Log In | Register | Help
Nxt Blog Index
October 01, 2007
Of Zipcars and eSports

If you've had the opportunity to travel around this grand old country of ours, it's possible at some point or another you've encountered something that made you say "I wish we had that in Maine."

For some people, that's a yearning for Trader Joe's, for others maybe it's a wish for a larger music venue to attract national acts, or maybe it's just a perverse hunger for Cracker Barrell or Sonic to make an in-roads here.
(I can vouch for both ... yummers!)


But honestly, I have to say I'm surprised Portland did not get to plant the Zipcar flag first.

No disrespect to Lewiston and Bates, or the University of Maine - they saw a good opportunity and snatched it up - but this is the biggest city, right?

Granted, Zipcar thrives in dense urban areas, typically cities with parking issues and semi reliable mass transit ... but doesn't Portland partially meet those criteria?

Don't take this as advertising, I like my car - even through payments can be a bear - it's reliable, a necessity for work and great for car trips: Boston, NYC, Montreal, etc.

But let's think about this. There are things we know about Portland - a lot of people walk and bike, and do so either because of their financial situation, or as conscious decision to try and live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

So why hasn't anyone thought of contacting Zipcar? I'm anxious to hear some thoughts on this.

ALSO today:

Over in iHerald we take a look at a few local gamers who have made the leap, from pastime to prime time, with video games.

If 10 years ago you had said to guys like Nick DePalmer and Jared Coulston that you could make a living playing games you love competitively, they would most likely have said "That'd be cool, but how?"

This is eSports, and it's come come a lot further along then you may think. Gamers of all skill levels are trying to compete in regional, national and international matches for big novelty checks with a lot of zeros (try as much as $1 million in some cases).

These gamers play any number of solo and team games, including the latest Dead or Alive, Halo 2, Starcraft, World of Warcraft, and the latest Counter Strike, among others.

There are a handful of leagues and tournaments, including the Cyberathlete Professional League, The Championship Gaming Series, Major League Gaming, and the World Cyber Games.

Though LAN and gaming tournaments have been around for a while, but now they're organized, have sponsors and are drawing media attention. Leagues such as the Championship Gaming Series and the World Cyber Cames are being broadcast on DirectTV and cable channels like Spike.

Trevor Schmidt, vice president and senior editor with eSports magainze GotFrag.com, said the only place for the sport to go is up, especially considering the audience.

Companies are already desperate to connect to the 18 - 34 age bracket, particularly the male segment of that group.
Schmidt said more and more these companies are finding they're not connecting with young men through TV, magazines or traditional media, but they can reach them online and through eSports.

"One of the things that is a big misconception out there is that we need TV," he said. "If ESPN came in that would be a massive boost, but the many think the key is streaming video," he said. "We're talking about kids who are not going to watch TV, but will watch on their computer and be interactive."

Posted by at 11:34 AM

E-mail this entry to a friend

Comments
Post a comment









Remember personal info?







Please enter the code as seen in the image above:



Blog Index

Justin is a former newspaper intern and has the scar tissue to prove it. Justin has been a staff writer for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram since 2003, and in 2004 began writing a weekly column in the Monday Magazine.

If he had to pick a label, the column would fall under "youth culture," covering everything from high school dance etiquette, dealing with college debt, the resurgence of Roller Derby and Portland's one-of-a-kind music scene. This of course has not stopped him from answering letters to Santa Claus or writing about his experience riding shotgun in a drift car.

Justin is an export from the Midwest. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and is originally from Minnesota. He enjoys bacon, cheap beer, redheads, Burt Reynolds jokes and wondering what the soundtrack to his life would sound like.

When he grows up he wants to be an international art thief. Or Captain America.

Until then he'll be bringing you dispatches about "the young people" and what they do.





Updates
Sign up to be notified when there's a new entry
RSS
Subscribe
Most Recent Comments
Press Play - New DVDs with Videoport Jones (1)
Alex Steed wrote: I think that more romantic comedies should incorporate elements of "Teeth."...

NXT Radio: Geekspeak with Whitney from Pop Candy (1)
Alex Steed wrote: That meme panel sounds pretty off the wall. I've talked with Christian a...

Sound Off: A civil (rights team) discussion (6)
wrote: Seeing even more off topic comments today makes me really wish the Portland...

The Weekend - The Golden Avenger, a flea market and free comic books (1)
Amanda wrote: I can't believe you didn't even mention the Kentucky Derby!...

ROFLCon: Let's LOL it up (2)
TBone wrote: Too bad the LOLcops (www.lolcops.com) were stuck working ROFLCon security....

Press Play - New DVDs with Videoport Jones (3)
Elsa wrote: "Name at least one GOOD romantic comedy. Just try." Hey, I was just play...