About

Welcome to The Spawn Room eSports Network. This project was conceived in 2010 as an eSports blog that published opinionated articles, news, online event resources, and regional event coverage. In January of 2012 the vision for this website changed and is continually evolving to address various issues I have observed in eSports.

Our tagline: Spawning talent, nurturing skill.

The Spawn Room is about learning. It's about taking data and sharing it in a way that's useful and relevant; and it's about connecting you with people who share your interests. We want to deliver a content rich experience, with unparalleled detail, in an open, friendly environment. And here's how we'll do that:

Learning

One of our primary goals here is to create a platform for interested gamers to learn about eSports. With this vast sea of content floating around us, it can be difficult for new players and fans to discover useful information without wading through all sorts of unrelated content. We want to fix that.

A platform for new players and gamers to learn about eSports.

First, for players and fans that are entirely new to this scene, we'll be working on a page that propels you into whatever you desire. Whether you are a college student into Call of Duty, a passionate fighting game player, an analytic StarCraft 2 prodigy, or even a fan of an obscure or old competitive title, you'll find what you're looking for. Content is delivered by our users which means there is no limit on what can be submitted. If people play it, you'll find it.

An informational hub for experienced gamers to become experts.

Second, we want to help experienced gamers discover fresh content. By browsing our site and using various tools, users will be able to find entertaining podcasts, helpful guides, new websites, images and videos, among many other categories. Often times the best way to help a player through a rough patch is by giving them a fresh perspective or new voice in their ear. Using the tools at The Spawn Room you'll be able to take your involvement in the community to the next level. We're also working on an Academy which will be designed specifically for gamers to trade knowledge, find practice partners, and read amazingly detailed papers on every facet of competition.

Data

Alongside a thorough eSports education, The Spawn Room will deliver detailed statistics and reports. This will be done by aggregating all the user data that's submitted every day. By analyzing ratings, comments, meta information, analytics data, and more we'll be able to offer the community a wide array of novel information.

Diverse categories and rich content.

So what kind of information are we talking about? Well first off, users can submit content under numerous categories. This allows you to easily browse very specific interests which, when coupled with filters and search, help return custom-tailored results. No data is safe!

Here are some examples of questions you could answer by browsing different categories:

• Who are the top rated players for [StarCraft 2] in [2012]?
• I'm a fan of [League of Legends], what [podcasts] are vital for me to listen to?
• I have free time this weekend, what events in [any game] are going on Saturday at 3PM?

Statistics, graphs and visible data.

We're also working on analyzing this data for use as dynamic statistics. Imagine graphs and charts that answer questions like "how have eSports prize pools changed over the years?" You enter in a time range, select "prize pools" and click calculate. One of those spinning icons show up and BAM, a line graph draws out the ups and downs of annual prize pools. Wondering about this year? Click 2012 and see how individual tournaments contributed to each month. Click further and see who's pocket those checks ended up in. Sort, filter, and explore all kinds of different possibilities, simply by analyzing site-wide data. This is the dream we envision.

Here are some examples of questions you could answer by browsing site-wide statistics:

• Which players earned the most in [2012] for [Counter-Strike]?
• Which [event] had the highest reported [peak stream viewers]?
• How many [active] [StarCraft 2] [professionals] are [female]?

And these questions don't even take into account our user statistics! By offering the ability for people to rate pages, submit comments, and information about their habits, we can also guage how particular communities feel about their games, players, events, etc. A myriad of different questions could be answered instantly by analyzing this data!

Community

It's also important to mention the type of community we will strive to build. Since this website is about learning, data, and expanding skill and knowledge, we will encourage our users to act professionally. Think of this as an online school where gamers come to engage in civil debate, trade information, and research. Angry emotions and harsh rhetoric will be highly discouraged. However, it's important to note that bans will not be given out lightly. We wish to remain open-minded and neutral, only resorting to bans if absolutely necessary.

An open, intelligent community.

This website is about learning and growing as a competitive gamer or fan. While anger can be a natural part of our gaming lifestyle and harsh language our rhetoric, we want gamers to be supportive of each other. If you have something negative you need to say, post it elsewhere. Constructive arguments are great, but when it becomes personal and off-topic, it can get out of control. However, we are not ones to ban or even formally warn users. Posts won't get deleted (unless you delete them), and users can return to argue whenever they want. Instead we'll simply work to resolve conflict and keep things constructive. This is not a forum or community-centric website, we're about data and learning, keep that in mind.

Fun, friendly, and productive. A community of motivated fans and players.

Another important note to make here is that we also want to encourage a "new type of gamer". We want users to not only browse our content, but truly become enlightened with understanding. This isn't simply about seeing what teams are "cool" right now, but about expanding your interest to a new level. About understanding concepts like psychology and how the human brain factors into your performance. It's about complex topics. Think of this as a place where normal fans become eSports experts!