BPLを救うのは、あなたかもしれない話。(英語) / A talk about how you might be the one that saves BPL
(前書き: これはこのtatutoのnoteの英語翻訳です。)
TATUTO here.
I thought it’d be better to put this in proper words and summarize it.
It's been a while since I've written a strong summary of my thoughts on BPL.
First, let's talk about the controversial paid advance streaming of the regular season.
The only words I can use to describe this is, "They pushed it too far."
I can understand paying for the grand finals, but I think it's a definite “No” as to whether they should have gone ahead with paid exclusive streaming of even the regular season. (I wonder if there’s ever been an e-sports league with paid content from the regular season to begin with.)
In the first place, the regular season is, so to speak, the foundation for the future post-season, and by extension, the entire season.
However, from this foundation, the timing of the season hype is split between those who watched the matches prior to the regular season and those who watched the games normally.
In today's social media society, it’s a very bad idea to spread this out.
The number of views on YouTube (free streaming) has been declining with each season, and if it drops even more, the numbers will look disastrous, right?
Some people might be thinking, “I'll watch it in advance, but I'll also watch the free stream, and as a result, I'll be excited two or three more times, so why not?"
But what would you do if your favorite team suffered a crushing defeat, and you had to watch it again? That's what I mean.
Another thought is probably, "I've already watched it once, and if my favorite team doesn't appear in this match, then I don't need to watch it."
Also, there are many people who only watch the paid streams and think, "I guess they won't do it for free anymore," so I think it's important to present information properly.
(The videos will be available on YouTube from January 31)
To begin with, I’d argue that BPL itself has never reached the phase of earning revenue from the league alone.
The normal process of running a professional league is to manage it through the power of sponsorships.
BPL by itself still only receives sponsorship from Red Bull.
So, there’s no choice but to collect revenue from the users who are watching.
(Image from Street Fighter League official website)
However, given BPL is limited to:
Day-to-day arcade game credits
Merchandise and various promotions
Memberships and Grand Finals tickets
means they’re already taking what they can.
And on top of that, I wonder if it’s a bit bothersome to charge money just to be able to watch advance streams.
Perhaps because BPL is so closely tied with the players and the viewers, there is a certain feeling of "I don't want to meddle too much with the clumsy mismanagement, or the way things are run."
However, that means that the bad things will continue without being fixed.
In any tournament or professional league, there are always mistakes and blunders.
However, BPL finds a way to drop the ball every single time. I mean, it's already been four years.
Before the start of this year's season, a situation absolutely unheard of in e-sports occurred, the termination of a competing team.
Relatively speaking, I’m wondering how such a “Well, that’s unfortunate! Enjoy the new season!” feeling ends up like.
I heard that the excluded players are now commentating, but it's still a pretty terrible position to put them in, given they were supposed to be competing on the same stage.
Well, I'm sure everyone has their own thoughts on the matter, but I'd like to talk about what can we do to make it better.
From here, I'll begin a pretty important topic.
There are three things I’d urgently want to see happen with regards to BPL.
Create an atmosphere where we can say “No!” if something isn’t right.
On the other hand, continually promote the good parts you want to promote.
Before anything else, promote the players.
First point.
It’s better to flat out say what is wrong.
There’s no point in being stagnant and operating the same way forever. Sometimes harsh words are absolutely necessary for the growth of content.
If you find it difficult to communicate on social media like me, you can use the official questionnaire, or maybe send it to Konami support.
(Of course, be sure to be polite and use appropriate language, and send not just criticisms, but suggestions for improvement that you hope will be developed as well.)
Second point.
On the other hand, it’s also important to fully share the parts that you think are appealing! This time, there are users who know the highlights of each match through watching in advance, and those who can provide more match-specific commentary for future viewers and beginners can maybe try to make it more interesting!
Users who are well-known to a certain extent should do things such as simultaneous viewing as a secondary voice during free streaming (like mirror streams in Street Fighter League), and those who are capable of doing so should do it more and more.
Third point.
What I always think about professional leagues is that the players are the lead actors.
In the Sound Voltex division of BPL, the focus tends to be on the characters and new songs, which I always think is a waste of time.
As a result, the name recognition of each player is unfortunately not that of a professional league player.
In the case of music games, DOLCE is still at the forefront as a representation of the community, and something should be done about that.
It’s very urgent to make players from BPL to be named on other places already.
This isn’t just for the Sound Voltex division, but for players in all divisions.
Anyways, I want you to make connections with the outside world, with professionals from other games.
I’d like to see the league revitalized from the professional side by making all kinds of connections.
The only way to break the league's current inner-circle state is for players to get out there.
Of course, I hope that those who can take other approaches will continue to do so.
To be honest, I feel more disappointed in the current state of BPL, but I don't expect it to go away as it is.
It's not something that I, as an individual fan or myself, can do anything about right now, I hope that this article will reach as many people as possible, and that it'll spark a discussion that will somehow move in the right direction.
In the end, what I'm trying to say in this article is.
You might be the one that saves BPL.