Bravado Gaming | A driving force behind SA Gaming

A driving force behind SA Gaming

by lola at 1:24 pm on May 25, 2012

If I would ask our gamers if the name Lauren das Neves rings a bell most would probably say no. If I would, however, ask them if rAge and NAG do then almost everyone would give a definite ?Yes!?? She is one of the puppet masters behind the biggest gaming event as well as the most successful gaming magazine in South Africa (SA).

Indulge me as I flash around this woman?s gaming resume. She?s been involved in gaming events for 13 years. She goes right back to when competitive gaming started with the Gamers League of South Africa (GLSA) and the first Worfaire events.

She?s worked alongside the people who laid the foundation for what we know today as e-Sports SA. Men like Len Nery and Warren Steven who pioneered gaming in SA. She was at the helm of magazines like the SA Computer Magazine and Custom PC SA. Currently she is the project manager for the rAge expo and the New Age Gaming League (NGL), the managing editor for New Age Gaming (NAG) Online, and the contributing editor for the NAG magazine.

She has also been one of our first female competitive gamers Join me for a first time exclusive interview with the woman who has been a driving force behind some of the key elements that have made gaming in South Africa what it is today.

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See you @rAge

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of rAge. What has been a highlight for you over the last 9 years?

LdN: ?One of my favourite highlights was in 2005 when NAG brought out Johnathan ?Fatal1ty? Wendel, the world?s number 1 pro gamer at the time, to compete in a Painkiller Shootout. ?That?s definitely something I?d love to see happen again. It?s always exciting for me to see international game developers on the show floor taking visitors to the expo through a hands on preview of their latest title, so every year I look forward to watching presentations given by them on stage.?

What has been some of the biggest stumbling blocks you?ve had to overcome in hosting the biggest gaming event in South Africa?

LdN: ?Trying to incorporate some of the awesome ideas and concepts that we?ve seen and experienced at international gaming conventions, launches and events. I?ve attended E3 in LA, been to Gamescom in Germany and also the ESWC in France, so I have a pretty good idea of what potential there is to make rAge bigger and better. The challenge is in actually making it happen with limited resources, budget and support.?

What are your plans with rAge for the next ten years?

LdN:?We?d obviously like to make the expo much bigger, both the LAN and the exhibition. However a big consideration before making this decision would be how a change of venue would impact those two things. The NAG LAN in particular is something we would like to see double in numbers, but we are mindful of the fact that a large number of younger gamers attending the LAN for the entire weekend do so with their parents approval and peace of mind that the Dome is situated in a residential suburb. Moving to let?s say Nasrec in the South, or Gallagher Estate in Midrand may not be met with as much enthusiasm from those parents. So that?s a vision we hope to be able to make happen at some point soon? anyone wanna build us a super cool venue in Fourways

One of my personal goals with rAge is to see it attracting a host of regular international player attendance, where top pro players and clans from around the world come here every year to play in competitions that happen at rAge. I?d so love to see rAge included in a world tour series ? that would be epic!?

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?Lauren on our local community

What has this journey with a developing gaming community been like?

LdN: ?It?s been fun! I?ve been involved in the local gaming scene for about 13 years now, with NAG, rAge and also way back to when the GLSA was formed and we had our first Worfaire event at The Dome, so it?s something I?m extremely passionate about. It?s also great to see how schools are embracing the gaming culture by allowing their students to host LAN?s on weekends at the school and getting involved in school leagues, which are hosted by the MSSA.?

What are some of the changes you?ve seen in the SA gaming community over the last 9 years?

LdN: ?The support and interest from companies locally in helping to grow e-Sports in SA has been significant in the past few years. It?s exciting to see companies sponsoring online leagues, clans and individual players. Then there?s the formation of the MSSA (Mind Sports South Africa), which brings with it support and recognition from government in the form of awarding players national and provincial colours, this is a huge achievement for gaming in South Africa. Also, I?ve noticed a lot more girls are starting to game competitively, and I love that. Thirteen years ago I was the only girl gamer competing in the Quake II Creative Carnival at Sandton City, but last year at rAge I noticed a couple of girls in clans playing in the competitive events and a lot more playing in the NAG LAN.?

In what areas do you think we need growth in?

LdN: ?More exposure to overseas competition is where I think we need to be heading. It?s great that we have such a competitive environment locally, but I do think that the only way local players are going to see an improvement in skills is by competing against international players on a regular basis. However there?s always that issue of bandwidth and lag, which puts us at a distinct disadvantage when competing online against internationals. Mweb has stepped up in the last few months to address this which I think is good news for us gamers.?

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?Lauren on NAG

NAG has been the most successful gaming magazine in SA. What do you contribute this success to?

LdN: ?First and foremost we?re all gamers at NAG, so our work is our passion. Everything we do collectively comes from our individual love for gaming, so we try to bring this energy across into the magazine every month. We also have an incredibly loyal and supportive reader base, and our inspiration comes from wanting to give them the best that we have.?

The Web provides readers with access to all the gaming news they could want. How can printed media compete with that accessibility?

LdN: ?Our approach has always been to offer our readers quality content that is both unique and insightful. Anyone can put up a gaming blog and just rehash daily news content ? what we try and do with the magazine is to offer a compelling slant on all things gaming which comes from our pooled experience, knowledge and well-established access into the gaming industry.?

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Lauren on E-Sports

Compared to the rest of the world, the SA competitive scene is fairly new. What would you say are some of the unique challenges we face?

LdN: ?Setting up and maintaining a suitable infrastructure to enable players and clans to do gaming as a profession. The challenge here is in creating an environment where sustainable income and the necessary support are available to make this a viable opportunity for our top gamers.?

From your point of view, what are some of the solutions to the above challenges?

LdN: ?Securing long term sponsors who would be willing to invest in the concept. It has proven very successful overseas and I think it?s time we moved towards making this happen in SA.?

In your opinion, what is it that sponsors look at when considering investing in a team or a player?

LdN: ?Exposure, creating brand awareness and loyalty, and being a brand ambassador. Ultimately I would think that a sponsor is looking to turn this investment into sales.?

In your opinion, where are e-Sports heading, is there a future in it for gamers?

LdN: ?Very definitely yes.? A new e-Sports Stadium is currently under construction in Korea to be completed towards the end of 2012, and Malaysia built one last year, so I get the feeling that e-Sports might be getting very close to being considered by the Olympic Committee as an official discipline, when that happens e-Sports will be here to stay.

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?Closing thoughts

It has been a great honour for me to interview Lauren. She is a person of stature within our local community, and I have much respect for her views about e-Sports. She is a not some fly-by-night looking to exploiting gaming or start an organisation that becomes redundant within a few months. The work she has done for gaming in SA, declares her authority to speak on the subject of e-Sports.

And she gives me hope.

Hope that e-Sports is developing into a globally recognised discipline.? Hope that even though our own journey is a bit slower, that we are on the right track, that we just have to keep going. Knowing that people with her insight, commitment, passion and expertise are keeping us steady on this road fills my heart with gratitude.

On behalf of generations of gamers, I thank you.

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