Guitarmasterx7 said:
I think this team exists primarily to milk endorsements and ad revenue. That's not to say they have no interest in winning, but even if they don't there's still going to be a good amount of money changing hands, and since they're getting so much more attention than the other amateur teams that may even be better than them they're still a much more valuable asset business wise.
This. Simply and exactly this.
It's business. It's PR. Nobody's going to financially faceplant because they sunk money into Siren. It won't be as profitable as the top-tier gaming clans, that much is obvious, but Siren is basically nothing more and nothing else than a self-generating notoriety machine. This is literally all it is.
Hence why I said that if I were the team's manager, I'd be looking at the windfall from this video and seeing dollar signs. Because of that one stupid video, there *will* be guaranteed attendance for the next few Siren matches.
FreakofNatur said:
So you're saying it's fine that my all-male team list down the female victims that has fallen to my team? You're saying it's fine to have the guys say very masculine things like a retard in an introduction video? What? No. Of course it isn't. It's no longer the 1980's.
I don't mind if you don't understand my reply; but if you're going to put words in my mouth, that's something else entirely. What I actually did say, if you'll go back and read my post the same way you've suggested I do, is that your attitude seemed to suggest that you were *expecting* Siren to sink down to disparaging tactics like name-calling. First off - this is League of Legends we're talking about. Of course there's going to be some trash-talking.
To state the painfully obvious - yes, it's absolutely uncool to "list down" female players. All of us with two brain cells to spare would agree. We all want to be thought of as tactful and at least sportsmanlike, if not gentlemanly. The fact is, the 1980's you're referring to are still around. You ever been to an Xbox Live match for any of the popular FPS or TPS titles with a few women on the server? We'd all like to think we're able to treat women intelligently online - but the amount of shit people hopped up on gamer adrenaline can spew at any player who's unfortunate enough to have ovaries is fairly disconcerting.
As this is LoL, what's going to happen? They're probably going to try and act in a diplomatic manner, only to be slammed back down by sore losers whose just so happen to be male. If they're patient or magnanimous enough, they'll just call GG and end the round. If they're tired or pissed off or they're socially encouraged to participate in the usual rounds of LoL mud-slinging, then they will. Then they'll be just as shameful as the average male players. At this point, gender has nothing to do with conduct. Assholes have no privates on the Internet, to coin a phrase.
It's not about talent, it's not about leaving the right impression or being at a level with the other clans - Siren is all about being provocative. If it wasn't, you'd already have heard of a few accepted male applicants to the team. The team being all-female is just incidental flavouring; basically just another hook that gets people fuming or that turns them curious to see what the girls can do. Regardless of their actual skill.
You're also correct in assuming that I don't agree with you. I don't see Siren's existence as a cheap shot at the male establishment, and I still don't see how Anita Sarkeesian's analysis of unrelated video game characters and concepts is in any way relevant. You're free to disagree with what she says, of course, and I certainly don't agree with the entirety of her thesis - but I have to admit that the male population is excessively cagey. Case in point, your initial arguments.
Admittedly, I don't have any connections in the industry. I'm just a really casual DotA player. Even then, I know enough to know how guilds and pro teams are formed, and I know enough to understand that even the lowliest of all ranked teams will want to spend some budget on efforts to self-represent, to set themselves apart from the mass of the surrounding, samey clans.
You're correct in assuming that players should be judged on their skill. Unfortunately, LoL isn't quite the PGA or whatever chess federation governs matches based on prior winnings and losses. If anything, you'd have to compare LoL to any current wrestling federation, where flashy, loudmouthed types or idiots who livestream themselves spanking a taint accidentally drive more views and generate more talk than any serious and insightful game and post-game commentary and analysis.
It's a niche scene, with comparatively small budgets. Every clan needs all the exposure it can get. Tell me then, if there's a single part of the concept of an all-female team with a provocative attitude that doesn't fit that bill.