Wilfs branching out...

Vikings owners unveil e-sports team, the Minnesota RøkkrNew team will compete in "Call of Duty" gaming league with colors and logo that resemble the NFL team.The owners of the Minnesota Vikings debuted their new e-sports franchise Tuesday in a hat tip — quite literally — to Norse mythology and their Vikings football brand.
The logo of the new Minnesota Røkkr (pronounced “rocker”) team portrays a menacing figure clad in a horned helmet and shadowed in dark purple, blue and black.
The Røkkr team of gamers is one of a dozen teams that will play in Activision Blizzard’s new e-sports league for its popular first-person shooter game “Call of Duty” early next year. The Minnesota Røkkr will train near the Vikings’ practice facility in Eagan.
“We wanted a name that would be unique. … We also wanted to find ways to create subtle ties to the Vikings,” said Brett Diamond, chief operating officer of WISE Ventures Esports that manages the Røkkr franchise.
The Wilf family who owns the Vikings launched the WISE Ventures investment fund last year. The Wilfs are part of a wave of Minnesota sports team owners that have recently entered into the growing professional video games, or e-sports, world as more sports fans embrace streaming platforms and gaming. The Minnesota Timberwolves along with Minnesota United FC have e-sports teams that play for their video game equivalents
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-owners-unveil-esports-team-the-minnesota-rkkr/564038542/

eSports is a huge growth 'sport'. Only will get bigger. They certainly are progressive considering their age.

So playing video games 16 hours a day is a sport now?  Who knew?  I was busy making sure my kids had a real job and to get out of the basement playing video games.

I looked up what Esports was all about it is a lucrative market full of nerdy teen teams from around the world.  Performance enhancing drugs are a real problem in that "sport"....pretty sad as a whole society that we would celebrate/compensate/encourage spending your day playing a video game - IMHO.

Yes, I am older then 45.  

@"minny65" said: So playing video games 16 hours a day is a sport now?  Who knew?  I was busy making sure my kids had a real job and to get out of the basement playing video games.

I looked up what Esports was all about it is a lucrative market full of nerdy teen teams from around the world.  Performance enhancing drugs are a real problem in that "sport"....pretty sad as a whole society that we would celebrate/compensate/encourage spending your day playing a video game - IMHO.

Yes, I am older then 45.  

Its a huge spectator sport, believe it or not. Worldwide eSports audience is 335 million

https://onlinebusiness.syr.edu/blog/esports-to-compete-with-traditional-sports/

@"StickyBun" said:

@"minny65" said: So playing video games 16 hours a day is a sport now?  Who knew?  I was busy making sure my kids had a real job and to get out of the basement playing video games.

I looked up what Esports was all about it is a lucrative market full of nerdy teen teams from around the world.  Performance enhancing drugs are a real problem in that "sport"....pretty sad as a whole society that we would celebrate/compensate/encourage spending your day playing a video game - IMHO.

Yes, I am older then 45.  

Its a huge spectator sport, believe it or not. Worldwide eSports audience is 335 million

https://onlinebusiness.syr.edu/blog/esports-to-compete-with-traditional-sports/

@"minny65" said: So playing video games 16 hours a day is a sport now?  Who knew?  I was busy making sure my kids had a real job and to get out of the basement playing video games.

I looked up what Esports was all about it is a lucrative market full of nerdy teen teams from around the world.  Performance enhancing drugs are a real problem in that "sport"....pretty sad as a whole society that we would celebrate/compensate/encourage spending your day playing a video game - IMHO.

Yes, I am older then 45.  

I agree,  but like one kid/guy who called into a radio show I was listening to a while back pointed out... whats the difference between him sitting on his ass watching others play video games or the radio host sitting on his ass watching somebody else play golf, bowling, or whatever?  both require skill, hand eye coordination, etc... I still think its pretty nuts,  but if we really look at it,  its entertainment in some form so ....  could be worse... they could be getting into "professional" wrestling,  now there is a brain suck if there ever was one.  B)

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"minny65" said: So playing video games 16 hours a day is a sport now?  Who knew?  I was busy making sure my kids had a real job and to get out of the basement playing video games.

I looked up what Esports was all about it is a lucrative market full of nerdy teen teams from around the world.  Performance enhancing drugs are a real problem in that "sport"....pretty sad as a whole society that we would celebrate/compensate/encourage spending your day playing a video game - IMHO.

Yes, I am older then 45.  

I agree,  but like one kid/guy who called into a radio show I was listening to a while back pointed out... whats the difference between him sitting on his ass watching others play video games or the radio host sitting on his ass watching somebody else play golf, bowling, or whatever?  both require skill, hand eye coordination, etc... I still think its pretty nuts,  but if we really look at it,  its entertainment in some form so ....  could be worse... they could be getting into "professional" wrestling,  now there is a brain suck if there ever was one.  B)

@"minny65" said:

@"JimmyinSD" said:

@"minny65" said: So playing video games 16 hours a day is a sport now?  Who knew?  I was busy making sure my kids had a real job and to get out of the basement playing video games.

I looked up what Esports was all about it is a lucrative market full of nerdy teen teams from around the world.  Performance enhancing drugs are a real problem in that "sport"....pretty sad as a whole society that we would celebrate/compensate/encourage spending your day playing a video game - IMHO.

Yes, I am older then 45.  

