The Analyst's Resume of Play
Game analysts and critics need exposure to high level play
in complex games. Contact with skilled play opens up one's palette to the
possibilities within the medium. But more importantly, it allows writers and
video makers to pass on the appreciation of a game's zenith to their audience. During
my late teens and early twenties, I've played moderately well in public matches
of Street Fighter 4, spent 100 or so hours mastering PvP in Dark Souls, and
soared to the upper echelons of public play in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
My experience with these games exposed me to something every gamer should seek:
high level play and great amounts of execution skill (i.e. one's ability to
execute one's intention in game, such as hitting a headshot from across a map
or performing a combo with a very limited frame window).
Analysts should seek to master movement, aiming, and countering
opponents to better understand and appreciate games. Such mastery is paramount
to those who seek to pass on this appreciation to an audience. The only way to
discuss gameplay well is to be literate in high level play. Without said
literacy, analysts will pass on the shallowness of their understanding to their
audience. The possibilities of gameplay explored and discussed in games will be
severely limited. And if everyone is satisfied with more shallow games, then
there will be no demand for more deep and complex games.
There's more to games than just the mechanics, but it's the
meat. Without a good palette, we end up with videos like this from PC Gamer, in
which the presenter has no idea how to discuss the CSGO gameplay beyond stating
that a player has good intuition or that they don't reload because they are
really skilled. He routinely makes obvious or shallow statements that do not
fill in the audience about what is happening on screen.
PC Gamer seems to be making a push towards more serious
content recently. They just published a Top 10 CSGO Player article from Lurppis,
ex pro and former writer for hardcore Counter-Strike site hltv.org. PC Gamer
has a more casual audience than hltv.org, but the right person could still
bring good analysis to the level of a general audience. Traditional sports
viewers cannot stand obvious or shallow commentary from their analysts and
casters. We shouldn't stand for it either.
