[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #591: Esports roundup, in which my son discovers Fortnite

Wed Apr 25 10:30:01 EDT 2018

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OPLIN 4Cast #591: Esports roundup, in which my son discovers Fortnite
April 25th, 2018

[image: Wearing neon green headphones playing video game] Several nights
ago, my 13-year-old son was invited over to a neighbor's house to play
video games. When he got home, he was bubbling over with excitement.

"Mom, I got to play a game called 'Fortnite,' and I'm really good at it!"
he exclaimed.

I already knew about the popularity of Fortnite, and had been futilely
hoping he would never discover it. On the other hand, my mind immediately
went to a recent news story, in which Ashland University had announced
the first
esports scholarship for Fortnite players
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2018/04/21/you-can-now-officially-earn-a-fortnite-battle-royale-college-scholarship/#44fa4f2b49fb>.
Maybe this wasn't a bad thing? My mom instincts were at war with the
possibility of paid college tuition.

My husband immediately started to mention that lots of Fortnite is streamed
on Twitch <https://www.twitch.tv/>. My son has yet to hear of Twitch. I
furiously began making "stop" motions and shushing him.  "No Twitch, NO
Twitch!" I was muttering under my breath.

It's just a matter of time before my son catches on, because a lot is
happening in esports news right now. Here's a quick roundup, but don't let
*him* see it.

   -
   - Twitch’s creators and developers gain a new revenue stream with launch
   of Bits in Extensions
   <https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/23/twitchs-creators-and-developers-gain-a-new-revenue-stream-with-launch-of-bits-in-extensions/>
   [TechCrunch] "Twitch’s  Bits, a virtual good that allows fans to cheer
   on their favorite streamers
   <https://help.twitch.tv/customer/portal/articles/2449458>, have been one
   of the ways Twitch creators could make money from their channels while
   also recognizing and rewarding their top fans. Today, the game streaming
   site is expanding the power of those Bits by allowing them to now be used
   with Twitch’s Extensions."
   - Fortnite confirmed for China, with $15m esports investment
   <https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-confirmed-for-china-with-dollar15m-esports-investment/>
   [PC Gamer] "Following some fairly blatant hints last week, it's now
   confirmed that Fortnite will launch in China soon – though how *soon *is
   still anyone's guess. The publisher is Tencent, of course, and alongside
   bringing the game to Chinese audiences, the company will also pour a $15
   million investment into esports both in China and internationally."
   - Unstoppable exploit in Nintendo Switch opens door to homebrew and
   piracy
   <https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/23/unstoppable-exploit-in-nintendo-switch-opens-door-to-homebrew-and-piracy/>
   [TechCrunch] "The Nintendo  Switch may soon be a haven for hackers, but not
   the kind that want your data — the kind that want to run SNES emulators and
   Linux on their handheld gaming consoles. A flaw in an Nvidia chip used by
   the Switch, detailed today, lets power users inject code into the system
   and modify it however they choose."
   - NBA 2K League Partners With Twitch For Live Streaming
   <https://www.sporttechie.com/nba-2k-league-twitch-streaming/> [Sport
   Techie] "The streaming deal will include up to 199 regular season games
   played on NBA 2K as well as three in-season tournaments and the entire
   finals, with analysts providing commentary on the action. "

*From the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - How to Watch Esports Anywhere
   <http://proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=126938025&site=ehost-live>
   (WILSON, J. L. (2018). How to Watch Esports Anywhere. *PC Magazine*,
   112-115.)
   - Here comes the esports revolution – are video gamers the Tom Bradys of
   tomorrow?
   <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=128567278&site=pov-live>
   (Jessica Mendoza Staff, w. (2018, March 20). Here comes the esports
   revolution – are video gamers the Tom Bradys of tomorrow?. *Christian
   Science Monitor*. p. N.PAG.)
   - HOW I LEARNED TO STOP HATING & LOVE ESPORTS: As dubious as it may
   seem, getting paid to play video games is now a viable career option for
   elite players. Here's how and why eSports is a booming business
   <http://proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=123168589&site=ehost-live>
   (WILSON, J. L. (2017). HOW I LEARNED TO STOP HATING & LOVE ESPORTS: As
   dubious as it may seem, getting paid to play video games is now a viable
   career option for elite players. Here's how and why eSports is a booming
   business. *PC Magazine*, 100-113.)

------------------------------
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