Public Gaming: eSport and Event Marketing in the Experience Economy by Michael Borowy B.A., University of British Columbia, 2008 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the School of Communication Faculty of Communication, Art, and Technology Michael Borowy 2012 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2012 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for “Fair Dealing.” Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Michael Borowy Degree: Master of Arts (Communication) Title of Thesis: Public Gaming: eSport and Event Marketing in the Experience Economy Examining Committee: Chair: David Murphy, Senior Lecturer Dr. Stephen Kline Senior Supervisor Professor Dr. Dal Yong Jin Supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Richard Smith Internal Examiner Professor Date Defended/Approved: July 06, 2012 ii Partial Copyright Licence iii STATEMENT OF ETHICS APPROVAL The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained, for the research described in this work, either: (a) Human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics, or (b) Advance approval of the animal care protocol from the University Animal Care Committee of Simon Fraser University; or has conducted the research (c) as a co-investigator, collaborator or research assistant in a research project approved in advance, or (d) as a member of a course approved in advance for minimal risk human research, by the Office of Research Ethics. A copy of the approval letter has been filed at the Theses Office of the University Library at the time of submission of this thesis or project. The original application for approval and letter of approval are filed with the relevant offices. Inquiries may be directed to those authorities. Simon Fraser University Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Last update: Spring 2010 Abstract This thesis situates organized competitive digital gaming (eSport) in the context of historical sport, the rise of the computer and video games industry, event marketing, and the experience economy. It argues that the oftentimes misattributed origins of eSport in truth first took place during the early 1980s in arcades, when the various criteria for sport, including public contest, a structured framework for victory and defeat, mediatization and promotion, professionalization, record-keeping, and an engaged audience were already in place. It then goes on to discuss the various manifestations and changing nature of eSport as a commercial media product in the internet era before identifying what this all means for sport, gaming, and event marketing in the digital phase of the experience economy. The paper concludes that the transition of competitive play from television to the internet has profound implications for the ways that media products are being consumed and marketed. Keywords: Digital games; eSport; event marketing; experience economy; professional video gaming; public play iv Dedication For my amazing parents, Barbara and Les Borowy. v Acknowledgements I am extraordinarily grateful for the guidance of my senior supervisor, Dr. Steve Kline, who persevered through countless drafts of this project. His unsurpassed insight and knowledge spanning countless subjects helped to consolidate my thoughts when they were haphazardly strewn about dozens of pages. I am also thankful to my second supervisor, Dr. Dal Yong Jin, for being among the early scholars writing on the subject of professional gaming, as well as providing numerous helpful suggestions for this project. I would also like to thank other faculty and staff at the School of Communication for the opportunity to pursue this degree, and who were always available for help when the need arose. I must also acknowledge the contributions of those people involved in eSport that took time out of their busy schedules to talk to me about their experiences, ideas, and anticipations. Beyond those I bantered with online through email, in games or on message boards, I would like to especially thank those who participated in my formal recorded interviews – Kelvin, John, Ryan, ‘Nucholza,’ as well as those who wished to remain anonymous. My most profound thanks are for my family. They have supported me regardless of the circumstances, have always been there for me through difficult periods, and have put up with some of my more unappealing characteristics without descending into the realm of loathing (I think). Whatever happens I will always love them. vi Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii Partial Copyright Licence ............................................................................................... iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ....................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures.................................................................................................................. x 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Public Spectacles and the Experience Economy .................................................... 4 1.2. Overview .............................................................................................................. 11 2. Playing, Gaming and Sports .............................................................................. 14 2.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 14 2.1.1. On Definition: Play, games, and Sports in Contemporary Culture ............. 15 2.2. Sport History: Play and Spectatorship .................................................................. 18 2.2.1. The Institutionalization of Sport ................................................................. 21 2.2.2. The Olympics as Conceptual Predecessor for eSport ............................... 28 2.3. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 32 3. Offline Public Gaming and eSport in the Arcades............................................ 35 3.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 35 3.2. Early 1980s Arcade Culture .................................................................................. 36 3.2.1. Playing games … on Television: The 1980s ............................................. 43 3.2.2. Arcade Economics in the Late 1980s and 1990s ....................................... 45 3.3. Going Home: The Console Movement .................................................................. 51 3.3.1. Changing Characteristics of Public Arcade Play in the 2000s ................... 60 3.4. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 63 4. The Networking of Public Gaming ..................................................................... 65 4.1. From Arcade to PC Café ...................................................................................... 65 4.2. Early eSport League Formation in the U.S. .......................................................... 72 4.3. The Rise of PC cafés in South Korea ................................................................... 76 4.3.1. Korean eSport becomes National Sport .................................................... 81 4.3.2. Aspirations of Sportization: Conflicts between Institutionalization and Subversion ................................................................................................ 85 4.4. Public gaming transformations in the U.S. – 1990s-2000s .................................... 93 4.5. Prognosis for the 21st Century .............................................................................. 95 4.6. Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 104 vii 5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 106 References ................................................................................................................. 110 viii List of Tables Table 1. Audience statistics for Major League Gaming’s 2011 Season. ..................... 65 ix List of Figures Figure 1. Sport and its progeny eSport as a response to – and at the intersection of – the oftentimes colliding interests of contemporary capitalism and the desire/need to be in touch with general human propensities that were lost with urbanization. ..............................................