Metrics in Esports that can be Used to Measure its Success

In recent years, esports has become increasingly popular, both as a competition and as entertainment content. Along with the skyrocketing popularity of esports, more and more companies are also interested in becoming sponsors or investors for esports players. These companies are just not only from the companies which engaged in games or esports. More and more large non-endemic companies are starting to be interested in entering the world of esports. For example, BMW, which immediately cooperates with 5 esports organizations at once, or Lamborghini, which holds its own esports racing tournament.

It is no wonder that more and more companies are interested in entering the esports industry, considering that Newzoo estimates the value of the esports industry will reach US$ 1 billion in 2020. Indeed, currently, sponsorship is still the main source of income for esports organizations and most esports players have not made a profit yet. However, investors still believe that the esports industry will become a big industry in the future. One of the reasons is because the number of viewers continues to increase.

In Indonesia, whether a television program is popular or not is determined by the rating issued by Nielsen. According to CNN Indonesia, to measure the ratings, Nielsen installed a special tool called a people meter in 2,273 households as samples. Thousands of samples were spread across 11 major cities. However, the method for determining the popularity of esports content is not the same as television ratings. The reason is that most of the esports content is broadcast on streaming platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook Gaming, and Twitch; instead of television.

Via: Polygon

On streaming platforms, there is no “rating” that determines the popularity of a video, only the number of views. However, the number of views is not the only metric that can be used to determine the level of popularity of an esports tournament or game. There are several other units used to measure the popularity of esports events.

What are the metrics used to determine the popularity of esports?

AMA (Average Minute Audience)

AMA, also known as Average Concurrent Viewers (AVC) is the metric most often used to determine the popularity of esports content. There are two ways to calculate AMA. First, dividing the total hours of video watched by the video duration. Second, calculate the average number of viewers per minute of the video. One of the reasons why AMA is the most popular metric is because it is comparable to the average number of viewers, which is commonly used on television.

While still as a Managing Director at Nielsen Esports, Nicole Pike explained that using AMA to calculate viewership makes it easier for advertisers to understand the level of popularity of esports content. “We use AMA metrics so companies can compare our data with the average number of viewers of the various television shows they know about.”, Pike told Esports Insider.

Remer Rietkerk, Head of Esports Newzoo, agreed with Pike’s words. “AMA makes it easier for you to find out which programs have a higher viewership.”, he said. AMA also helps advertisers to know the length of duration of content, He added. Unfortunately, AMA is not the perfect metric for determining the popularity of esports content.

Via: Esports Charts

Artyom Odintsov, CEO of Esports Charts said, “AMA cannot be used to compare esports tournaments from different games, such as Fortnite World Cup (FWC) and League of Legends World Championship (LWC)”. The reason is, these two tournaments have totally different format. He explained, if you compare FWC and LWC in terms of AMA, FWC will get a better value. Not because Fortnite is more popular as an esports game, but because LWC has Play-In and Group Stages rounds, which extend the duration of the tournament. “AMA metrics can only be used to compare tournaments at the same stage. For example, at the final stage or group stages”, said Odintsov.
According to the Games Impact Index created by The Esports Observer in Q1 2020, League of Legends is still the most influential esports game in the esports ecosystem, followed by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Rainbow Six Siege, and Fortnite. There are several things to consider in determining the list, such as the number of monthly active players, the total number of tournament prizes, the number of hours watched, the number of tournaments, etc.

Odintsov said, if only using AMA as a measure of the popularity of esports games, League of Legends and CS: GO might not get the best scores because the two games have many tournaments. “Games with a centralized tournament system like Overwatch might actually look more popular than LoL and CS: GO simply because Overwatch doesn’t have many tournaments,” he said.

Unique Viewers

Apart from AMA, another metric commonly used in the world of esports is Unique Viewers. Usually, this metric is used to find out how many people watched esports content and how long they watched the video. Rietkerk said the Unique Viewers metric is usually used to determine the level of effectiveness of a marketing campaign.

Indeed, Unique Viewers will make it easier for sponsors to find out whether their marketing campaign is successful or not. Meanwhile, for game publishers, Unique Viewers helps them to know how many people are interested in their game. The problem is, it’s difficult to compare the Unique Viewers metrics with those commonly used on television.

Via: LOL Nexus

“There are claims that the League of Legends World Championship is more popular than the Super Bowl, but when you look at the data, you find that Super Bowl popularity is calculated using the average attendance metric while LWC uses Unique Viewers,” said Pike. “In fact, the two are completely different metrics and shouldn’t be compared”.

Peak Concurrent Users (PCU)

Peak Concurrent Users refers to the highest number of viewers of a broadcast. Odintsov said, “PCU is influenced by many factors. The main factor is the time zone in which the tournament is held. This metric is suitable for comparing the popularity of tournaments held in the same region. The goal is to find out which tournament is more popular”.

Hours Watched (HW)

Finally, a metric commonly used in the world of esports is Hours Watched or the length of time a video was watched. “For sponsors, Hours Watched can help them to find out how long it took the audience to see their brand,” said Rietkerk. “This metric is also suitable if you want to compare the popularity of two games of different genres”.

However, the HW metric cannot be used alone. “The Hours Watched metric cannot be used without the support of data on the average number of viewers or length of content duration,” Odintsov said. He explained that 1 million Hours Watched could be achieved with 8 hours of broadcast and 125 thousand AMAs or 100 hours of broadcasts with 10 thousand AMAs. In this case, the two programs both received 1 million total hours watched. However, the two of them had vastly different views on average.

Why Are There So Many Metrics Used in Esports?

According to Pike, the reason why there are so many metrics used in the competitive gaming industry is that esports started from the grassroots community. Initially, data related to esports also came from stakeholders in the esports ecosystem, such as game publishers or tournament organizers. “In the TV industry, third parties will present data consistently to provide clarity for parties who want to make advertisements or become sponsors,” he said. “Without a third party to provide data, the publisher or tournament organizer is free to submit their own reports”.

