An earnest appeal...

OKI Gaming provides a much needed youth development programme.

OKI Gaming, an affiliate of Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA), has been renting its new facility and has not yet managed to get any financial backing or support from all of their efforts from reaching out to people and companies.

Though OKI Gaming has made great progress, and  has introduced a lot of youth into the world of E-Sport, we have met people who believe in what we are doing and that it can work given the adequate support.

We managed to get Supersport's support and airtime to showcase one of the events we plan to host, a gaming festival in the West Rand, once the COVID-19 situation settles down. It will be televised on one of their channels.

OKI Gaming will also get assistance from MSSA and Ekasi E-Sport in hosting the event.

Red Bull has supplied a monthly supply of energy drinks to help create that esport environment at the venue.

Due to the lack of a reliable internet connection and adequate computers, we are using our PS4 consoles with mouse and keyboards to assist players play Fortnite -  and that is going very well.

OKI Gaming is also running an exciting female development programme which they are hoping to use to introduce more females into mainline competitive gaming and see more females earn Provincial, National, and Protea Colours.

OKI Gaming is also part of a group with the Stellenbosch University students to do a case study on esport and our business as part of their research project.

With MSSA's assistance, OKI Gaming officials, are looking at making an application to the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF). Such applications are available to all MSSA member clubs that have at least two year's Audited Annual Financial Statements.

Unfortunately many organizations to which the club has reached out are not able to assist due to their strain from the pandemic.

With much of the club's 'war-chest' from 2020 being depleted, the club could be looking at the end of  the road should support not be forthcoming anytime soon.

Thus the club, Oki Gaming, has embarked on a crowdfunding project. 

You can help a lot, not only by just supporting, but also by sharing about the club's project, so please have a look! https://www.airfunding.net/s/1544ff18-4b4b-4582-ab7a-40fc5df11c57

Growth is not the responsibility of the few!

Andrew Reeves, Jessie Joubert and Jade Thomas on the set of Hectic Nine-9.

There is no doubt that MSSA obtains more media coverage for its disciplines and games than any other organisation in South Africa.

Through the active participation of a number of registered  players newspaper articles, radio interviews, TV interviews happen on a regular basis.

Thus, on Tuesday, 10 January 2017, MSSA players again appeared on Hectic Nine-9. This time they discussed the games  of VainGlory and HearthStone. Both of these games shall be promoted at all MSSA Provincial and National events. Readers should please check the Calendar of Events for dates and venues.

The continued media coverage is not because of any one person, but because the membership as a whole has a vested interest in the success, and growth of, MSSA.

Being a non profit association there is no private ownership of MSSA. Instead there is an acute sense of membership and a desire by members to leave a  legacy that will be of even greater benefit to those who will follow.

It is this sense of belonging that allows MSSA to run events in areas that no other organisation will do so.

MSSA is not concerned with making profits out of events, it is about the delivery of events to the majority of the  people of South Africa.

Advantages of affiliation: Coverage

Screen shot of IeSF's web page.

In September 2016 I wrote an article about the advantages of affiliating to MSSA.

However, it should be noted that  without MSSA being a member of IeSF, such advantages would mean little.

IeSF, through its international network, has the ability to amplify the advantages to a level that few can fully comprehend, and those that  do, are making full use of such.

One such advantage is in the field of coverage.

While it is known that MSSA already receives the most coverage for eSports in South Africa, as MSSA had well over 300 items published in 2016 - not including TV and radio, it is still hard to rival the level of publicity obtained by IeSF.

The press release made by MSSA of the selection of its 2016 National Protea eSports Team obtained a whopping 20,236 hits.

MSSA received over 50,000 hits on this blog alone.

It is estimated that the TV and radio coverage reached over 2 million.

Coverage indeed!

One can only wonder...

'Loda' in South Africa in 2008

Every December and January,  South Africa television stations are awash with cricket.

Don't get me wrong, I find cricket to be nice enough. I mean, even some of my best friends have,  and do, play  cricket.

Why, I have even introduced SK Gaming to  the game.

Yes, SK Gaming played the Protea eSports Team in cricket inn 2008, and even though bvd_Cent was there to help the Protea eSports Team, the Swedes still chalked up an impressive victory....

But I  digress!

The point  is, while watching the  seemingly endless hours of coverage, my mind wandered.

Would not ANY other sport be as popular, or perhaps even more so if they received the same amount of coverage as cricket?

The answer is undeniably, yes for many sports.

Several years ago SASCOC stated that  it was going  to start its own TV channel. I do not think that there was a voice in opposition to that noble statement.

Unfortunately it was not to be. The idea seem to die on the board-room table, and nothing more about it was ever said again.

Certainly I believe that there is room for a dedicated sports channel. There is more than enough content, and, with over 100 sporting codes, the channel will have a huge following.

If only....

Finland vs MWEB Protea eSports Team

Turning on my television my senses were again bombarded by cricket...

Now that is all well and good, especially for cricket  lovers, but for those who do not really care much for  cricket (which quite frankly) is  the majority of the population, it is  somewhat of a bore!

One can also only imagine if all of the other sports were given the same amount of coverage, how much bigger and better funded would those sports be?

Even 'Cinderella' sports would grow exponentially as many of such sports would  be much more interesting to watch, and with increased advertising would be able to far more entertaining to the viewer at home.

However, for eSports, which already, in my opinion, is in the  top five watched sports, increased TV coverage would see benefits accrue  to players  on a never-before-level.
Yet SABC TV, and SUPERSPORT stick to the tried-and-tested recipe and will probably only change once they have  realised that they are flogging a 'dead-horse'.