Dreamhack Winter blev netop overstået her i weekenden, og undervejs i løbet af eventet fik vi lige snakket med nogle af de folk, der sørger for, at man kan følge med i sådanne events hjemme fra sin egen computer, hvis man ikke selv er taget afsted.
De to streamingtjenester, Azubu og Twitch, havde begge deres eget sted ved eventet, og Gaming.dk fik en snak med repræsentanter fra de to forskellige tjenester i løbet af eventet. OBS: Interviewet er på engelsk.
Vi mødte først Tricia Sugita, som er Senior eSports Manager hos Azubu, og som inviterede indenfor i Azubus pro-spiller lounge bagved Azubus stand, hvor man blandt andet kunne prøve at streame eller bare hygge sig med et par games på de dertil indrettede computere:
What is Azubu doing at the event, and what is your goal at events like Dreamhack?
We're here to show presence, and be visible to the community. We wanted to have a place where people could come up to us and get to know us, so we can interact and be transparent. And also let the EU audience know we're here, and make sure this is all for the players. At our booth, we have a place for the Fnatic players, where they can play and have a place where they can relax. Azubu is a place for the players. We even have a masseuse for the Fnatic players. It's out job to be motivating the players and make them feel comfortable. It seems like they love it. We're tools for the broadcasters, and I used to be a player and host myself, so I try to use that experience to help create a place that's comfortable and cozy.
What are the main goals for Azubu looking forward?
We try to make sure we do everything better looking forward. What we've done before, we try to do better. The main goal is to help esports grow, and we want to be part of it and be part of the community. We can expand on that and say that we want to be global and all, but basically we just want to give opportunities to players and help stabilize careers for broadcasters. We want to create content and help support the community with creating content. I can emathize with the players and I know how it is to be on the other side, so I keep a simple approach and try to be honest - I just want to make the players happy and make sure their voices are heard. We dont want to dictate how to watch streams, we just present an opportunity to the viewers. The internet is too big to dictate, so we listen to social media, reddit, and generally where people talk. We try to listen to everyone, otherwise we wont make it very far.
How do you stand out in regard to your competition?
Its a healthy balance, we got to focus on ourselves. Like if you play a game of League, you need to focus on yourself, otherwise you're not going to get far, so we focus on our own game, and try to change ourselves. Our main focus is what we can do ourselves. Regarding the competitors, we try to look at them and see what we can learn. See what we can provide that the users are loving. Azubu is rather new in comparison, so we need a strong foundation, and then expand upon that. Twitch is really huge, and we gotta give credit to them, and of course we also look at them and see why they're so awesome. We try to provide more tools for the players, and I think that might the biggest difference.
What is your thoughts about danish players and viewers, and what would you like to say to the danish readers?
We're looking into possibilities of having more danish broadcasters. We currently work with the danish midlaner, Jesiz, who plays for Team Coast, and who's played in the EU LCS. We know there's a big danish community, so we appreciate all the danish viewers, and we would like to thank you for your interest.
Vi fik også en snak med Chris Mead, som er Partnerships Manager hos Twitch, der som sædvanlighavde en lounge over sydindgangen, hvor prospillere, streamere, sponsorer og pressefolk kunne hænge ud og få pulsen lidt ned og se nogle streams:
What is your goal here at an event like Dreamhack?
We are here really just to provide to our partners. We've got a lounge, which is kind of a sanctuary for streamers, players and such, where people can relax, get a drink and have a chat. Here people can catch up with all the players and stremers. We're also here to hold a party and just to celebrate Dreamhack.
What is the goal of Twitch looking forward?
Twitch has always been centralized around the community, so we're giving a platform to the games to grow, and we're always looking to ways to give back to the gaming community. Streaming is now a fulltime job for some, and we're providing the platform for them to do their job the best way possible. The question is how can we add even more for them. I'd love for us to be part of the casual community aswell, and the aim is that we become the best. We try our best to be equally awesome all the time.
How does Twitch stand out in regard to your competition?
We have similar features, but the thing for us is that we have the viewers and the new aspiring broadcasters. It's currently the place to be and the audicence is here. It's also a cultural thing, when stuff like 'Twitchplayspokemon' suddenly happens. Then there's also 'Twitch chat' and 'Kappa', which has both become a phenomenon. We have a long history, but the important thing is that it's the place where the community is, and that people are having a good time. Twitch is also a platform where broadcasters grow, we just give them the right tools to become bigger and better.
What is your thoughts about danish players and viewers, and what would you like to say to the danish readers?
Well there's a lot of danish players, in Counter-Strike there's Gla1ve and Cajunb. In League of Legends, Bjergsen has become really huge and he's a legend both for Twitch and TSM. Then there's also Froggen, Deficio and other professionals, who we love to see on screen, whether it be casual streaming or during the LCS broadcast. Also Wickd, MrRallez, Svenskeren and Zorozero. A lot of them have become massive twitch streamers and what we love is how Denmark grew from a grassroot level with events like CPH Games and the contributions of you guys (at Gaming.dk). We want to focus more on localization, and we want danish people to be able to find danish streamers. Then, as a broadcaster you can focus on being local at first and then focus on being international later on. We also love feedback so feel free to start broadcasting and stay in touch, we're glad to have you with us.
Vi siger tak til både Azubu og Twitch for deres tid. Det var ikke muligt at få snakket med nogen fra hverken YouTube eller Hitbox ved eventet. Desuden har Steam også en streamingtjeneste på vej. Hvilken tjeneste foretrækker du, og hvad er det bedste ved den? Giv dit bud i kommentarfeltet.
