SC2SEA.com - Starcraft 2 SEA eSports Community Site

My friends, (This is a very long post, it will be followed by TL;DR at the end for you lazy SOB's)

This blog is the result of my personal deliberation regarding all the recent s%#@storms surrounding the SC2 scene, it's players, tournaments, and prizes. (See; coL Vs Stephano / PPSL Gus Ledesma incident, players not receiving prizes in a promptly manner, et al)

Let me start by saying that I realise none of this is really 'new'. It's been happening in E-sports for as long as it's been around. An industry built on the backs of teenagers was bound to be full of contractual misunderstandings from the get-go. Along the way there have been various models created to protect everyone, (Players/Sponsors/Event Organisers/etc) like KeSPA, and although these models may or may not have worked in the past, currently they're just not able to fully cover everything that's happening. Or atleast that's my understanding.

(Note: I don't actually know very much about legality or Law in general, although I do have a fair sense of what is and is not right, atleast I think so. So if I am wrong about anything, or you just have some more legal knowledge than I do and can contribute or rebut anything I'm saying, please do!)

Now, amongst the many hundreds of threads on subjects like what I'm talking about now, I've seen people question "Is there anything we can do?", most of the time the answer is no, people dismiss it because "I'm just one person, what can I do?" but there are MILLIONS OF US GUYS!
I'm beginning to think that if WE don't do something, no-one will. And no I'm not talking about one of sc/reddit's lynch mobs.... don't even go there.

What I'm suggesting may not even really be possible, but I'm hoping that by writing this and getting some community feedback, maybe someone with some actual legal training (since we are a varied and beautiful species, us gamers) might be able to step up to the plate and get some brain storming going.

So here goes;

We NEED some sort of INTERNATIONAL GOVERNING BODY(Like, FIFA). A go between for event organisers, sponsors and players. Someone with the legal power to hold people accountable to the contracts they sign. And seek the just and legal consequences of those that don't.

I bet I know what most of you are thinking right about now.....(he's a crackpot)

Honestly, I think we can do something about this as a community, a big, beautiful, international community! If we band together, put our minds together, I'm sure we can come up with a solution that keeps everybody's interest's at heart.

Obviously there's alot to think about. We've got sponsors, their expectations as far as Advertising, return, etc. Event organisers, and the many people who we don't see behind the scenes. (Many of whom do what they do now for FREE out of a love for the sport) And of course the players themselves, what the sponsors obligations to them are, etc. Not to mention the overall plausibility of this idea and it's legality???

I could go on, but I won't because I'm not sure I know what I'm talking about enough to rabbit on as much as I have.

So I pose this to you international Starcraft 2 Community....

What CAN we do about the recent contractual problems?

What are WE, as a global community going to do about it?

We are LEGION, if we work together I'm sure we can do something!

VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!

TL;DR;

1) The recent spate of contractual problems in the E-sports world is cause for concern.
2) Although models already exist to protect players, sponsors, etc, They no longer appear to be relevant.
3) We (as a community) keep asking ourselves "Is there anything we can do?"
4) No one else (in terms of an umbrella protective agency) has stepped up to take a shot.
5) There are millions of us (gamers) with varied backgrounds.
6) Together we can make a difference.


and.......GO......

/discuss