Without naming names, a buddy of mine got the invite but had to turn it down.
This list makes sense if:
a) You live in the Continental USA
b) If you don't, you're loaded
WotC isn't paying any hotels or flights for these. So for example, APAC players would have to fork out for all the details (and the traveling). Buddy told me that financially, it didn't really make sense and it would wreck havoc on his personal life.
I heard that they are changing the way it's done, so instead of paying for flights (which can get messy and expensive for WotC, as you'd imagine) they've started paying out the prizes down to the last player for their premium tournaments?
I'm guessing paying out a sort of flat rate to everyone attending isn't exactly the same thing, but I've heard people comparing it favourably to offering flights, albeit in a slightly different way.
I guess the crux of this will be down to how much each player gets
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Without naming names, a buddy of mine got the invite but had to turn it down.
This list makes sense if:
a) You live in the Continental USA
b) If you don't, you're loaded
WotC isn't paying any hotels or flights for these. So for example, APAC players would have to fork out for all the details (and the traveling). Buddy told me that financially, it didn't really make sense and it would wreck havoc on his personal life.
I heard that they are changing the way it's done, so instead of paying for flights (which can get messy and expensive for WotC, as you'd imagine) they've started paying out the prizes down to the last player for their premium tournaments?
I'm guessing paying out a sort of flat rate to everyone attending isn't exactly the same thing, but I've heard people comparing it favourably to offering flights, albeit in a slightly different way.
I guess the crux of this will be down to how much each player gets
And more importantly, how much the flight is. Flying from Europe or Asia is a very different thing than flying within the US, yet the prize payouts are the same for everyone all over the world. So you would have to place higher as an EU player to break even, making the arrangement worse EV for non-US players.
If they covered the flight, no matter the cost, it would be an even playing field. Now, it's pretty unfair.
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When I hit my 3000 post mark, I'm gone for good.
Stay reasonable, be mindful of your expectations and don't feed the trolls.
If they covered the flight, no matter the cost, it would be an even playing field. Now, it's pretty unfair.
Well, that's ok. Say, Moscow, where I spend must of my time, has a bunch of great old-school players who would never visit a GP, since Wizards don't do GPs in Russia, and going to Europe just to play GP is a losing value proposition. Yet this is all right - you can not make it fair for everyone.
If they covered the flight, no matter the cost, it would be an even playing field. Now, it's pretty unfair.
"even playing field", sure maybe. But it doesn't make sense from an organisational standpoint, and in reality, there doesn't exist today a global competitive sport or equivalent where every nation sits on an "even playing field". In an ideal world without economy, politics, war or geographical distances we could achieve something like you're suggesting, but even for huge global events like the Olympics, look at the stark differences between a country like Iran or Morocco and a country like GB, France, USA, Canada. Even with national government funding, what even playing field exists? Why do you assume a small gaming company could achieve what whole nations cannot?
anyway, let me pose a counterpoint here, because the flights thing is a red herring:
who books the flight?
how far ahead do they book it?
what airline and class do they book?
what airport(s) do they fly into and out of?
worked example:
let's say you're a pro and WotC sends you an email. In it, they say "we're going to pay for your flight to ProTour X next year".
great news! except....
- does WotC book the flights? This is more time consuming than you'd imagine, especially if there's several hundred pros
- does WotC know where you'll be in six months' time? What if you're visiting family or you've changed job and the only nearby airport is different from the one they booked? They waste hundreds of dollars and you don't get to go to the ProTour
- Do you book the flights? This has its own dearth of issues, namely:
-- busy lifestyles and frequent travel means people tend to leave this sort of stuff until the last minute, meaning costs will go up by a huge amount. For one person, this wouldn't make much difference, but for dozens or over a hundred players, this is going to be massive.
-- if you've got a blank cheque to pay for a flight, people will take the easiest, most convenient flight (direct flights, more expensive airlines, different airports, no layovers etc) meaning the costs can double or triple based on this aspect alone. There's always a bunch of flight options going to any given airport and there's always a big spread of prices. A 'free pass' multiplied over a hundred or more pros would mean ridiculous (and avoidable) costs equating to perhaps several people's annual salaries at WotC. No bueno.
