The problem with playing live.

[homerwannabee]

I know that people make a big deal about playing live, because the crowd is there, and the pressure is on, but here is a truth they don't tell you.
Unless you are playing an event with fellow hard core gamers there is nothing on the planet that can make you feel more insignificant than playing live in front of casual game players.
From my experience you are treated like a ghost 95 percent of the time. Life is happening around you, but you are not part of that community.
So the hardest part is not blocking out the attention, but blocking out the lack of attention.
Well at least it is a reality check when you realize that 99.999% of the general population doesn't care in the least for what you do.

[marky_d]

From my recent experience at my local arcade, the biggest attention getter was Joust of all things. Which is fine since that game awards a ton of lives so you can afford to hotdog a little. No pressure there.

[xelnia]

From my recent experience at my local arcade, the biggest attention getter was Joust of all things. Which is fine since that game awards a ton of lives so you can afford to hotdog a little. No pressure there.

But then you're playing Joust...so people should be ignoring you anyway. 

[ChrisP]

"the hardest part is not blocking out the attention, but blocking out the lack of attention."
- George Riley on live video game performances

This is almost sig-worthy, love it.

[DiggingInNY]

So the hardest part is not blocking out the attention, but blocking out the lack of attention.
Well at least it is a reality check when you realize that 99.999% of the general population doesn't care in the least for what you do.

From my experience, I think it also depends on the game you are playing. Whenever I go to Barcade, I notice that if I am having a big game, I may not get any spectators and I think it's because of what I am playing. If it's Ms. Pac-Man, I will get a crowd, because everyone knows that game. If it's LadyBug, no one will notice, since it's nowhere near as popular. Then again, most people that go to Barcade have a casual interest in games, so they won't have an understanding if someone is having the game of their life.

[lakeman421]

Every time I go to Funspot i usually have a camera recording or something and that alone draws a crowd.  If you have a camera recording a game people tend to notice and watch.  Sometimes they ask what you are doing and why cause a lot dont understand the verification process.  But when i play on DK there it draws a crowd since I'm playing on a well known machine from KOK and when they see a score above 400k they tend to stick around.  But I am sure outside of that arcade there is less attention on DK unless you have a monster game going.

[TheSunshineFund]

The FS tourney draws a crowd in terms of some of the gameplay.  A couple of folks ks'd kickman and CK in the past few years.  That seemed to interest some of the more casual FS participants.

[timhett]

You get used to people ignoring you after a while . 
Seriously though, the thing to keep in mind, like you said, is that 99% of the general public don't care about what we are doing here and at most barcades or even arcades, the crowd will likely be the "general public" rather than serious players who can appreciate good game play.  Even if they could be impressed by the moves, they are usually paying more attention to their friends, drinks, games, etc rather than watching strangers play and don't even see it.  When I play Millipede at Barcade Manhattan, the machine is tucked way back in a corner, far from the bar and I usually go when there are few people anyway. At a competition, the crowd is looking for a performance and may be watching particular players who are good and worth watching. 

[CaptainJivePants]

The FS tourney draws a crowd in terms of some of the gameplay.  A couple of folks ks'd kickman and CK in the past few years.  That seemed to interest some of the more casual FS participants.

The camera / streaming equipment usually gets more attention than anybody playing a game at GGA. I have had a few people stop and talk to me or comment on games when they see the score, level, or whatever, but most folks are more wrapped up in friends or getting their $15 worth of games. So, they usually don't even look at what you are doing, and you just hope they don't hit you or screw you up somehow. A couple of us have noticed more people stop to observe others or talk to us when we are at barcades like Emporium because there are fewer games, a more social environment, and maybe the fact they aren't as used to seeing it there. Just the fact people have to stand in line for games sometimes makes this happen, like when a couple people decided to wait the whole game behind Matt Rocco and I for Moon Patrol. Personally, I kind of like a little chit-chat to keep me from getting into my head too much, but I think I would have a real tough time trying to go for a big score at a crowded barcade or while carrying on a conversation with a crowd. All in all, I'm pretty fine with the lack of attention, I reckon.

[johnbart]

"the hardest part is not blocking out the attention, but blocking out the lack of attention."
- George Riley on live video game performances

This is almost sig-worthy, love it.

I have this same problem when I'm hanging out at a local coffee shop reading the news.  It's almost like I just blend in with the furniture.  This might put some people off their game but I just keep reading right on through it all.  100% Pro 100% of the time baby!

[ebinsugewa]

One time my camera attracted , so there's that

[Verminator]

I tend to do well when the pressure is on and know people are watching. My mini-marathon on Frenzy recently was more successful when I had people talking to me and offering encouragement. My BOTA performance exceeded my expectations knowing the scores counted towards something. Put a camera on me and I will put my best foot forward (after a brief adjustment period).

[Verminator]

Also, I will acknowledge that the competitive classic gaming population is small. There are probably 100,000X more people playing World of Warcraft and 1,000,000X more people playing Minecraft but this is our World and I still cherish it. The fact that World Records on classic games are still being broken 30+ years after their release says a lot. Will anyone care about World of Warcraft or Minecraft 30 years from now?