, to be perfectly honest. If a competitor is wrong, here's the correct protocol:
1. Make sure your own stuff is right. [CHECK] [OK]
2. Be smug about it, but keep it out of the public eye. [CHECK] [ERROR]
There have been many instances of this guy taking cheap-shots like this in the past and it really does make him and his website look petty. Come on, dude. If you write an article about something (especially if it is about something as mundane as where SA lies on a ranking list in eSports: 9th or 10th) and take jabs at a competitor(s) whilst doing it, then you're going to have a bad time.
I sometimes read Lazygamer articles. More specifically, Darryn's comic book articles, because there aren't a lot of those going around in SA and he's a pretty cool guy who writes good stuff. I do find a lot of articles on there that bore me to the core, though. In the last six months, the only thing that I could find on there is basically "Xbox One is terrible", "Here's why the Xbox One sucks" or "PS4 outsells Xbox One". That's it. Nothing more. Give me something more readable and I will read more of your stuff. At the moment, Lazygamer is like the People Magazine of the gaming industry. It feels like I'm reading a fucking tabloid every single time I go their website. That's not what I want to read when games are concerned. I want to support more local gaming websites, but not when stuff like that is going around. Who cares which gaming developer hates which console?
Instead of arguing about traffic and eSports ranking, perhaps spend time improving website content.
Not trying to fling insults, just giving my opinion. And opinions are like assholes.
http://i.imgur.com/FpRfB3S.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by Cicero
I reckon we squash all this animosity in the ring, James and Gavin can decide what game they'll play.
Gamer Fight Club, they get to vent through the game and have fun while they're at it, we get entertainment :D (if they choose to make it public, of course).
Mygaming, Lazygamer, make it happen.
A "VS" match in Tekken. That's what needs to happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint_Dee
I like how you think, Sir :DQuote:
Originally Posted by TheAvenged87
Yes, there was a mistake, which I admitted and corrected. You should try it sometime - like in this case, where you incorrectly accused us of something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazygamer
Not sure when you became the paragon of journalistic excellence and in any position to criticise what I do. Sometimes, when you don't have a petty vendetta, you just post the news as it comes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazygamer
We must be looking at different version of Effective Measure then. The last few months, your international traffic beat us, and our local traffic beat yours. Those are the facts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazygamer
i think going back to MSSA is still rubbish they dont know what they doing and are making SA esports a stuff up.
They dont have the players in mind nor the country.
I dont care for the fight between LG and MyG, but hate the fact that MSSA is not doing something with the gamers in mind.
That whole team is not even the best SA can offer. Its just like our SA soccor team thinking they good because they with MSSA. Why not take the top 3 teams/players from the DGL to rep SA in gaming over seas. O wait they not with MSSA
DGL is a private commercial league and doesn't have anything to do with MSSA and its team trials.Quote:
Originally Posted by z1oc
Clans, clubs, and players that compete in the DGL must register with MSSA and then compete in team trials to be selected for the team.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=DhrZxSoLmgAQuote:
Originally Posted by James
Quote:
Originally Posted by James
Dont get why they have to register with MSSA. I dont mind if they do more comps like DGL but i dont get why you need register with MSSA 1st to be able to compete in international games.
I don't for a second believe that South Africa is top 10 in the world though.
Wow, where is my popcorn. Personally I say don't throw rocks until you sure you have the right target and when I read the LZ article it was clear he took one line out of context and decided to have a mini rant.
Gret repli LZ, nize to c you take the hi road (I wrote that in my best LZ).
MSSA is affiliated with SASCOC (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee), and SASCOC is granted power by the ministry of sport.Quote:
Originally Posted by z1oc
SASCOC can only appoint one organisation to be the official governing body of a particular discipline. The MSSA is that federation, and their mandate is to promote eSport, among other table top type games.
The MSSA is bound up by all sorts of red tape, and eSport actually makes up only a small portion of what they manage. Traditional African board games such as Morabaraba are very popular, and these help the MSSA meet various BEE requirements (eSport doesn't have much BEE representation).
One of the things SASCOC does is manage the "Team South Africa" brand. Just because you are from South Africa doesn't mean you can legitimately call yourself "Team South Africa". MSSA handles the handing out of national colours and is responsible for putting together the official South African eSport teams.
In order to represent South Africa as Team South Africa, you have to go through the motions. This means becoming a member of MSSA, or your club/clan becoming a member. Once a member of the MSSA there are some levels of assistance that can be granted, financial and otherwise, on the road to being a member of Team South Africa.
This isn't a strange situation - it's how every other sport is officially handled in SA. I see a lot arguments that DGL has better players - that may be true, but DGL isn't going to pay to send players overseas to compete in other leagues - why would they?
DGL can be a great proving ground for clans but if they want to officially represent South Africa, they must go through the official channels. It's also not a joke and there are responsibilities that come along with being a Team South Africa member; contracts in place to protect the country's image and require minimum levels of participation.
Sure, the MSSA might not be doing a perfect job, but they are trying, and they are sending teams overseas to compete. I don't recall any private commercial gaming leagues doing this.
Have some of mine...there's plenty as can be seen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ike_009
hmm ok. I dont expect DGL to sent players to play over seas by no means. I see DGL as a mini version of IEM,MLG, WCG ( not being active anymore ) ect ect. They then have the finals at the rAge expo seeing Telkom is there dont mind the finals at rAge. ( hope they do a better promoting job and spectating options this year in all games )
Now not looking at overseas esports i dont see the international countries doing the same thing. I get that MSSA is apart of SASCOC that just means that SASCOC is cock blocking it or MSSA is doing something wrong. I follow abit on what they doing but dont see alot of board games tournaments being hosted. Even when i was in school i tried chess but then it was still not what it could have been.
