Official Amateur eSports for Gran Turismo 7: Yea or Nay?

[DefInfinity]

...pulling this off reddit quickly, since that thread is currently dead.
Specifically towards drivers that have no professional real-life or simracing (major events) experience/affiliations by barring those players from entering. Champions of this amateur series would also be excluded.

How they would be able to determine eligibility accurately? I am not sure yet.
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If you do have ideas of how such a series should or shouldn’t be run, please express those ideas here.

 

[MOPARbarrett5]

I've wanted GT to have more of a focus at a collegiate level for a few years now. I graduated from the University of Kentucky when the COVID lockdowns first started and figured that would be a perfect time where I could help run a simulation racing Esports team or at least club remotely. Soon after the University started posting videos featuring remote competitions and interviews involving Esports on YouTube and Twitch plus began showcasing the new multimillion dollar Esports complex that would open to the public after the lockdowns ended.
Still to this day I haven't heard back from anyone at the University about being interested in any racing Esports, let alone GT specifically. Even back in the mid 2010s when I went to one of the poorest public schools in the country that somehow managed to start a bass fishing team with 4 members I figured a cheap way to get more people on a team or at least club was to have Esports in general and no one else was interested and very few people even knew what I was talking about.
So as much as I really want there to be Esports beyond the highest level and think it would work well if people gave it a chance (plus I've been willing to help run it for going on a decade now), it's hard to get people interested in the first place.

 

[Canucks_9419]

I don't understand the question I guess, because:

-Almost all of the top guys already aren't under paid eSports contracts.
-The governing body (GT/Sony/FIA) isn't paying them for being the 'top guys'.

Almost everyone at the top as well as average is still by definition 'Amateur' then, aren't they?

 

[BangsMcCoy]

I don't understand the question I guess, because:

-Almost all of the top guys already aren't under paid eSports contracts.
-The governing body (GT/Sony/FIA) isn't paying them for being the 'top guys'.

Almost everyone at the top as well as average is still by definition 'Amateur' then, aren't they?

I’m very puzzled by this as well. Far more questions than I have the desire to ask, to be blunt.
The way it was proposed in the first post though was that no one with experience essentially could join, paid or not…basically esports for people that have never done esports before, and if you happen to win it you can’t be part of it anymore.
I don’t see how this would garner much attention, be sustainable, or simply work at all, but I only have a general, high level understanding of esports. shrug

 

[DefInfinity]

I’m very puzzled by this as well. Far more questions than I have the desire to ask, to be blunt.
The way it was proposed in the first post though was that no one with experience essentially could join, paid or not…basically esports for people that have never done esports before, and if you happen to win it you can’t be part of it anymore.
I don’t see how this would garner much attention, be sustainable, or simply work at all, but I only have a general, high level understanding of esports. shrug

Sorry, let me be more clear: I am referring to simracing eSports drivers that have participated at the highest level in GTWS and other sims.

For example, if they had participated in the broadcasted virtual 24hours of Le Mans, they would be barred. If they had participated at the highest-level of F1 eSports (which is also broadcasted) or equivalent, they would be barred. Again, GTWS finalists wouldnt be allowed because they are technically not amateurs.

These are just examples, but it would not be that difficult to compile a list of excessively high-profile events/series for this.

As for your other criticisms, that’s why you gauge interest before you actually do something. Replacing 1 driver each year is virtually nothing compared to how large GT7s fanbase is.

I don't understand the question I guess, because:

-Almost all of the top guys already aren't under paid eSports contracts.
-The governing body (GT/Sony/FIA) isn't paying them for being the 'top guys'.

Almost everyone at the top as well as average is still by definition 'Amateur' then, aren't they?

Yes, but you still have an incredibly high barrier of entry solely because you might have to participate against a professional real-life or eSports driver. All without the resources or training of one. On payroll or not, GTWS is completely unrestricted in who can participate.

From the many lessons you could learn from real-life motorsport, you can tell me the consequences of that.

 

[bduddy]

They don't have any more "resources" than you or I do. They're just better. Sorry.