Via: Variety

Pike further explained, “The data provided by the publisher and tournament organizer is not wrong. However, you can attract the attention of large numbers of people and sponsors by providing bombastic data. Because the metrics used are stakeholder dependent, the use of metrics is inconsistent”. For example, if the Overwatch League has a high average viewership then, of course, that’s what Activision Blizzard will stand out. Meanwhile, if the League of Legends tournament can get high Hours Watched, then Riot will use this metric.

The good news is, that along with the development of the esports ecosystem, more and more gaming and esports companies are interested in collaborating with third-party analytics companies. Some game companies have already done this include Riot Games and Activision Blizzard. One of their goals is to ensure the validity of the data they provide.

Not only publishers, esports players such as ESL and Astralis have also started working with analytics companies. Through its collaboration with Newzoo, Astralis will exchange data with the analytics company. The hope is that Newzoo will be able to make more accurately estimate of esports world using data from Astralis. Meanwhile, Newzoo will provide insight into Astralis to help that esports organization to make decisions in the future.

Esports Needs Standard Units to Measure Content Popularity

In the esports industry, there are various games with different genres. Usually, each esports game also has a different tournament format and target audience. For example, most of League of Legends regional leagues are using a franchise model, while Dota 2 tournaments have an open nature. Therefore, it is difficult for sponsors to calculate ROI (Return of Investment) when they support an esports tournament. Using the same metric to measure the esports content popularity can help to solve that problem.

“The biggest advantage of using the same metrics is that we can understand each other”, said Rietkerk. “If all the actors use different metrics to discuss the same thing, this act will make the sponsors confuse”. Indeed, as more and more large companies invest their marketing funds in esports, esports players are increasingly aware that they must be able to provide valid data and ensure that sponsors’ investments are not in vain.

“In the world of esports, tournament viewership data will have a direct impact on the number of partners a team or tournament organizer can get”, said Odintsov. He said that social media data was no longer in great demand. Instead, advertisers are attracted by live events, such as the livestreams made by streamers or live broadcasts tournaments.

Conclusion

The esports industry grew from a grassroots community. Along with the increasing interest in watching esports matches, more and more companies are interested in becoming sponsors. Therefore, esports players are also required to be able to provide valid data so that sponsors can ensure that their investments are not in vain.

Currently, there are several metrics used to measure the popularity of esports events, such as the average number of views or the total length of time a video was watched. Unfortunately, using different metrics can confuse sponsors and advertisers alike. For that reason, esports industry actors should determine the metrics they will use as a standard.

Header source: Deposit Photos

R6IDN about Indonesian National Team for the Rainbow Six World Cup

On September 11, 2020, Ubisoft announced the Rainbow Six World Cup tournament. In the World Cup, Ubisoft wants the Rainbow Six players to evoke their nationalism pride of their respective countries in this competition. So, instead of carrying the name of the club like in the Six Invitationals, players will carry the name of their respective countries in the Rainbow Six World Cup.

The Rainbow Six World Cup will be attended by 45 teams from 45 countries, with 20 countries that will compete in the Grand Final match. For the Grand Final, 14 countries received direct invitations, while the 6 others had to go through qualification first. The 14 countries that received direct invitations are known to have many Rainbow Six players and active competitive scene, such as Australia, Canada, the United States, Japan, etc.

Meanwhile, the remaining 31 slots will be contested through the online qualifying round, which will compete for 6 spots to compete in the Grand Final matches. Indonesia also got this opportunity and will compete on the APAC 2 Server, which consists of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Since this match represents the country, Ubisoft has made the rules for determining the national team. To determine which players are competing for each country, Ubisoft creates “Rainbow Six National Committee” which consists of representatives of Ubisoft, representatives of professional player/coach, and representatives of the community.

Curious about the Indonesian Rainbow Six National Committee, Hybrid.co.id then asked for an opinion from Bobby Rachmadi as the founder of the R6IDN community. “For each representative of the Indonesian Rainbow Six National Committee, it has not been announced by the Ubisoft. So, for those of you who are curious, just wait for the official (information) from R6IDN or Ubisoft. If everything goes well, at the end of this month there should be information related to the fillers of the Indonesian Rainbow Six National Committee”, explained Bobby.

Furthermore, Bobby also expressed his opinion about the form of the World Cup competition from Ubisoft and Indonesia’s opportunity in the tournament. “This world cup-themed event is quite interesting because the presence of this event can help build a competitive scene in countries from well-developed regions. The presence of the World Cup can also test how high a country’s interest is in joining the Rainbow Six esports”, said Bobby discussing the Rainbow Six World Cup.

“For Indonesia, our country actually has a good chance to compete in this competition. Moreover, the community may be impatient to see Indonesia’s dream team. Apart from that, we are trying our best to make the proportional selection of players, if asked to become the National Committee of Rainbow Six Indonesia. We will try to help find players who really want and can maintain their professionalism in the long term”, said Bobby closing the discussion.
The Rainbow Six World Cup itself is planned to be held in the summer of 2021 (around June – September 2021). So, make sure you keep abreast of the progress of Indonesia’s Rainbow Six National Team selection at Hybrid.co.id!

* Disclosure: Hybrid.co.id is the media partner of Rainbow Six: Siege Indonesia Community (R6IDN)

What’s Wrong with Microsoft Acquiring Fallout, Doom, and Elder Scrolls?

21 September 2020, Microsoft surprised the gaming industry and its community when announcing the Zenimax Media acquisition for US$7.5 billion in cash.

In case you didn’t know, Zenimax Media is pretty big since it has some companies and several popular franchises under its belt. According to Microsoft, ZeniMax Media (founded in 1999) has more than 2,300 employees.

These are the notable IPs (and its developer) under Zenimax:

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
Fallout 3 (Bethesda)
Fallout 4 (Bethesda)
DOOM (2016, id Software)
DOOM Eternal (id Software)
Dishonored (Arkane Studios)
Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios)
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Machine Games)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Machine Games)
Wolfenstein: Youngblood (Machine Games)
The Evil Within (Tango Gameworks)
The Evil Within 2 (Tango Gameworks)

I know that, usually, the gaming community is pessimistic when they see a giant company acquires an indie or private game developer/publisher. It’s justified though because giant gaming companies mostly prefer to satisfy their board members or shareholders rather than the community — if they have to pick a side.