I agree,  but like one kid/guy who called into a radio show I was listening to a while back pointed out... whats the difference between him sitting on his ass watching others play video games or the radio host sitting on his ass watching somebody else play golf, bowling, or whatever?  both require skill, hand eye coordination, etc... I still think its pretty nuts,  but if we really look at it,  its entertainment in some form so ....  could be worse... they could be getting into "professional" wrestling,  now there is a brain suck if there ever was one.  B)

Well I don't consider a radio host a real job either :)

I also disagree, I can't think of anything that is more of a hypnotizing brain suck then competitive gaming.  I would consider my kids losers if that is all they do?  I'm sure some of these kids/young adults have real jobs but most indicate 16 hours a day of gaming from what I read...yikes.

"U.S. gaming revenue is forecast to reach $230 billion by 2022, making it the largest market in the world."

This is beyond big business. It has incredible appeal to all kinds of people. As generations have grown up with video games a normal part of life, the age of the average gamer also increases. While 40 percent of video game players still come from the 18 to 35 age demographic, some 21 percent are 50 years and older. Let that sink in. It ain't just kids. And it ain't just non-athletic nerds. 

Its not my cup of tea, but I'm also 53 years old. And as mentioned, there are kids making 6 figures doing this. 

Yea I know there is money in it but that is not always everything.  I know I would have zero sense of accomplishment if that was my job.  I would also be somewhat embarrassed if someone asked me what my kids do for a living and the answer is "they are/or trying to be a professional gamer.  Yes, there is money in it for some but not for the vast majority wasting there days away having a relationship with a machine.

OK, I am done with "get off my lawn" rant :)

@"minny65" said: Yea I know there is money in it but that is not always everything.  I know I would have zero sense of accomplishment if that was my job.  I would also be somewhat embarrassed if someone asked me what my kids do for a living and the answer is "they are/or trying to be a professional gamer.  Yes, there is money in it for some but not for the vast majority wasting there days away having a relationship with a machine.

OK, I am done with "get off my lawn" rant :)

we just never know what the future holds... thes "lazy" kids of today  maybe the next generation of soldiers that use a controller to fight our countries battles so that we dont have to risk actual American lives... oh wait... ;)

Yup.  The Airforce loves the video game generation.  Gary Larsen, yet again, was slightly ahead of his time.

I sat down in the living room with my kids, fired up Twitch, and watched the Fortnite World Cup back in July. I was blown away with how well it was produced. I can't really come up with a better analogy of how it felt other than it was like watching a Game Show and the Super Bowl at the same time.

100 people in 5 elimination style matches - first place took home $3 million. 100th place took home $100,000.  And these are like ALL teens (20 year olds apparently are too slow to qualify in Fortnite)! The payout structure gives it that game-show feeling - yet, these 100 players had to qualify and they are the best of the best at the game. Competing. It was intense to watch. The kid who won it was 16. His parents we're joking about it in disbelief because of the real world stigma around gaming and raising their kid around it - they did the grades game; if his grades in school were up he could play and if not it was taken away. They laughed it's a good thing his grades stayed up.

I know that something like 6 million people watched the Fortnite Black Hole Event - 38 hours of a black screen. I guess I find it surprising that Call of Duty is the game the Wilfs are investing in, but this esports team is basically filling a spot in something that already exists. I hope CoD is popular enough with viewers to generate interest - it's not overly popular on Twitch...

My son has made a lot of money playing video games on the side. There are people that pay him to advance them in the games. Yeah that's right, they pay him to level them up. Gaming is big business right now. Huge profits and it continues to grow. And it's not just kids playing these games, there are plenty of adults playing too.

Imma burn Minny's behind here a bit but I *am* a radio DJ and I do watch esports now and then.  Ironically I get the same reaction from other DJ's about my love of football vs them watching said esports.  It's all how we get our geek on :)  <3

I hate video games. Probably haven't played one since Asteroids. And we have a playstation, too. My son plays, but I don't see the lure. 

That said, I'm with Jimmy on this. It's hard to ridicule gaming as a sport when something as dumbfuckingly stupid as pro wrestling makes billions a year. 

@"MaroonBells" said: I hate video games. Probably haven't played one since Asteroids. And we have a playstation, too. My son plays, but I don't see the lure. 

 It's hard to ridicule gaming as a sport when something as dumbfuckingly stupid as pro wrestling makes billions a year. 

I had a friend in high school that would get fighting mad if anyone said pro wrestling was fake. Now this was like 1984 and I lived in the upper Midwest, but still. That dude BELIEVED it. 

@"StickyBun" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: I hate video games. Probably haven't played one since Asteroids. And we have a playstation, too. My son plays, but I don't see the lure. 

 It's hard to ridicule gaming as a sport when something as dumbfuckingly stupid as pro wrestling makes billions a year. 

I had a friend in high school that would get fighting mad if anyone said pro wrestling was fake. Now this was like 1984 and I lived in the upper Midwest, but still. That dude BELIEVED it. 

@"BlackMagic7" said:

@"StickyBun" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: I hate video games. Probably haven't played one since Asteroids. And we have a playstation, too. My son plays, but I don't see the lure. 

 It's hard to ridicule gaming as a sport when something as dumbfuckingly stupid as pro wrestling makes billions a year. 

I had a friend in high school that would get fighting mad if anyone said pro wrestling was fake. Now this was like 1984 and I lived in the upper Midwest, but still. That dude BELIEVED it. 

In the 80's what's the worst you would have gotten for telling them it was a fake? ... a Hogan leg drop? Superfly Snuka'd off the lunch table?

In the 90's, you got your head grabbed and shoved under some dudes dick, and then you got power-bombed for good measure.