 

[watto79]

drivers that have no professional real-life or simracing (major events) experience

Players who have attended the broadcasted events make up a very very small percentage of the player base.

There's 100's of unofficial Gran Turismo racing Leagues. If you want yours to be noticed then you need to give a reason why people should participate in yours, and I don't know what excluding the best players achieves. That's assuming they'd be interested in competing anyway.

You also seem to have a distorted view on the players who get to the broadcast events. None of them are being paid or are "professionals", they're just the best.

I wish you luck, I'd just advise focusing on encouraging people to join and compete, rather than focusing on who you don't want to join.

 

[Nebuc72]

For example, if they had participated in the broadcasted virtual 24hours of Le Mans, they would be barred. If they had participated at the highest-level of F1 eSports (which is also broadcasted) or equivalent, they would be barred. Again, GTWS finalists wouldnt be allowed because they are technically not amateurs.


Yes, but you still have an incredibly high barrier of entry solely because you might have to participate against a professional real-life or eSports driver. All without the resources or training of one. On payroll or not, GTWS is completely unrestricted in who can participate.

What? Then what's the point or difference to what we have now then?
An unrestricted competition where GTWS drivers can enter will just mean it will be another GTWS. Which we already have.

I thought you were implying something akin to the current GTWS but with prizes for GT2/GT3 leagues, but now I don't know what you're trying to convey.

 

[TumeK5]

 

[Meythia]

Yes, but you still have an incredibly high barrier of entry solely because you might have to participate against a professional real-life or eSports driver. All without the resources or training of one. On payroll or not, GTWS is completely unrestricted in who can participate.

I think it is a positive to have the chance to meet any of the top players - if they wanted to participate in a league for beginners, so be it, because to me this signals they want to help the community as a whole.
Though it steals my chance of winning your proposed tournament, if I really was interested it wouldnt deter me but instead show me how much room for improvement I have.

 

[watto79]

Then what's the point or difference to what we have now then?
An unrestricted competition where GTWS drivers can enter will just mean it will be another GTWS. Which we already have.

Thus is what I'm wondering too. It seems what's been suggested is the current GTWS minus about 40 players off the very top. I don't really understand what that achieves, and for 99.9% of players would be no noticeable difference anyway.

 

[DefInfinity]

What? Then what's the point or difference to what we have now then?
An unrestricted competition where GTWS drivers can enter will just mean it will be another GTWS. Which we already have.

I thought you were implying something akin to the current GTWS but with prizes for GT2/GT3 leagues, but now I don't know what you're trying to convey.

...

Their time would be completely split between GTWS and the amateur series.

Wanting GT2/GT3 leagues to have an official competition is interesting, though. It would be closer to the spirit of an amateur series.

Ignoring logistics, interest, etc -- My only problem with it is: how do we prevent A+/A drivers from gaming the DR system to end up in the GT2/GT3 categories? Players try to sandbag even in the Daily Races, leagues, even in other games, like chess. I have no doubts players would attempt it here.

Players who have attended the broadcasted events make up a very very small percentage of the player base.

There's 100's of unofficial Gran Turismo racing Leagues. If you want yours to be noticed then you need to give a reason why people should participate in yours, and I don't know what excluding the best players achieves. That's assuming they'd be interested in competing anyway.

You also seem to have a distorted view on the players who get to the broadcast events. None of them are being paid or are "professionals", they're just the best.

I wish you luck, I'd just advise focusing on encouraging people to join and compete, rather than focusing on who you don't want to join.

There is no pipeline to top-level GTWS other than the online ranking system. This could be a potential alternate path (obviously hurting the legitimacy of the top level)... or not. Maybe it could end up generating hype for drivers that may show up as a finalist later. Maybe it could be just a footnote on the resume of a future Pro eSports driver looking for a team.

If the purpose of this sort of eSports series was solely to get the absolute best-of-the-best players competing against each other each and every time, I would just leave the current structure as is: get to the GT1 category, collect your points and become a finalist. Its that simple. Really. Simple.

They don't have any more "resources" than you or I do. They're just better. Sorry

I didn’t know I was comparing them to myself or even you.