Most game enthusiasts, including me, hate these features: game as a service (GaaS), lootbox or gacha system, always online even in the single player mode, micro-transactions, overused franchises, or even advertising in the game. Yet, those features could be found in so many modern games because it brings more money and makes shareholders happier.

Those are not the only things that annoy gamers. Sometimes, giant companies want to publish the game as fast as possible so they could generate revenue quicker even though it’s not ready yet and full of bugs.

That’s why I understand if some people share their concern regarding the acquisition of Zenimax by Microsoft.

Let’s take a look at the acquisition from some perspectives.

Previous Acquisitions by Microsoft

We already have some samples that can be compared with if talking about previous acquisitions.

Let’s take a look at one of the oldest, which is the case of Bungie and Halo series. This is usually the case used against Microsoft. You could read the long story about Bungie and Microsoft in this article on Vice.

Since it will be too long to explain everything here, basically, Microsoft prioritized on maximizing profits as most big companies do. While Bungie was taking more of an idealistic approach. I can’t blame both of them, honestly. I firmly believe that a business needs to find the equilibrium point between the two.

However, it was a long time ago. Indeed, people behind Microsoft have changed. Even the CEO was different back then. I can’t say that Microsoft would have done differently if the current people had been in-charge back then. Yet, I think different people may make a different decision — even if it’s for the same company.

On the other hand, from the newer acquisitions, like from Mojang, Ninja Theory, or even Obsidian that was also acquired by Microsoft, I haven’t found a similar story to Bungie’s yet.

Here is a story about post-acquisition Obsidian on Eurogamer. Also, there is an article regarding Minecraft from Rock Paper Shotgun.

How about seeing it from the products after being acquired?

Some people worry if Microsoft will stop modding capabilities from Bethesda’s games — because of how Microsoft handles its store in Windows. However, I could play State of Decay 2 (from Steam) with mods. Minecraft also has so many mods and user-generated contents. Its latest prominent game, Microsoft Flight Simulator also has many exciting mods.

Ninja Theory still hasn’t produced another Hellblade even though the first game was released in 2017. It could be seen that Microsoft doesn’t push the developer to milk the popular franchise every year — like you-know-who… Although, in Ninja Theory’s case, it certainly raises questions when its latest game is multiplayer and online (Bleeding Edge) while Hellblade has strong points in its atmosphere as a single-player game.

Obsidian’s latest game is also a multiplayer game, Grounded. I am a huge fan of Obsidian, so I know its strong point is not in multiplayer. This could be the result of a nudge from Microsoft to create a multiplayer game — which is usually seen more profitable by giant companies.

Meanwhile, Bethesda is also better at creating single-player games like Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Oblivion, Skyrim etc. Other products under ZeniMax Media are also known for its single-player such as Dishonored, (modern) Doom, Wolfenstein: The New Order, The Evil Within 2, etc. However, ZeniMax Media also has online multiplayer games like Fallout 76 or Elder Scrolls Online albeit inferior to their single-player counterparts.

So, does this mean we will see more online multiplayer games from ZeniMax Media — even though it’s not its strongest suit? It remains to be seen… At least not until we have the next games from Obsidian because I think this developer could be the study case. In my opinion, Obsidian is on the same level as Bethesda, CD Projekt, or even BioWare (in the past) when creating single-player games. Those are the best in the realm of single-player PC games.

This is why I also mention Obsidian because it’s comparable with BioWare… I think it’s fair to say that Anthem doesn’t live up to our expectations from BioWare — who brought us so many legendary single-player RPGs. I just hope and pray it doesn’t happen with Obsidian and Bethesda… Please Microsoft, don’t be that guy…

From this perspective, I would say the chance could be 50/50… I mean, Microsoft could give a nudge to its studio to create multiplayer games. Yet, on the other hand, Microsoft would balance it by allowing the studios to do what they do best in other games. At least, this is what I hope would be the case…

Giant Companies, Giant Graveyard

Besides seeing it from previous acquisitions, pessimistic concerns could come from the giant graveyard of massive companies.

Another company that’s comparable to Microsoft in size is Google (Alphabet). Take a look at this site that shows how many dead products Google has… Microsoft has fewer fallen products, though, compared to Google. Still, its recent fail on Mixer could be seen as a red flag. Windows, Microsoft’s most popular product, is also a hit-and-miss. It has superb Windows 98, XP, and Windows 7. Yet, Microsoft also brought Vista or Windows ME.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ https://t.co/MqyiuNsWS2

— Obsidian (@Obsidian) September 21, 2020

Windows 10 isn’t perfect either. Sometimes it gives terrible updates. Although it certainly does great, most of the time.

It’s true that giant companies like Microsoft and Google could afford some failed products. They have more than enough money to try so many different things and kill it without disturbing their sustainability. However, the same money could also be used to support smaller game developers, so they don’t need to worry about cash flow.

Also, I think it’s not fair to judge Xbox Game Studios by looking at Windows or Mixer. Microsoft is a massive company with so many different people. The one in charge on Windows is undoubtedly different than the one on Xbox Game Studios or Mixer.

I do like YouTube as a consumer but hate Google Play, even though it belongs to the same giant company — because different people run them. We have to see it separately because, of course, different people behind it could affect the products differently, even under the same big company; as I said earlier.

Finally,

Microsoft is not a charity organization. That’s for sure. Microsoft probably won’t spend so much money just to let the studios do whatever they want to do. I just hope Microsoft will keep it balanced by allowing the studios doing their signatures while giving a nudge in some parts to bring more profits.

