With eSports becoming more and more popular, we here at PlayStation University’s Rec Center have decided to take a look at what goes into the preparation and endorsement of competitive gaming. One aspect of competitive gaming has been its early and continuing adoption of online streaming as a medium for entertainment and education with different games, strategies, and issues concerning the community. Various top players and community organizers run stream shows, and I have been graced with an interview with one such top player.

GamerBlake90 has been a well-known Mortal Kombat player since making his name as a top MK vs. DC competitor with Scorpion. Since then, he has seen tournament success in Mortal Kombat 9 as one of the most innovative Sonya and Raiden players, meanwhile working as a site moderator for testyourmight.com and a top contributor to mortalkombatunited.com. Needless to say, Blake is one of the most influential individuals in the Mortal Kombat community, and he has joined me to discuss the purpose of stream shows in gaming.

Daniel: Greetings Blake, you run a stream, correct? What is the main focus of your stream?

Blake: The main focus behind my stream is to create a network between gaming communities. I want to create a focal point between the communities so they can be treated to glimpses in each other’s worlds, and maybe feel surprise from what they see. When you get right down to it, we all are gamers, one and the same, and we share a common goal: to prove our talent and compete with other skilled individuals. It is one of the most dominant portions of the entertainment industry.

 

D: Have you found success in your ventures to unite gamers? Have there been obstacles?

B: It is a bit of a rough start, if only because I spent these recent years of my life helping to grow what should not simply be known as the Mortal Kombat community, but rather as the NRS community. I’ve barely taken steps within other worlds, but rest assured that there will be more to come. An obvious obstacle would be the enmity that the Capcom community holds towards us. Why this is, I do not understand, but I hope to establish that our community is just as widespread and supportive as the larger ones are.

 

D: Is your show discussion based, game-play based, a mix, or something else?

B: It is indeed a mix. Some programs I host through the channel are purely discussion-based, others are gameplay-based, and coming next month a massive revamp will be done for my old DownFourCast program in which gameplay tutorials, exhibition matches, and productive discussions will all be conducted at once. I’m in the process of getting a new laptop that will support our Skype calls and stronger stream quality. And I know I am not alone in these visions I harbor. A group of some of my greatest friends have joined me in paving the way for a brighter future of the worldwide gaming community.

I have also begun hosting a series of what is known as “character councils” for the MK community, including the Sub-Zero Kouncil, which took place on Friday of last week. The Sub-Zero Kouncil was remarkably successful, enough to warrant a second running. As you might expect, it is a collaborative between players from their shared character community, where they not only bring their knowledge on the character to the table, but create a welcoming environment for their players, new and old. Three councils have been completed, and more are to come

And chances are, character councils for other gaming communities could happen. It depends on how much support they receive.

D: We at PlayStation University wish you all the best in achieving your goals in these ventures. So that our readers may know where to get involved, what are the names and URLs of your shows and when do you go on?

B: The gameplay portions of my work are labeled by a term I use for the gameplay videos I upload to YouTube…Chronicles in Blood, applied to all online and offline exhibitions. We have plans to host such sessions for four different fighting games each week, unless there are changes in the roster, which is likely. You can expect them to happen every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the evening hours, starting at 8 P.M. Central.

As for the new version of DownFourCast I have in the works, that happens every Wednesday evening, also starting at 8 P.M. and hosted by myself and four fellow co-hosts. This same show will include these tutorials I mentioned, for various fighting games. This depends on the level of interest from our supporters.

And these character councils…the schedules for them are worked out by their representatives and not myself, so that is at that discretion.

There is also Sunday Night Kombat, for which two episodes were completed. Fellow co-hosts include gaming legends REO and Tom Brady from the Mortal Kombat community. It is on hold right now, but should a new episode be planned, announcements will be made. As the name suggests, it happens every Sunday at 9 P.M.

And all of these shows are shared through the same Twitch channel I use: www.twitch.tv/gamerblake90

You can also follow my media work at YouTube through this link: www.youtube.com/gamerblake90.

 

D: Excellent, thank you for your time Blake.

B: You’re very welcome, sir. In an era where eSports is on the rise, there are those who wish to do what they can to usher it in on a positive note, and help our gaming competitions to develop in the competitive industry. We can only hope that the efforts from myself and everyone else involved will be successful.

Do you enjoy competitive gaming actively or as an entertainment medium? Are you excited to see gaming on the rise within communities? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!