Digital Journal — Video games are like struggling actors in one particular way: There’s always the dream to make a TV debut in order to finally nab a big break. Well, gaming has finally landed a star role with today’s announcement that CBS will air highlights from the World Series of Video Games on Dec. 30.
An hour-long special titled “They Got Game: The Stars of the World Series of Video Games Presented by Intel” marks a monumental moment: the first time a gaming competition has been shown on U.S. network television. The program follows professional gamers like Jonathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel (who earns $100,000 US annually), Halo queen Shannon “Mary Jane” Ridge and Ghost Recon phenom Matt “Ballistics” Powers.
But the network is editing many contentious scenes from the actual games the pros play. Violent clips from games like Halo 2, CounterStrike 1.6 and Quake 4 are considered inappropriate for a Saturday afternoon time slot, according to CBS.
“The one hurdle that was a challenge, and is still a challenge for video gaming, is you can’t put people shooting at one another on network television,” Robert Horowitz, who produced the special for CBS, told the New York Times.
Network TV has won some street cred for inking this deal, but they shouldn’t pat themselves on the back yet. Editing clips from the games is a big mistake. What makes gamers like Fatal1ty so renown is how they can snipe an enemy from 100 yards. If TV only shows their fingers dancing on controllers, instead of the action at hand, the viewer doesn’t get the full picture of what makes these pros, well, professional.
In 2007, it would be a welcome change if television sought to bring video games more into the mainstream by airing clips instead of merely mimicking reality TV. If spelling bee tournaments and bowling competitions can be considered sports, so should video games.
