[CQ-Contest] Observations of a young ham

[David Gilbert]

I don't even know why you made that comparison (TicTacToe .... 
really???) , because it doesn't fit at all.  Go watch some YouTube 
videos or Twitch streams of people playing Smite, Rift, Warcraft, Guild 
Wars II, League of Legends, or even the venerable World of Warcraft ... 
you will see a pretty incredible set of skillsets and thrust/parry on 
display at a pace that boggles the mind.  Stuff that takes a LOT of time 
to get good at, and just as much focus as any top flight radiosport 
operator in the world.  Again, I'm not saying that building and 
operating a competitive radiosport station doesn't require phenomenal 
skill, but it DOES take a lot of money and a lot of time outside of the 
actual competition.  A $50 internet connection (which most hams have 
anyway) and a $700 or less computer (which most hams have anyway) will 
put you in the gaming action immediately.

No license is required, although most gamers who are serious about it 
spent a lot of time studying builds and strategies on the various online 
forums.  And I'd venture there are far more gamers who have built their 
own computers than contesters who have build their own radios.

Why do I take such umbrage over your reply?   Because it is exactly why 
contesting is never going to compete with online competitive gaming.  
You're trying to justify why radiosport should have more appeal to 
youngsters without having a clue why it doesn't.  Not understanding or 
acknowledging the source of the problem means it won't ever change.

Dave   AB7E



On 12/18/2016 11:15 PM, Jukka Klemola wrote:
> I beg to differ on at least the first count.
> Online tictactoe on a 3x3 field does not match SOABQRPAssisted 
> skillset for the guy who operates at home, using his own hand-made 
> true two-radio-station.
>
> No online counter strike competitor has built his own gaming 
> environment using hundreds of feet of cables and so on hardware.
>
>
> Remember Twin Peaks, the TV series?
> "Log says, things are not what they seem."
>
>
> 73,
> Jukka OH6LI
>
>
> 2016-12-19 3:27 GMT+02:00 David Gilbert <xdavid at cis-broadband.com 
> <mailto:xdavid at cis-broadband.com>>:
>
>
>     I'm far from being young (I hit 70 this March), but as both a
>     contester and a gamer I think I could add a couple of things to
>     your list.
>
>     1.  Online gaming is extensive.  At any point in time you
>     typically use more immediate skills than you do in contesting. 
>     I'm not at all saying that upper tier contesting doesn't require
>     amazing skills, or that overall they aren't similar, but I think
>     the breadth required every minute in gaming exceeds that of
>     contesting.  Just my opinion, of course.
>