The Long History of Complexity Gaming
Esports has been growing rapidly, but it’s important to remember its rich history that dates back more than 15 years.
Founded in 2003, Complexity Gaming has stood the test of time in the world of esports. To celebrate its long history, the organization has launched coLassic Content, a three-day streaming event that showcases archived demos from Complexity teams throughout the years.
Over the next three days, the team’s Twitch channel will feature classic matches from Counter-Strike 1.6, Day of Defeat, and Team Fortress 2. This streaming event aims to spark discussions about the team and the games in the Twitch channel, which was the main communication platform for esports a decade ago.
If the three-day test is successful, Complexity Gaming plans to unlock their entire vault of past matches and create a 24/7/365 feed of their past gameplay.
While showcasing classic sports matches may have an audience, it is still a niche market and esports is no exception. Watching a competitive game live is what excites most fans. Celebrating past matches and understanding how things were done in the past can be interesting, but it might not be as entertaining, especially when matches are presented from a single player’s perspective without any commentary or team communication.
The viewer experience could use some improvement. When I tuned in, I watched an old Counter-Strike match from 2009 without knowing the full lineup of the team or the event they were playing in. Context like this would make watching classic matches much more engaging.
Nevertheless, it’s still pretty cool that Complexity Gaming is bringing some esports history to light. So much of esports history is lost and inaccessible on the internet. This effort by the team is a step towards preserving that history, even if it doesn’t attract a large audience.
If you do decide to watch, be prepared to see me wearing the coL tag in Team Fortress 2. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.