-- additional baggage? VIP waiting lounge? Paid fast-track Check-in service? These are usually included in the cost of the ticket, on purchase. With a free flight, people would use these services.
-- With a no-risk paid-for flight, people would book ahead even if they weren't sure of being able to attend an event. I mean, why not? If there's a 40% chance i could attend the next protour with my busy work schedule, those odds are good enough to book anyway and put the risk on WotC rather than my stretched bank account. Whether or not you'd personally do this, it's what would happen with blanket paid-for flights.
-- would WotC impose rules on booking flights? How would this work in practice? Booking a specific time in advance, for example, wouldn't work for most people. Restricting costs, routes or discounting certain airlines again would be problematic, but these factors heavily influence the cost and WotC would wan't to be able to control their spending (like any sensible person or company would!)
bottom line, "paying for flights" ends up being a huge, spiraling cost that you'd struggle to predict or account for, at the whim and mercy of busy, entitled players who vote for convenience rather than economy. If I was in charge of the budget for handing out flights to players, i'd be the most stressed person in the team.
It makes more sense as a business to offer a higher EV tournament where everyone gets a prize, giving back at least part of their travel costs no matter how poorly they do. That's a known cost that they can map out for a year, allowing for more spending (because there isn't a big question mark next to expenditure for 'flights') For the community that's like having your cake and eating it too. Remember; in every other sport or competition, you get rewarded for doing well. There is inherent risk to competition, there has to be, otherwise people would coast at the bottom of the pile without trying and reap the rewards all the same. This isn't a stable 9-to-5 job, this is a 'sporting event'. The top competitors are the ones who win, financially and in terms of standing in the community. It's completely right that the person in last place should 'fall off' the ProTour at some point, and receive less payout. Otherwise what's the point of competing?
My comments on the "everybody wins" prize payouts hinges on how much it actually is. If stone-cold last place gets $400 or more, that's great. if it's $150, that's nice for local players who can drive or fly internally, but not great for those travelling further. I'm assuming it'll be a reasonable amount and that's a completely baseless assumption on my part. If it turns out to be on the low side, I'll retract my point about "cake and eating it too", but the problematic issue of paying for flights still stands.
Now, could players get more support? truly, yes. Sponsorships from third parties is the big one, and with Arena taking off i'm sure we'll start to see this happen more (edit: in fact we already have!). Is the system perfect? No, it's functionally impossible to be the best system for everyone everywhere. But it's improving. We are just riding off the back of the biggest announced shake-up in competitive MTG since 1993 and things are looking better all the time. At least let the new system start before throwing shade on whether people get paid flights or not. WotC can't have made these decisions lightly and there's a lot of people (you and I included) looking their way, waiting to see if it works out or for an opportunity to discredit them as an organisation.
I heard that they are changing the way it's done, so instead of paying for flights (which can get messy and expensive for WotC, as you'd imagine) they've started paying out the prizes down to the last player for their premium tournaments?
I'm guessing paying out a sort of flat rate to everyone attending isn't exactly the same thing, but I've heard people comparing it favourably to offering flights, albeit in a slightly different way.
I guess the crux of this will be down to how much each player gets
If they covered the flight, no matter the cost, it would be an even playing field. Now, it's pretty unfair.
Stay reasonable, be mindful of your expectations and don't feed the trolls.
Doomsdayin'
Well, that's ok. Say, Moscow, where I spend must of my time, has a bunch of great old-school players who would never visit a GP, since Wizards don't do GPs in Russia, and going to Europe just to play GP is a losing value proposition. Yet this is all right - you can not make it fair for everyone.
"even playing field", sure maybe. But it doesn't make sense from an organisational standpoint, and in reality, there doesn't exist today a global competitive sport or equivalent where every nation sits on an "even playing field". In an ideal world without economy, politics, war or geographical distances we could achieve something like you're suggesting, but even for huge global events like the Olympics, look at the stark differences between a country like Iran or Morocco and a country like GB, France, USA, Canada. Even with national government funding, what even playing field exists? Why do you assume a small gaming company could achieve what whole nations cannot?
anyway, let me pose a counterpoint here, because the flights thing is a red herring:
who books the flight?
how far ahead do they book it?
what airline and class do they book?
what airport(s) do they fly into and out of?
worked example:
let's say you're a pro and WotC sends you an email. In it, they say "we're going to pay for your flight to ProTour X next year".
great news! except....
