Season 2 ends tomorrow, and with it the longstanding dominance of North American teams. At both the World Championships and MLG Dallas, the best teams this continent had to offer were thoroughly crushed. As we begin Season 3, it's important to understand how this happened, what it means, and what the future may hold.
For most of the past three years the League of Legends competitive scene didn't exist outside of North America and Europe. It wasn't until May 2011 that LoL launched in China and Taiwan, and South Korea didn't see the game until December. Without a thriving playerbase to draw talent from, eastern teams could not compete in those early days. Despite nearly a two year handicap Asian teams are now reigning supreme.
One of the many factors at work is basic infrastructure. While they may have started years behind, Asia is an eSports hotbed, complete with coaches, sponsors, gaming houses, institutional knowledge, and cultural recognition. The principles for running a LoL team are not remarkably different from running a team for StarCraft or CounterStrike, it was merely a matter of applying tools they already had at their disposal. Europe also has some of this infrastructure, which partially explains why European teams have recently been more competitive than North American teams. North America largely lacks these sources of support and organization, putting the continent at a disadvantage.
Another important factor is discipline. In part because of culture and the aforementioned infrastructure, Asian teams typically have extremely disciplined schedules, practice plans, and methods. They not only work harder, but also smarter. It's not enough for North American teams to start practicing for nine or ten hours a day, that practice needs to have direction and meaning. Some teams have begun making baby steps toward acquiring the infrastructure and discipline to maintain a presence on the world stage, but it will be years before the region as a whole can match what is already the norm overseas.
The rise of streaming as a popular and lucrative activity is also a critical factor. While streaming is seemingly innocuous, much of what constitutes good practice makes for poor entertainment (or a good way to tip your hand to your competitors). Streaming represents a conflict of interest for professional players; they can make a good deal of money from streaming if they're popular, but doing so can impact tournament performance. Failing to stream consistently and for extended periods can also cause viewers to migrate to other streamers. While it's possible to stream frequently without measurable problems, it's not simple. Arguably, all of the popular North American teams, and a number of European players, have at some point streamed at the cost of a tournament performance.
Ironically, going forward it may be streaming which saves the North American scene. Many other eSports have been dominated by Asian players and teams in the past, to the detriment of other regions. While viewers may begin to tune out international tournaments as their favorite teams flounder, the persistent and even increasing viewer numbers might preserve interest. So long as a given region is invested in its teams, even if it's only in watching them stream, the potential for regional improvement remains.
In the meantime, the next six months will bear witness to the increasing prominence of Asia in LoL. As hopeful as I am that this will be the eSport where North America finally gets its footing and establishes itself as a world contender, 2013 will be a rough year. TSM, the best North America have to offer, has been crushed in back to back tournaments, and it showed on their faces at MLG Dallas. Depending what happens next, we could have a renaissance as new faces emerge, or a rebirth of our current teams. If these growing pains can be endured, North America may yet have a chance at the Season 3 World Championships.
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