Lastly, I have been following Obsidian and playing all of their games for years. Also, I am a fanatic fan of Bethesda and play most of the notable ZeniMax’s games. Let’s see and hope that their games will still bring us the sweet and unforgettable memories post-Microsoft…

Feat Image: Dishonored 2, Arkane Studios

6 Fundamental Differences between MLBB and Wild Rift

Riot Games finally launched the closed-beta phase for Wild Rift (WR) in some regions, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand. Previously, Riot Games picked Philippine as the first country to test Wild Rift.

I think Riot Games has a strategic reason for choosing Southeast Asian to be the first region. It’s because mobile MOBA is already big in this region. Talking about Southeast Asia (SEA) and its mobile MOBA, then we have to talk about Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB). MLBB has its strongest fanbase in this region. Their first international tournament, MSC (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup), is even made specifically for gamers in SEA.

So, it’s interesting to compare both of them head-to-head. We can’t say which one is better though because of two reasons. First, WR is still on the closed-beta phase. So it’s not fair to compare it at this moment. Second, even though we become one of the media who have exclusive access since 16 September 2020, we just played a couple of games in WR, which is not sufficient to give a full judgement. You could read our first impression on WR here, though.

Nevertheless, I think there are some exciting things that we found in WR that could be compared to MLBB. Here are some of the most fundamental differences between WR and MLBB.

1. Last Hit

The first core difference is on the last hit feature. In MLBB, there are gold and exp differences when you’re last hitting minions, but the gap is not that big. In WR, the gap is so much more significant.

This may sound simple but its implications are enormous. First, more forgiving on last-hit (MLBB) means it’s easier for newbies. When I was learning to play my first MOBA (DotA), I spent more than a month just to practice my last hitting skill. Even then, I still couldn’t manage to last hit an entire creep wave. Since players who are better in last-hit can progress faster, it will give a bigger chance to win the match or even bully their opponents.

Second, it also means you have to concentrate on more things when missing last hit is so punishing. In the laning phase, besides farming as fast as possible, you have to stay alive as long as possible. When last-hitting is more crucial, it means you have one more thing to concentrate besides harassing enemies, dodging their skills, and paying attention to your teammates or enemies’ location. It also means you can deny your opponent to farm more significantly.

2. Buying Items

Hybrid.co.id - Foto Oleh Akbar Priono — Wild Rift. Hybrid.co.id – Photo by Akbar Priono

In MLBB you could buy your items everywhere. In WR, you have to return to your base. This has a serious impact on your timing, like when you should return to your base.

It will undoubtedly make the game duration longer because players have to walk more frequently from the base to their lane. Team rotation will also become more critical.

3. Warding

Warding is an essential skill in LoL because information on enemies location could be the factor whether you will win or lose the match. Scouting is actually possible in MLBB, even without the warding mechanism if you play certain heroes.

However, with warding system, mapping becomes a responsibility of every team member. It means warding becomes one more skill to learn for everyone who wants to be decent playing WR. It certainly will make it more fascinating on high-level players and teams, but it will make it more challenging for new players.

4. More Spells/No Heal (Regen)

Similar to LoL, WR allows each player to have two Summoner Spells on every match. Meanwhile, MLBB only allows one spell along with Regen spell.

This difference will also have great significance. WR allows more variety since players could choose to pick two aggressive/offensive spells. However, MLBB is more forgiving to inept players because Regen will always be there to help them recover their health without returning to their base.

Talking about healing, MLBB is also more generous from another source. The crab monster in the river in MLBB will give a regeneration buff when killed. While Riot Games seems to put more emphasis on location information rather than providing an easier way to restore your health, with the neutral monster on the river and the warding mechanism.

Again, I think WR will make it more entertaining to watch professional players playing against each other. Why? Because position mapping is actually very crucial, but not everyone could take advantage of it — certainly not for beginners.

5. Skill Numbers on Every Champion

Sure, every hero or champion in MLBB and WR is different but it’s not unique between them — at least in my opinion, since this is also the case when comparing MLBB to other mobile MOBAs like AoV. What makes WR unique is the number of skills of every champion. In MLBB, most heroes only have 3 skills. In WR, similar to LoL, every champion has at least 4 skills.

It also makes a substantial disparity in learning the game. Every capable MOBA player should understand and memorize every skill in the game. You have to understand and remember enemies’ skills if you want to have a bigger chance to defeat them. One skill difference on each character is massive actually. Besides the number of total skills (from every champion) that you have to learn and memorize is much greater, the application of skill combinations in the game will become so much more complicated.

6. More Item with Active Skill

In LoL, there are 32 items with active skills such as Quicksilver Sash, Zhonya’s Hourglass, etc. Meanwhile, there are less then 5 items (AFAIK) with active skills in MLBB. If, later on, WR will import all of the equipment along with its effects from LoL, WR will definitely have more items with active skills.

This will have a similar effect with the previous differences I mentioned above. It will surely make new players have a longer time to adapt and learn. It can be really complicated to get the hang of active item skills in the real battle, yet it also means we have more tools to defeat our opponents.

Conclusion

With 6 fundamental differences above, I do think Wild Rift will be more difficult for newbies to learn the game, compared to MLBB. However, a higher skill cap and the more elaborate strategic decision will definitely make Wild Rift on the professional esports team level more impressive to watch. Also, for some people, more challenging skills to learn could give so much more satisfaction when mastered.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying MLBB is an easy game — especially if you want to get to the highest rank or even getting into the MPL level. It’s just MLBB is more forgiving for the new players compared to Wild Rift.

Last, disclaimer, again Wild Rift is still on its closed-beta phase. It’s still too early to verdict whether it will be more difficult or simpler. Maybe we will take a look at the same topic again after Wild Rift is officially launched.

Where Does Game Streamers’ Revenue Come From?

In recent years, the esports industry has progressed swiftly. This year, the value of the esports industry is even expected to reach US$1 billion. One reason behind the growth, esports is predicted to be the next-gen entertainment.

Tournaments and esports athletes certainly play vital roles in the world of competitive gaming. However, streamers or content creators are also equally important. Most prominent esports organizations usually have their own content creators division, such as EVOS Esports or FaZe Clan.

