Due to obvious COVID restrictions, the 2021 Mavs Gaming Media Day was held on Zoom rather than in person like it usually is. As someone who is still new to the world of eSports, despite my familiarity with “normal” gaming, this was a really interesting experience for me.
The speakers at the event were the coach, LT Fairley and the the players on the 2021 roster. The players are Dimez, Ziah, Sick One, Zae, Gen and MrStylez. Most of the roster are new players and this round of new roster is significant since Ziah is one of the first female 2K eSports players. Coach LT spoke a lot on the challenges of rebuilding a team and working with new players who didn’t know each other. It seems like Mavs Gaming is really aiming high this year, with goals of getting further in the playoffs. There’s a lot of confidence in this new team and based on the conversations we had with the players, I can see why LT is so confident.
The team is made up of mostly new players to Mavs Gaming, although most of the players have been in the 2K eSports scene for a few years. One of the most important things players like Dimez and Sick One focused on was chemistry within the team. The relationships on and off the court are even more important now that Ziah has joined. Making sure that a lot of the negativity that surrounds female gamers doesn’t affect the team is something the players spoke of. All in all, it seems that the team is really looking forward to the season and they have a really solid game plan for how they can achieve their goals, both in terms of team building but also performance in their games.
As someone who isn’t familiar with 2K eSports, this was a really cool experience to be at. The only eSports that I followed, even a little was the Halo competitive scene and the Overwatch League (a little, go Philadelphia Fusion!) It’s cool that eSports isn’t just for sweaty nerds who play Overwatch and Call of Duty all day, but also for people who are into, well, real sports. I am a little curious to the actual rules and regulations that exist around eSports for real sports, given that I’m assuming someone can’t just go I want to play as Lebron James and get an instant win button.
eSports is still a young entertainment industry and to see it expand to games that are more mainstream for non-gamers is an exciting development. 2K eSports is definitely not for me, given that I don’t play basketball or play 2K, but for young gamers who grow up playing 2K or for fans of the sport who want to experience more of the excitement they get from watching the real thing, an increased proliferation of eSports of all kinds is a good thing.
Related: MAVS GAMING Tips Off 2020 NBA 2K League Playoffs
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My name is Matt Tran and I have been playing video games since I could remember holding a controller. I've always been a hardcore gamer growing up, from the hectic MW2 and Halo 3 lobbies, my many journeys through several Halo clans and my current exploits with my Destiny 2 clan. I love shooters and RPGs and overanalyzing every component of every game I've played, from weapon stats to ideal perks. When I have time to play other games, I currently play Genshin Impact and Star Wars Squadrons.
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