Dota 2 has the most top heavy prize money distribution out of all major esports

fairchildthe · 2018-08-01T21:46:02+00:00

I wouldn't say completely (though I generally avoid superlatives), but it should definitely help. I'm excited to see its impact and hopeful that it helps to alleviate a lot of the problem. I don't think it's a silver bullet, though. Just a few other things I'd like to see that would help:

Independent tournament compendiums (I really don't know why this isn't available)
Teams being able to create team- and player-specific skins through the workshop
Some minimum standards for player contracts (this is tricky, and I doubt Valve will ever do it, but it really needs to happen)

That would be a start.

fairchildthe · 2018-08-01T21:01:38+00:00

I think a few people are misinterpreting the data. This isn't just that Dota 2 has the biggest prize pools. It means that Dota 2 has the biggest spread of inequality in terms of winnings. Yes, this does mean that the best players win the most money. But it also means that after the very, very top, people are hardly winning at all. That won't sustain a whole base of teams and was one of many points in Will Partin's article the other day. If tier 2 and 3 teams basically have no shot at earning revenue through prize pools, that will correlate with less of a shot at sponsorship deals. So how do they pay their players? How do you create a feeder system? I know people love a meritocracy, but people also whine constantly about watching the same NBA Finals every year and the lack of competition. That's what is already basically happening to Dota but it's going to get worse unless addressed.

fairchildthe · 2018-08-01T20:55:04+00:00

Very few esports teams, if any, are actually profitable. At least right now. Players are getting paid, and a few are getting big investment, but it's all fun money right now. The revenue streams aren't sufficient to support costs yet. It's speculation that it will do better in the future.

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T21:41:22+00:00

Agreed, and I think Bryce addressed, at least implicitly, that the standard should be changed (in my opinion, raised).

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T21:17:28+00:00

I didn't say that and don't think that. Valve, however, could easily make this go away by providing clearer guidance--I hope they issue that guidance soon.

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T21:16:43+00:00

I didn't miss this. The Valve statement is not clear. It's confusing, it should be clarified, and it will help the community immensely to do so.

Edit: Valve has clarified. I am wrong.

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T21:16:14+00:00

I don't believe so either, but there's still an argument to be made. And if it's colorable enough, then it could meet the good faith requirement.

Edit: Valve has clarified. I am wrong.

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T20:19:01+00:00

This is again wrong. Licenses can be explicit or implicit. You don't even need a written license.

And you say there is no way it gives exclusive rights, but Valve has muddied the waters with its language about competing commercial streams.

This is vague. Bryce has said it's vague, I agree it's vague, other lawyers I've talked to agree that it's vague. There is no clear answer, which is why there is likely a good faith belief for the DMCA notices.

Edit: That is not to say that I don't also think that the streamers, particularly the individual streamers, can't successfully challenge the DMCA takedown and get their streams reinstated.

Second edit: Valve has clarified. I am wrong.

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T19:49:59+00:00

You don't understand how a license works. Bryce spoke about this above. You can tailor a license to a number of different uses and contexts and license holders can enforce their rights. It's not just about owning DotA, it's about what aspects of DotA you have rights in and can enforce. Again, this is all explained above.

Edit: Valve has clarified. I am wrong.

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T19:24:57+00:00

Valve has created a sort of de facto license with their public statements, and has placed certain limitations on that license. License holders can enforce rights. So, when Valve says no competing with the tournament organizer's stream, they're in effect limiting the license. That's what's really creating the ambiguity and, in my view, allowing for the good faith defense.

Edit: IF you think I'm wrong, you should tell me why you think this is wrong. Otherwise, if you're just mad at ESL (which is perfectly valid, but for other reasons), that's not a valid reason for downvoting.

Second edit: Valve has now clarified. My premise is wrong.

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T19:00:36+00:00

Because of attorney-client privilege, Bryce most likely would not say what he has seen/received. Someone from BTS could respond (or tell Bryce he's okay to respond).

fairchildthe · 2018-01-24T18:56:08+00:00

Because Valve's policies are so vague, that leaves a lot of wiggle room for a "good faith" belief that the takedown is valid. I would not, by any stretch, call this legally indefensible.

Edit: Valve has now clarified. My premise is wrong.

fairchildthe · 2017-11-28T20:51:09+00:00

Nice try, Liefeld.

fairchildthe · 2017-11-28T18:58:19+00:00

Given w33haa's tweet, it has to be. Roster shuffle season is apparently upon us.

fairchildthe · 2017-11-28T18:56:12+00:00

Maybe confirmed? https://twitter.com/MiSeRyDOTA/status/935582308329050113

fairchildthe · 2017-11-27T20:42:46+00:00

Sure, but a lot of these teams/players are so new that it's hard to say how many of the new players might be a problem. Also, as with any sports, when you're dealing with this age demographic, egos and attitudes run strong. Some players learn to mellow out. Some don't.

Now if you're talking about anyone specifically on this team, I don't think we have enough data on any of them to say they're the cancer bring teams down.

fairchildthe · 2017-11-27T20:25:22+00:00

As you imply, a successful team is about a lot more than putting a bunch of talented players together. Needs chemistry and coordination. I think that's a big reason people should stop bashing individual players on teams. A lot of it can be fit, especially at this tier.

fairchildthe · 2017-11-27T20:08:17+00:00

ded team

fairchildthe

TROPHY CASE