However, some streamers choose to use their own personal brand. These independent streamers can make a lot of money. For example, Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, a streamer who was once a professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player on Cloud9, has an estimated net worth of US$8-12 million.

The question is, where does the game streamers’ income actually come from?

Twitch Monetization System

Twitch is still the number one game streaming platform in the world. Other game streaming platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube, are also growing rapidly, particularly during the pandemic. However, at this time, Twitch still dominates the game streaming platform market.

Twitch offers several monetization methods for its streamers. One of them is Cheer. As the name suggests, Cheer allows viewers to cheer on the streamer while the broadcast is in progress. And the best way to cheer someone up is by giving him money, right? However, doing Cheer is not free. You need a virtual currency called Bits. You can earn Bits by watching advertisements or buying them directly on Twitch. One Bit is worth US$0.01. The minimum amounts of Bits you can buy is 100 Bits.

Cheer is very easy. All you have to do is click on the Cheer button — located in the chat field — and specify the number of Bits you want to give. When you give Cheer, an animation will appear in the chat streamer column. The more Bits you provide, the more complex the animation will appear.

A streamer can also put up a leaderboard to show which fans are giving the most Bits. The goal? So that fans who want to be noticed by their favourite ‘senpai’ can donate more. However, the Cheer function is optional. So, a streamer may choose not to use the Cheer feature on Twitch.

Semakin besar Bits yang Anda donasikan, semakin kompleks animasinya. — Bits and Cheer on Twitch.

Apart from Cheer, Twitch also has a donation system. For example, if you like a streamer and want to show more support, you can make a donation. However, the process of giving donations is not as easy as Cheer. To make a donation, you have to go to the streamer’s Profile page. You will find a donation button in the ‘About’ section. Just like Cheer, a streamer can decide not to open a donation.

The number of donations is varied depending on the range set by the streamer. Usually, the more popular a streamer is, the greater number of donations you can give. For example, the donation range for Shroud — who has 7.7 million followers — is US$5-50. Meanwhile, Imane “Pokimane” Anys — with followers of 5.4 million people — has a donation range from US$2 to US$20.

Halaman donasi Pokimane. — Donation page of Pokimane.

If you really like a streamer, you can subscribe to their channel too. On Twitch, the subscription function is somewhat different from the others, such as YouTube. To subscribe to a channel on Twitch, you must pay US$4.99. Of course, there are some unique features you can get after subscribing, such as ad-free or special emotes. A streamer can also allow the chat function only available to subscribers.

Donate button could be found in Profile page.

Sometimes, streamers create Discord servers specifically for their subscribers so they can interact with each other outside the broadcast schedule. The aim is to strengthen the relationship between subscribers and a streamer and create a community. This will also encourage viewers to become subscribers.

The subscription fee for a Twitch channel is US$4.99. However, typically, Twitch takes a 50% cut.

The last monetization option on Twitch is advertising. A streamer can serve ads when broadcasting to get compensation depending on the number of viewers. In theory, a streamer can place as many ads as possible. However, if the streamer is too greedy and puts up too many ads, it may annoy the fans.

Streaming Games in Indonesia

Twitch may be the king in the global market. However, in Indonesia, that’s not the case. This is understandable considering that Indonesia is not one of the primary target markets from Amazon’s game streaming platform.

To find out the reasons why Twitch is less popular in the country, I asked several local streamers. One of them is Fandra “Octoramonth” Octo. He said, one of the reasons is because Twitch is more demanding (in terms of mobile phone’s performance).

“Apart from that, Twitch is not yet supported by cellular providers for free watching packages or quota bonuses. Meanwhile, for YouTube and Facebook, there are many providers that offer zero data cost,” said Fandra when contacted via text message.

Fandra has been a streamer since September 2016. He said that, at first, he was interested in streaming just because his friends do so on YouTube. He admits, at first, streaming was no more than just a hobby. However, now, he has secured a contract with Facebook Gaming as an official streamer.

Meanwhile, according to Cindy “Cimon” Monika, who is interested in game streaming because of her role as a brand ambassador, the use of foreign languages is one of the problems why Twitch is less popular in Indonesia. “Either understanding or using English for conversation, Indonesians are still lacking compared to neighbouring countries,” said Cindy in an interview.

According to Cindy, although many Indonesians watch streams on Twitch, chances are, they only watch and listen without interacting. She suspects Indonesian audiences are not very confident with their English language. “And, because Indonesian viewers still want to interact with the streamers, they choose local streamers on YouTube or Facebook,” she said.

So, without Twitch, how can Indonesian streamers make money? As an official Facebook Gaming streamer, Fandra receives regular payments just like office workers. He also revealed that YouTube and Facebook now offer monetization options with subscriptions and donations, just like Twitch.

Data viewership Facebook Gaming per April 2020. — Facebook Gaming viewership on April 2020.

Indeed, Facebook Gaming offers similar monetization methods with Twitch. One of the monetization options on Facebook Gaming is advertising. Besides, Facebook Gaming viewers can also give tips to streamers in the form of Stars, similar to Bits on Twitch. Finally, Facebook Gaming also offers a Fan Support feature, which has the same function as the Subscription on Twitch.

During the pandemic, Facebook Gaming’s viewership in Indonesia also grew rapidly. As of April 2020, Facebook Gaming’s viewership gained 210% increase from last year. The audience in Indonesia is also quite generous in giving Stars. Facebook revealed, as of April 2020, there were 5.6 million Stars given to streamers on their platform.

Unfortunately, just like being an esports athlete, being a game streamer is not as easy as imagined. There are various problems they have to face. According to Fandra, one of the challenges is hate comments from viewers.

“But, if you stream without burden, any feedback will be fun,” said Fandra. Another problem he faced at the beginning was building his personal brand to gain fans. For that, he had to create an interesting character for himself. Indeed, to become a popular streamer, you also need an attractive personality besides adequate equipment.

Closing

The esports industry is growing rapidly nowadays. One possible reason is being the new kind of entertainment for millennial and the Z generations. Therefore, content creators or game streamers also have an essential role in developing the esports industry. A streamer can belong to an esports organization. However, they can also become independent streamers.

