Lawrence Tabak's Blog, page 2
July 18, 2014
International Dota2 Update
Was excited to watch my homeboy Saahil "Universe" Arora and his Evil Genius teammates roar through their quarterfinal match against Far East champs DK. The worst they can do now is finish 4th with some $750,000 in cash -- but they are red hot and top contenders for the $5 million top prize. Competition continues tomorrow, July 19.
July 10, 2014
Fun Selfie Fact
Yahoo estimates 880 billion photos will be taken in 2014, more than all the film photos shot in the history of man. What percentage are selfies? Everyone needs to ask that question for him or herself.
July 3, 2014
Biggest eSports Event Ever
The International Dota2 tournament to be held July 18-21, 2014 in Seattle now has a purse of $10.3 million. This is larger than the men's tournament at Wimbledon, or the Preakness, Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby combined.
Here's the current (July 3) breakdown of the prize pool -- keep in mind that the teams have at least 5 players. Note the cruel drop from #8 to #9 -- not sure why this is so. Anyone out there know? Anyone?
1. $4,740,174 (46%)
2.$1,391,138 (13.5%)
3.$978,949 (9.5%)
4.$772,854 (7.5%)
5.$618,284 (6.0%)
6.$618,284 (6.0%)
7.$489,474 (4.75%)
8.$489,474 (4.75%)
9.$46,371 (0.45%)
10.$46,371 (0.45%)
11.$36,067 (0.35%)
12.$36,067 (0.35%)
13.$20,609 (0.2%)
14.$20,609 (0.2%)
15.$0 (0%)
16.$0 (0%)
Here's the current (July 3) breakdown of the prize pool -- keep in mind that the teams have at least 5 players. Note the cruel drop from #8 to #9 -- not sure why this is so. Anyone out there know? Anyone?
1. $4,740,174 (46%)
2.$1,391,138 (13.5%)
3.$978,949 (9.5%)
4.$772,854 (7.5%)
5.$618,284 (6.0%)
6.$618,284 (6.0%)
7.$489,474 (4.75%)
8.$489,474 (4.75%)
9.$46,371 (0.45%)
10.$46,371 (0.45%)
11.$36,067 (0.35%)
12.$36,067 (0.35%)
13.$20,609 (0.2%)
14.$20,609 (0.2%)
15.$0 (0%)
16.$0 (0%)
June 4, 2014
Gaming in the 90's
Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation
When I saw the first notices for Blake Harris’s new book, Console Wars, about the battles between Sega, Nintendo and Sony in the 1990s, I immediately flashed back to my own console wars. My elder son was born in 1987, the year after Nintendo launched its first gaming platform, NES, with its addictive new game, Super Mario Brothers. He was three when the first Game Boy hit the shelves. By five, he was begging for both. Regularly, obsessively, unrelentingly. For years.
As this encyclopedic recap details, my son was part of a huge new, rapidly growing industry. The book, the result of hundreds of interviews, focuses on the executives at Sega and Nintendo and their often frantic efforts to keep up with the competition and the rapidly shifting technology. While not everyone will be intrigued by the weight of detail, much of it peripheral to the central strains of the story, it is chock full of revelations. For instance, who recalls that in 1990 only 15% of American homes had a computer, while close to 30% had a Nintendo console?
The central character, and one supposes source, for the book is Sega executive Tom Kalinske, a former Mattel executive who had helped put Barbie into pink bedrooms everywhere. He steps into what seems an impossible task: competing with the lock hold Nintendo has on the industry, with some 90% of the U.S. market cornered. Nintendo has the best game developers under exclusive contract, retailers in thrall by constricting supply below demand, and the iconic characters of the decade with Mario and his cohorts. The bulk of the story is how Kalinske and his carefully chosen colleagues wrest market share from Nintendo until they actually crown Sega and Sonic the Hedgehog number one. But not for long. As Console Wars expresses again and again, nothing is for long in the fickle world of consumer electronics where today’s hot product is tomorrow’s museum piece.
When I saw the first notices for Blake Harris’s new book, Console Wars, about the battles between Sega, Nintendo and Sony in the 1990s, I immediately flashed back to my own console wars. My elder son was born in 1987, the year after Nintendo launched its first gaming platform, NES, with its addictive new game, Super Mario Brothers. He was three when the first Game Boy hit the shelves. By five, he was begging for both. Regularly, obsessively, unrelentingly. For years.
As this encyclopedic recap details, my son was part of a huge new, rapidly growing industry. The book, the result of hundreds of interviews, focuses on the executives at Sega and Nintendo and their often frantic efforts to keep up with the competition and the rapidly shifting technology. While not everyone will be intrigued by the weight of detail, much of it peripheral to the central strains of the story, it is chock full of revelations. For instance, who recalls that in 1990 only 15% of American homes had a computer, while close to 30% had a Nintendo console?
The central character, and one supposes source, for the book is Sega executive Tom Kalinske, a former Mattel executive who had helped put Barbie into pink bedrooms everywhere. He steps into what seems an impossible task: competing with the lock hold Nintendo has on the industry, with some 90% of the U.S. market cornered. Nintendo has the best game developers under exclusive contract, retailers in thrall by constricting supply below demand, and the iconic characters of the decade with Mario and his cohorts. The bulk of the story is how Kalinske and his carefully chosen colleagues wrest market share from Nintendo until they actually crown Sega and Sonic the Hedgehog number one. But not for long. As Console Wars expresses again and again, nothing is for long in the fickle world of consumer electronics where today’s hot product is tomorrow’s museum piece.
May 14, 2014
Wall Street Journal
On my basketball story (linked below): "It’s an endearing, fascinating recollection of a style and scene that no longer exist."
May 8, 2014
Girls Basketball
It was different game back in the day. My essay on six-on-six basketball at themillions.com.
http://www.themillions.com/2014/05/th...
http://www.themillions.com/2014/05/th...
April 21, 2014
Our New Free Little Library
Over the weekend we added a library to our front yard -- although my wife Diane has been busy decorating it for months.
So far not much book exchanging -- hope the pace picks up along with the weather.
For a photo visit my website: www.lawrencetabak.com
So far not much book exchanging -- hope the pace picks up along with the weather.
For a photo visit my website: www.lawrencetabak.com
April 10, 2014
Back in Iowa
A reminder of those famous, wonderful readings that were a regular part of the scene -- and the handprinted announcement bills. Wished I'd grabbed more of them (Vonnegut, Heller, Updike) -- after the readings were over, of course!
http://lawrencetabak.com/
http://lawrencetabak.com/
April 3, 2014
Link to Free to Play
Here's the YouTube link to this great documentary. IN REAL LIFE takes you even further behind the scenes into what it takes to become a pro-gamer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZYMI...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZYMI...
March 26, 2014
FREE TO PLAY
The terrific documentary Free to Play about the $1 million first-place 2012 International Dota2 tournament was released March 19, 2014. You can watch it on YouTube.
In many ways Seth Gordon, the main character of IN REAL LIFE, could have been featured in this film about aspiring pro-gamers.
Watch it and if you find these backstories intriguing, mark IN REAL LIFE as a "want to read!"
In many ways Seth Gordon, the main character of IN REAL LIFE, could have been featured in this film about aspiring pro-gamers.
Watch it and if you find these backstories intriguing, mark IN REAL LIFE as a "want to read!"
