Disney XD has embraced eSports as it targets the same demographic that spends more time viewing pro gaming and video game live streaming content online than traditional broadcast TV. The new sitcom “Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything” stars Cameron Boyce as Conor, a 15-year-old eSports player who enrolls in public high school for the first time after years of private tutoring. Although a thumb injury sidelines his pro career, he continues to see life s challenges as a video game. The show weaves real world with video game graphics to tap into the eSports fan base.
Executive producer Jim O Doherty has had success with TV shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun, Grounded for Life, and Kickin It over the years. Now he s riding the wave of eSports with the first live action scripted show that uses professional gaming as a backdrop. O Doherty explains how eSports, and the viewing habits of its fans, is impacting traditional television in this exclusive interview.
How did you research eSports for this TV show
As soon as I became a viable candidate in running this show I immersed myself in eSports. We have hardcore gamers on the staff. It s a good marriage of traditional storytelling and video game and eSports culture. The backdrop of this show is video gaming in the same way. It s a good culture to explore.
I created Kickin It, which has a backdrop of martial arts, five years ago when there was a dojo in every strip mall in America and it was exploding. I knew a show about that would have mass appeal. Today, eSports and gaming are gigantic. We re pretty sure we re right again with targeting gamers and using an eSports backdrop.
Did you get a sense of how many kids spend a lot of their free time watching eSports
It s massive and eSports has exploded. We re conscious of how big it is. From the subculture and how it informs and relates to our demo, it s something we studied and we went to events and watched and witnessed eSports first-hand. Show creators Nick Stanton and Devin Bunje are in tune to the whole world of eSports.
Which eSports events did you attend
I went to a (Super League Gaming) Minecraft theater event competition in LA and Devin went to an eSports event in San Francisco. We ve also watched eSports online and see how massive this is. We have Julius at Disney and this is what he lives and breathes. He tells us this is more accurate and the perspective.
What demographic are you targeting with this show
The demographics of the show are boys 6 to 14 years of age. We re also starting to get a growing number of girls in our demo. The sweet spot is to get both.
How does eSports impact the show s stories
We re storytellers first and foremost. We do a three act structure over 22 minutes. We find a story that organically ties into the culture and the world of eSports. We have characters dealing with things like relationships and problems with school and parents and money. And the eSports culture is the backdrop. We have this central character, Conor, and it s through his imagination that we go into the gamer sequences. He brings that in to deal with his own personal problems.
How have eSports fans tuned in for this show
It s proven that eSports fans are interested in this. The launch was the largest live action show that XD has ever launched. The numbers are huge. The way the show is consumed has changed. We look at the first number for the first viewing, but that s just a small piece of the pie. We also look at how many times it was looked at on different devices over a three-day and seven-day experience. We have a very good understanding of how this content is consumed. It s not the way I consumed shows when I was a kid. It s much faster and much easier and more widespread for sure. That s the way the demo lives in the world of eSports.
What type of gaming background do you have
I went from pinball to asteroids to air hockey. My first job was in a video arcade. I grew up with those games and they re obsolete now. But I remember the love and joy and connection with playing video games. I didn’t want to go back to school after lunch because of arcade games. I totally understand games and get their appeal and understand that demo.
What are your thoughts on the fact that professional video gaming even exists today
It s awesome. And it s a reflection of where we are in the world. ESports and gaming are gigantic. Pro gamers, why not It s a natural extension of this day and age. It requires a skill set. My daughter goes to Berkeley and there s a huge eSports culture there. The kids can take such a joy in something they love and figure out a way to monetize it and even make a living from it.
How are you working with eSports leagues
Some of the bigger leagues are reaching out to us and trying to do a tine-in or be associated with us. That are is very active. But it has to make sense for all the people involved. There are a lot of moving parts to Disney. It s a very sophisticated machine. If it makes sense, we re always open to listening.
How has that dialogue evolved
In the beginning we were making phone calls to make sure we were doing things right. Devin and Nick are from this world, but it was important to all of us to be authentic. The minute we do something not authentic to the culture, we knew we were going to alienate people. There s an integrity to what we re doing because eSports is like a religion to these kids.
What type of cameos have you had from the eSports world
We have cameos from YouTube personalities like Stampy Cat, Captain Sparklez, and Markiplier in the show.