Fortunately, various game streaming platforms, such as Twitch and Facebook Gaming, have offered different monetization methods from donations to subscriptions. That way, streamers can choose the monetization system that suits their needs.

Source: The Esports Observer. Feat Image: via Deposit Photos

[EXCLUSIVE] Wild Rift Limited Closed Beta is Launched for Indonesia and Other Countries

After waiting for so long, Riot Games finally informed the timeline on Wild Rift, mobile version of League of Legends (LoL), development. On the Preview Event, exclusive for media, Riot Games announced the closed beta phase will begin on the middle of September.

On that Preview Event, Riot Games explained it will be open for Philippine first. After that, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand will follow shortly. After 2-3 weeks, the closed beta phase will end at the beginning of October 2020. Next, the closed beta phase will continue to the Asia Pacific, including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Indonesia will start the closed beta phase starting today, 16 September 2020.

Sumber: Riot Games Wild Rift Preview Event — Source: Riot Games Wild Rift Preview Event

In the same opportunity, Riot Games also confirmed some rumours. One of them is about the minimum requirements to play League of Legends: Wild Rift. They disclosed the specs needed for Android devices are 4 cores CPU @1.5GHz, 1.5GB RAM, and 1024×720 screen resolution. Meanwhile, for iOS, iPhone 7 is the minimum device to play Wild Rift.

Riot Games also affirmed that Wild Rift will be similar yet distinguishable with LoL on PC. With the help from 150 professionals, Riot Games developed Wild Rift from scratch to give comfortable gameplay without abandoning important aspects from LoL.

If you play League of Legends on PC, you will be familiar with Wild Rift on mobile. On the other hand, if you’ve played MOBA games on mobile, Wild Rift will also give a similar sense even though you never play LoL on PC.

One of the examples is the shortened playing duration to 15-25 minutes. Some game elements will be changed too so it will be relevant with quicker game time. Nevertheless, important features are still there, such as role composition, Dragon/Baron position, or minions’ lane.

There will be additional champions available to play in the closed beta such as Amumu, Dr. Mundo, Singed, Varus, Sona, and Jarvan IV.

In this closed beta phase, it’s not available for the public. However, Hybrid.co.id is granted exclusive access to play in the closed beta. Therefore, keep checking our website regularly to follow our coverage on Wild Rift’s closed beta phase.

Sadly, despite all the information unveiled on the event, Riot Games didn’t give the exact release date on Wild Rift. However, seeing the development process, there is a big chance it will be released at the end of 2020 (between November and December) as it’s mentioned on the schedule.

Translated by Yabes Elia

DG Esports is the Champion of Grand Final CODM Major Series Season 3

12-13 September 2020, the highest level competition for Call of Duty Mobile in Indonesia, COD Mobile Major Series Season 3, was complete. COD Major Series started from July 2020. This tournament began with a solo qualifier round, team qualifier round (17-23 August 2020), elimination round (26-29 August 2020), and ended with Playoff round on 31 August – 3 September 2020.

From July to September, qualifier rounds produce 6 best teams to fight on the Major Series Season 3. Those 6 teams are 4U Team, TEAM nxl, Kayze, Bonafide Esports, RIMO Sadewa, and Louvre Esports. There are also 2 invited teams, Bigetron Duty and DG Esports.

Fighting through a double-elimination bracket format, every team has to play in a best-of-3 game. The first day became the starting elimination point with Bigetron Duty, 4U Team, and TEAM nxl as casualties. On the second day, there are only two teams in the upper bracket, DG Esports and Bonafide Esports. Playing in Standoff map on Search and Destroy mode and in Nuketown on Hardpoint mode, DG Esports easily defeated their enemy 6-1 in the first game and 150-89 in the second. With that result, DG Esports secured the grand final.

In the lower bracket, RIMO Sadewa goes through their enemies quickly. They won 2-0 each against Louvre (2nd round) and Kayze (3rd round). They finally met Bonafide after being sent to the lower bracket by DG Esports.

A best-of-5 match between RIMO Sadewa and Bonafide was intense. Bonafide took the first win on Search and Destroy mode in Firing Range map. Then RIMO Sadewa paid back by winning the second game on Hardpoint in Summit map. They finally reached the game 5, in map Standoff. Sadly, in the last game, RIMO Sadewa seemed to lose its spirit. They lost 28-150 to Bonafide.

DG Esports was pretty confident in the grand final round. They won first 2 games in a row. However, Bonafide was able to steal a point when winning the third game. Game four, DG Esports struck hard by playing aggressively with the final score of 6-3.

Views Numbers on CODM Major Series Season 3 Grand Final

Call of Duty Mobile series ran at the same with other major tournaments, PMPL ID S2 and MPL ID S6. That’s probably the reason why it didn’t generate big views numbers. These are views numbers on the Grand Final COD Mobile Major Series Season 3.

Grand Final Day 1 (12 September 2020)

Total duration – 5 hours 42 minutes 24 seconds
Total views – 95.711 views

Grand Final Day 2 (13 September 2020)

Total duration – 4 hours 30 minutes 45 seconds
Total views – 93.562 views

*data taken from Garena Call of Duty Mobile Indonesia YouTube channel on 14 September 2020
—

Congrats to DG Esports on their winning on Call of Duty Mobile Major Series Season 3. Could they hold their title next season?

The original article is in Indonesian, translated by Yabes Elia.

What is the Impact of the Declaration of Esports as an Official Sports?

The declaration of esports as an official sport means that the government is increasingly concerned about the development of esports.

Esports is starting to be recognized as a sport in the international world. It has been included in several significant sports competition. For example, at the 2018 Asian Games, esports became an exhibition match. Even at the 2019 SEA Games, esports has become a medal sport. Before the 2020 Olympics was cancelled, esports was also included as a pre-Olympic event. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also believes that esports can be considered as a sports activity, even though they only want to focus on esports games which are based on traditional sports.