What i see is less skilled Gamers are representing SA if even at all. Iesf i dont see alot of it so not even sure what of it.
Im not saying that the gamers representing MSSA-SA are bad I find it cool that they doing something and must be epic to represent SA in something they love. Hell if i had the skill and chance to do it in gaming or cycling i would. I just feel that MSSA dont have the gaming community behind them at all. I get emails and posts on what they doing but from the website, not only being off and the back round out dated. It feels as if this guy has no clue whats going on.
I dont know how others feel about this, but I feel that MSSA could do alot more than just force people to sign a contract with them and then have to be bound to it, with the stupid rules they have.
If there was a esports board that needed a year subscription to be able to further esports in SA I would be 100% for it. But what MSSA is doing is not the way to go. Half the teams playing is not what SA has to offer and why is that, Im sure its due to the contract that MSSA makes you sigh and pretty much makes to sign your gaming freedom away.
Well, I'm not sure what the general attitudes are of the pro gamers out there. I do obviously follow the news around it and sometimes see the little issues that arise.
Playing for Team South Africa is a commitment, and the MSSA has certain processes to follow in this regard. It seems that some SA pro gamers want all the perks of the trips to compete overseas, but none of the responsibilities (both time and effort) toward the Team South Africa brand that comes with it.
Let's keep it all in perspective; sport is seen as a societal transformational pastime under our constitution - an upliftment activity. This is why MSSA tries to get involved at the school level, and this is why various sports get the help of government funding.
Our constitution and SASCOC are actually quite progressive in this regard - for example, USA doesn't have any government support for eSport - it is not recognised by their Olympic committee. The only US eSport stuff we see is all private commercial operations. It's not the MSSA's responsibility to form teams to compete in these private professional leagues. That would be like SAFA funding the South African football team to compete in EUFA. This is where the private sponsorships and player ambition are required to get SA players into these leagues, and even then, they won't be competing as Team South Africa.
One of the things MSSA must do (as per SASCOC regulations) is compete in globally recognised events where nations go head to head. The IeSF is pretty much the only organisation that fits the bill, especially now that WCG is on ice. It's much like how SAFA must register with FIFA to compete (of course there are many more choices for nation-on-nation contest in football).
As far as I'm aware, the only real restriction on the team members is that they must be paid members of MSSA, or a member of a clan that is a member of MSSA. The reasons being that the fees go toward the administration of the federation, and there are various stakeholders that need to be protected. You can't have Team South Africa pitching up at a world championship, and then they all ditch their Team SA sponsored gear and wear gear from a club and sponsor that isn't even a member of MSSA.
Again, this is common in all professional sport. You can Google the player contracts the SA rugby team signs - many, many more rules and restrictions. I'm not sure why gamers feel entitled to special treatment in this regard (i.e. not having to sign a contract).
Basically, what I'm getting at, is that professional eSport in SA isn't entirely about the MSSA - they are just the route you must follow if you want to represent the country. It seems that the gaming community is laying the blame for the entirely lacklustre eSport scene at the feet of the MSSA, when it really should be a collaborative effort between players, sponsors, and MSSA. It's going to be really difficult to get there if everyone just slags off MSSA all the time and refuses to work with them, and then (ironically) turns around and says MSSA didn't field the best team possible. MSSA isn't going anywhere, so people can work to improve it from within (and maybe get some new perspective) or contribute to eSport in other ways.
One last note for perspective; eSport is insanely niche in SA - I don't mean the kind of eSport where buddies get together, form clans, and enter DGL for weekend battles and a grand outing at rAge once a year (and a few more organised clans making a moderate success out of the pastime). I'm talking about dedicated eSport professionals who want to make a career out of it, much like people make careers out of rugby and football. It's a time consuming and expensive thing to achieve, and in SA, eSport just doesn't attract the glamour and sponsorship money that other sports do (e.g. cricket, rugby, football). Go look up some stories of what people go through to get to the Olympics for their niche sports - often their campaigns are self-funded because they are passionate about what they do, not because they want a free trip overseas to play bit of StarCraft.
The fact that the MSSA struggles to promote eSport in SA at levels we would like to see isn't a cause of the problem, its a symptom of the overall eSport milieu.
*cough* http://www.lazygamer.net/pc-gaming/f...te-by-america/ *cough*Quote:
Originally Posted by James
To the rest of the responses,
Some of them have been thought provoking and can be seen as valid, we offer a different experience to the other local sites and we are happy about that.
To the guy who said welcome to a real forum, thanks for the invite. Our site doesn't have a forum as we prefer to focus on the news... *lowblow*
As for the stats.. we get more uniques in a day than your local count for a month. So yes you, or should I say your forum and ADSL articles, are leading the way locally but we're playing in a different league.
We can all live together in harmony in our seperate houses.
Oh lastly, someone asked why I even brought mygaming and el33t up, simply because I believe the people posting press releases as news should be called out. If you are happy for MyGaming to be that place then cool.. But when you want the real news, and yes some rumour and gossip, then you know where to find us :)
We also have cookies...
And no one says anything about our fight night idea :(
What's wrong with you people:p?
I know, I was looking forward to thatQuote:
Originally Posted by Saint_Dee
Whoops sorry I missed that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint_Dee
We're always available for a challenge...
What? He just got a visa...that is all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazygamer
Stop tricking me into being one of your unique visitors...dammit!
The government officially viewed him as an athelete and now he's got a high performance visa.. as can anyone else..Quote:
Originally Posted by Cicero
They are pretty progressive on that front.. I'll make sure to -1 from our report this month :)