- does WotC book the flights? This is more time consuming than you'd imagine, especially if there's several hundred pros
- does WotC know where you'll be in six months' time? What if you're visiting family or you've changed job and the only nearby airport is different from the one they booked? They waste hundreds of dollars and you don't get to go to the ProTour
- Do you book the flights? This has its own dearth of issues, namely:
-- busy lifestyles and frequent travel means people tend to leave this sort of stuff until the last minute, meaning costs will go up by a huge amount. For one person, this wouldn't make much difference, but for dozens or over a hundred players, this is going to be massive.
-- if you've got a blank cheque to pay for a flight, people will take the easiest, most convenient flight (direct flights, more expensive airlines, different airports, no layovers etc) meaning the costs can double or triple based on this aspect alone. There's always a bunch of flight options going to any given airport and there's always a big spread of prices. A 'free pass' multiplied over a hundred or more pros would mean ridiculous (and avoidable) costs equating to perhaps several people's annual salaries at WotC. No bueno.
-- additional baggage? VIP waiting lounge? Paid fast-track Check-in service? These are usually included in the cost of the ticket, on purchase. With a free flight, people would use these services.
-- With a no-risk paid-for flight, people would book ahead even if they weren't sure of being able to attend an event. I mean, why not? If there's a 40% chance i could attend the next protour with my busy work schedule, those odds are good enough to book anyway and put the risk on WotC rather than my stretched bank account. Whether or not you'd personally do this, it's what would happen with blanket paid-for flights.
-- would WotC impose rules on booking flights? How would this work in practice? Booking a specific time in advance, for example, wouldn't work for most people. Restricting costs, routes or discounting certain airlines again would be problematic, but these factors heavily influence the cost and WotC would wan't to be able to control their spending (like any sensible person or company would!)
bottom line, "paying for flights" ends up being a huge, spiraling cost that you'd struggle to predict or account for, at the whim and mercy of busy, entitled players who vote for convenience rather than economy. If I was in charge of the budget for handing out flights to players, i'd be the most stressed person in the team.
It makes more sense as a business to offer a higher EV tournament where everyone gets a prize, giving back at least part of their travel costs no matter how poorly they do. That's a known cost that they can map out for a year, allowing for more spending (because there isn't a big question mark next to expenditure for 'flights') For the community that's like having your cake and eating it too. Remember; in every other sport or competition, you get rewarded for doing well. There is inherent risk to competition, there has to be, otherwise people would coast at the bottom of the pile without trying and reap the rewards all the same. This isn't a stable 9-to-5 job, this is a 'sporting event'. The top competitors are the ones who win, financially and in terms of standing in the community. It's completely right that the person in last place should 'fall off' the ProTour at some point, and receive less payout. Otherwise what's the point of competing?
My comments on the "everybody wins" prize payouts hinges on how much it actually is. If stone-cold last place gets $400 or more, that's great. if it's $150, that's nice for local players who can drive or fly internally, but not great for those travelling further. I'm assuming it'll be a reasonable amount and that's a completely baseless assumption on my part. If it turns out to be on the low side, I'll retract my point about "cake and eating it too", but the problematic issue of paying for flights still stands.
Now, could players get more support? truly, yes. Sponsorships from third parties is the big one, and with Arena taking off i'm sure we'll start to see this happen more (edit: in fact we already have!). Is the system perfect? No, it's functionally impossible to be the best system for everyone everywhere. But it's improving. We are just riding off the back of the biggest announced shake-up in competitive MTG since 1993 and things are looking better all the time. At least let the new system start before throwing shade on whether people get paid flights or not. WotC can't have made these decisions lightly and there's a lot of people (you and I included) looking their way, waiting to see if it works out or for an opportunity to discredit them as an organisation.