In Indonesia, esports has been in the government’s attention for a few years ago. One of the reasons the government has interested in esports is the competitive gaming industry is believed to be able to open the job vacancies for the young generation in Indonesia. Indeed, even though esports athletes are often become the media spotlight and the attention of many people, there are actually a variety of other jobs you can find in the esports industry, from the esports’ team managers to analysts.

Last week, the government again showed its attention to esports. The Ministry of Youth and Sports (Kemenpora) and the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) declared esports as an official sport. The questions are:

What’s the Impact?

Before we get into the discussion about the impact of the Kemenpora and KONI statements that esports is an official sport, let us discuss the meaning of achievement sports itself, which is contained in Law No.3 of 2005 concerning the National Sports System, Article 20.

“Achievement sport is intended as an effort to increase the ability and potential of sportsmen.” – Article 20, Paragraph 1.

Esports has been declared an official sport. This means that the government should increase the ability and potential of sportsmen. In esports, sportsmen are professional players. Hybrid then contacted Ashadi Ang, Head of Public Relations of the Indonesian Esports Executive (PBESI) to discuss the concrete plans of the government related to this regard.

Pengurus besar PB Esports. | Sumber: Dokumentasi Hybrid – Akbar Priono — PB Esports Indonesia. | Documentation: Hybrid – Akbar Priono

“The first stage, we will first capture superior seeds from various provinces and cities through the Provincial ESI which has been formed at this time,” said Ashadi. As of March 2020, PBESI has appointed administrators in 34 provinces of Indonesia. “Then, these superior seeds will compete again at the national level through the Central PBESI. Of course, the athletes / promising talents who have been netted will go through different coaching and training by PB Esports Indonesia. And of course, the ecosystem of esports itself which has joined PBESI will help for this development. ”

Furthermore, Ashadi explained, PBESI will hold regular esports tournaments, both at the provincial and district levels. Unfortunately, he did not provide further information about the tournament system or games.

“What game tournament will be determined according to the current game development conditions. The games that will be the focus of PBESI are games that have a lot of interest and can bring benefits to many people and also games that will be competed at the international level, “said Ashadi.

Based on the official PB Esports Instagram account, five ESI Provinces have held esports tournaments. One of them is ESI Badung, which held a Mobile Legends and PUBG Mobile tournament in early August 2020 with a total prize of IDR 8 million. In addition, ESI Lampung has also hosted the Esports Lampung Championship. The tournament with a total prize of IDR 50 million hold three games, namely PUBG, Mobile Legends, and PES. Meanwhile, ESI South Sulawesi is holding a PUBG Mobile esports tournament with a total prize IDR 10 million.

ESI Bangka Belitung is working with the Bangka Belitung Police to hold an esports tournament on August 21-23. The total prize of the tournament reached IDR 10 million. Finally, ESI Gorontalo held a PUBG Mobile tournament on August 29 with a total prize of IDR 20 million.

CS:GO jadi salah satu game esports terpopuler di dunia. | Sumber: Steam — CS:GO | Via: Steam

One thing that must be remembered, esports games that are popular in Indonesia are different from the games that are popular at the international level. According to The Esports Observer’s PC Games Impact Index, League of Legends has been the esports game with the most significant impact on the esports ecosystem for several consecutive quarters. However, in Indonesia, let alone the fast-growing esports scene, the popularity of League of Legends is still inferior when compared to other PC games, such as Dota 2 or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

As a mobile-first country, esports games that are developing in Indonesia are indeed mobile games, such as Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire. Not only that, the publishers of the three games – Moonton, Tencent, and Garena – also care about developing the esports ecosystem of their games in Indonesia. Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire, all the three have official esports leagues. Although indeed, the mobile game market in Indonesia is much bigger than the PC game market. So, no wonder, if mobile game publishers want to focus on developing the esports ecosystem in Indonesia.

Coaching and Counseling

Ashadi explained, after finding promising talents by holding tournaments at the district and provincial levels, PBESI will also provide coaching, under Law no. 3 of 2005 concerning the National sports system, Article 22, said Ashadi.

“The government carries out sports coaching and development through the establishment of policies, upgrading/training, coordination, consultation, communication, counselling, mentoring, correctional, pioneering, research, testing, competition, assistance, facilitation, licensing, and supervision.” – Article 22.

Currently, the regulations regarding esports are still in the drafting stage. Regarding what topics will be discussed, Ashadi said that policies related to esports will cover many things, including the age category of players and the requirements for organizing tournaments to ensure that the tournaments held are following PBESI standards.

Another discourse that is covered by the Law regarding sports of achievement is counselling. “One of PBESI’s agendas is to open up parents’ insights that esports is different from playing games, that esports has a future, and there is a career path,” said Ashadi. He also said that they want to provide practical education in the esports’ world and not just to be a professional player. “But also broadcasting, project management, content creators and so on,” he admits.

PBESI and Other Game / Esports Bodies in Indonesia

If you monitor the development of the esports industry (or become a loyal reader of Hybrid), you will know that PB Esports is not the first esports body in Indonesia. In fact, when compared to several gaming/esports bodies in Indonesia, PB Esports is still very new.

PB Esports was officially inaugurated in January 2020. Meanwhile, the Indonesia Esports Association (IESPA) has been established since 2013, the Indonesian Video Game Sports Association (AVGI) since July 2019, and the Indonesian Esports Federation since October 2019. Regarding this matter, Ashadi said that the games/esports bodies other than PB Esports are formed as recreational sports.

“Only PBESI is the only body recognized by the Republic of Indonesian Government as an official government body under KONI for the official sport,” he said. However, he assured, PBESI will cooperate with other existing game/esports associations.

Glancing at China, which has recognized esports work as a profession

Indonesia is not the only country in Asia which the government cares about esports. The Chinese government also cares about esports. In fact, the esports market in China is one of the most developed markets in the world. In 2019, the esports market in China grew by 25% when compared to the previous year. Government support is believed to be one of the reasons why Chinese esports market can proliferate.

