Are you an active gamer in New Zealand? Perhaps you’d consider yourself ‘hardcore’ or talented enough to compete if you knew how? Well, keep reading because you’re not alone. Unfortunately in its current form, competitive gaming in New Zealand kinda sucks. Especially if you’re looking to break into it as a gamer. It’s an area of the video game culture in this country that needs support.

The video game community in New Zealand is a small, niche area of pop culture in general which limits it in every way. The grim reality is that things are probably not going to improve any time soon.

After spending countless gaming hours talking and playing with competitive gamers, the following three areas seem to be problematic for many:

1. Exposure. Many gamers (particularly Xbox 360 gamers) are unaware of what’s available out there in the way of competitive gaming leagues. Most gamers find out about events or competitions through word of mouth or through online forums. It’s entirely up to you as a gamer to go looking for competitive leagues to compete in. It shouldn’t be this way but there isn’t alot being done about it in New Zealand.
2. Financial support. Financial support for competitive gamers is practically non-existent. Competitive video gaming in New Zealand is a very closed, niche area of gaming. There’s a serious lack of businesses (other than those directly connected to the industry) that will support gamers financially as ‘professionals’ or ‘cyber athletes’.
3. Lack of media acknowledgement. In New Zealand, media support for gamers is poorly represented. There are some media outlets that have focused on gaming and game culture and are supportive when big events (like x-LAN and the WCG) happen in New Zealand, but they are few and far between.

So what can be done about any of these problems? Game Culture was created with alot of these core issues in mind. And if alot more people were aware and got involved the same way, it would probably make things easier for serious gamers to stay informed so they can then organise themselves and perhaps move onto something bigger and better.

Over the next few months Game Culture will be featuring various articles that focus on informing competitive gamers about the state of the video game culture in New Zealand and how they can get involved.

Next week we’ll be looking at competitive gaming leagues – who they are, what they do and how competitive gamers in New Zealand can benefit from them.

Stay tuned.