42 ROUND TABLE Esports Arenas
ANNA LOCKWOOD: From a technical perspective, esports has always been a digital-first space. Events are targeted towards an online audience on streaming platforms. Most esports events don’t need to follow strict TV schedules and ad breaks, and the length of events can be flexible. Streaming for eight hours straight is normal. Broadcasts are much more interactive than in traditional sports – viewers can chat with each other and often interact with the stream by participating in surveys or competitions. The ‘cameras’ are inside the game itself, allowing for an immersive experience ‘switched’ by expert observers sitting in a control room. It can also be a challenge in esports to capture the action in a way that’s compelling and understandable to the observer. It can be easy to miss an important event during a match and viewers can be brutal on chat if that happens. That’s where a replay is useful!
FEED: HOW DO ESPORTS BROADCASTS DIFFER FROM TRADITIONAL SPORTS BROADCASTS?
CHARLES CONROY: There are some parallels between esports and traditional sports broadcasts. However, delivering ‘TV quality’ esports programming has a different set of rules than the traditional stadium-centric sports production. For example, the playing field in an esports tournament is virtually generated, meaning there are no boundaries in how the game play is produced and delivered. Broadcasters can be much more creative with camera angles and other visualisation techniques. As a result, they are technically a lot more difficult to pull off. The main difference is that the broadcaster needs to understand a specific set of software tools that are included in the game engines, gaming PCs and
specialist video capture techniques. These all differ from traditional TV broadcasting techniques. The formula for esports broadcasting is ever-changing, whereas a live broadcast of a soccer game is fairly set. Esports has been forced to evolve at a rate that traditional sports haven’t. JAMES DEAN: The obvious different is that esports has far more I/O and video feeds. However, the multi-end point and varied number of platforms in which esports broadcasts are distributed require a different arrangements from event to event. A lot more software-based infrastructure is utilised, which allows for a level of repurpose/multipurpose hardware.
FEED: SHOULD WE BUILD A PERMANENT BROADCAST INFRASTRUCTURE INTO OUR ESPORTS ARENA? OR IS IT BETTER TO BRING IN GEAR ONLY FOR SPECIFIC EVENTS?
THE FORMULA FOR ESPORTS BROADCASTING IS EVER-CHANGING
CHARLES CONROY: You should absolutely build a permanent broadcast infrastructure into your arena. Having top- line equipment pre-installed in the venue, such as gigabit LAN with high port count, 10GB core network, a dedicated fibre based WAN connectivity and professional-grade production equipment for video capture and distribution, will help enormously when it comes to attracting new business. Organisers who are looking to hire a venue want a ready-to-go package. If they have to bring their own equipment and tools, they are far less likely to book the venue in the first instance. JAMES DEAN: A base line of infrastructure should be installed – but everything else should be based on utilisation. One of the most time-consuming elements of setting up a venue for an esports production is cabling, routing and switching. Having an underlying switching and transcoding infrastructure for SDI –
and ultimately IP – will give a competitive edge for a venue. The quantities also need careful thought due to the various esports formats and number of gaming devices in use. Also, an extremely high-capacity and robust networking infrastructure is essential. ANNA LOCKWOOD: Dedicated esports arenas – such as the Gfinity Arena, HyperX Arena and Fortress – all have built-in broadcast infrastructure. Specific events may call for additional gear or new workflows at these venues, which are managed on an event-by-event basis. Esports broadcasting teams typically have an agile and innovative way of looking at requirements, workflows and equipment, so even with a dedicated in-house infrastructure, there can be a lot of experimentation. As long as high- speed internet and connectivity is available at a venue, it can transform into an esports arena.
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