The form of government support in China can be seen from what the Shanghai government is doing. In 2017, the Shanghai government began to issue a discourse that they wanted to make Shanghai the capital of esports in the next three to five years. To put the plan into action, the Shanghai government has made several guidelines. One of them is that they will increase their research capacity and content creation related to esports and also encourage the media to discuss esports more frequently.

The Shanghai government also wants the number of major esports tournaments which will be held in Shanghai to increase. One of the major esports tournaments that will be held in Shanghai shortly is the League of Legends’ World Championship. With the coronavirus pandemic, there were concerns that the global tournament would be cancelled or converted to online competition.

However, in August 2020, Riot Games said that they will still hold LWC in Shanghai. They revealed that to do that, they not only closely monitored the impact of COVID-19 but also continued to communicate with local and national governments. The government’s willingness to work with Riot shows its seriousness in developing esports, even amid a pandemic.

Apart from Shanghai, the Beijing government also said that they wanted to make their city as the Capital of Online Games. They hope that they will be able to realize the plan in 2025. Don’t be surprised if the city government has flocked to make its city to be a city that is friendly to the gaming and esports industry players. When a city hosts a major esports tournament, this will make a positive economic impact.

The support from the Chinese government did not stop there. In January 2019, the Chinese government formalized that professional esports and esports operators were two new professions. In July 2019, 88 esports athletes were declared as official athletes of Shanghai. Don’t get it wrong, the official athlete is not a title that everyone can get. People who become official athletes are also entitled to various facilities from the government, just like other traditional sports athletes. Examples of facilities provided by the Chinese government are international visa support and educational facilities.

Closure

If we reflect on China, government support can accelerate the growth of the esports industry. To support the esports industry, the government does not need to take over the duties of other esports industry players.

For example, the Shanghai government wants more and more major esports tournaments to be held there. However, that doesn’t mean they are busy creating their own esports tournaments. They are actually working with other parties. In League of Legends’ World Championship cases, they took Riot Games. If the Indonesian government can do the same (adjusted to Indonesia’s conditions, of course), the Indonesia esports industry may also be able to develop rapidly.

Bigetron RA Leads the Final Leaderboard of Regular Season PMPL ID Season 2

Last week, it was a Super Week for the Regular Season of PUBG Mobile Professional League Indonesia (PMPL ID) Season 2. 8-10 September 2020 should be the Week 5 and 11-13 September became the Week 6. It’s also the end of Regular Season for PMPL ID Season 2. You could read the recap and viewership numbers of Week 5 and 6 in here.

What makes Season 2 interesting is the Bigetron Red Alien’s (BTR) journey throughout the Regular Season. It almost feels like BTR was giving false hope to the other team for the first few weeks. If you’re following the PUBG Mobile (PUBGM) esports scene, you should know that BTR has been the strongest team from Indonesia for years. They dominate every major PUBGM national tournament. They even earned the title of world’s champion when they won PMCO Fall Split Global Finals 2019. Besides that, they also won the PMWL 2020 East Season Zero by being the strongest in Asia.

During the Regular Season of PMPL ID S2, they started strong by finishing on the top leaderboard on Week 1. Then, they started slowing down in the following weeks. On Week 2, they ended up at the 8th position. Then, on Week 3, they were on the 18th rank from 24 teams. Week 4, they climbed back by gathering 126 points and reached the 4th place. Week 5, they showed their real power by leading the leaderboard with 77 points more than the 2nd place. Finally, they managed to get to the 2nd position on Week 6 leaderboard. They finally finished at the top on the final leaderboard with 427 points and 404 kills.

It really seems they are having a holiday season or hiding some of their strategies on some weeks.

However, PMPL ID S2 is not over yet. There is still a Playoffs (25-27 September 2020) which will pit top 16 teams to finally show who’s the real champion of PMPL ID S2. Will BTR hold their title as the best professional PUBGM team this season?

Feat image via PUBG MOBILE Esports Indonesia

The Washington Post and Bloomberg Show Interest in Exploring the Gaming Industry

In western countries, niche gaming media, such as Kotaku, IGN, PC Gamer usually dominate the news coverage of this industry. Those media also provide in-depth articles on everything related to the gaming industry. Non-endemic media are typically less inclined to do so.

However, it’s changed lately. More media from outside the field are getting interested in exploring further. It could be because of the gaming industry will reach US$159.3 billion this year (2020).

Some of the big non-endemic media that already announced their investment in the gaming industry are The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Wired. Those publications want to give the gaming industry the same treatment they’ve shown on Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Their plan is to investigate this industry further, about its business and culture, to gain interest from gamers and non-gamers.

News: @WIRED is launching a new gaming vertical! Exciting stuff. Stay tuned for WIRED Games in October.

— Cecilia D’Anastasio (@cecianasta) August 27, 2020

Last month (August 2020), Wired Games was announced. It’s not the first time Wired tries to appeal to the gaming market. However, Editor-in-Chief, Nicholas Thompson admitted that gaming topic hasn’t been the focus since he returned to Wired in 2017. “I don’t know why they stopped it. There’d be an occasional story but not much. It was something that I thought, ‘Well given the importance of it to our culture, our society, it would be great to do more.'” Said Thompson, cited from CNN. Meanwhile, Bloomberg has been covering gaming companies’ finances for a while, but now they want to explore deeper. They launched an entertainment vertical called Screentime which includes gaming topic in April 2020.

The Washington Post today unveiled Launcher, a new section devoted to covering video gaming and esports. Debuting Oct. 15, Launcher will feature coverage and analysis of the people, companies, teams and trends that make up this rapidly growing industry. https://t.co/xbp4VmLC4p — Washington Post PR (@WashPostPR) October 9, 2019

The Washington Post also started their new vertical named Launcher last October. “For how much money it generates, it doesn’t get nearly enough attention. The audience is here for gaming. The value of these stories, the value of having more heavyweight outlets in the mix is going to be great. There’s a lot more stories out there that need attention. We’re a team of six. We can’t get to everything.” Editor of Launcher, Mike Hume said.

Feat image via Depositphotos