Mentioned in this article Games: Dota 2, Hearthstone Teams: Fnatic

The newest organization to hit the esports scene is WESA, the World Esports Associaton. The ambiguous group aims to “bring all esports stakeholders—players, teams, organizers and broadcasters—to the discussion table in order to bring much needed structure, predictable schedules and transparency to the scene.” But what does that really mean? And is it attainable? For that matter, what even is WESA—a league, a union, or something new?

The need for discussion

WESA’s main goal appears to be giving a place and structure to discussions between esports professionals that aim to shape the scene. There is, undeniably, a need for this. Time and time again, we hear of the need for players to be listened to, for game publishers to open their ears, etc.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]WESA’s main goal appears to be giving a place and structure to discussions between esports professionals that aim to shape the scene.[/perfectpullquote]

That said, it’s not like players are being muzzled right now. Many are vocal; others simply don’t care. What players need is to be heard, to be taken seriously. But that won’t happen unless the players have some sort of leverage over teams and tournaments. Traditionally, that comes in the form of a player union, but could also happen through government regulation or individual lawsuits.

WESA’s proposed solution is to create a player’s council, which will be present in these discussions and have a voice in the decisions. Additionally, there’s plans to have independent auditors and arbitrators present to make sure that every voice is heard and weighed appropriately.

From our Press Conference, WESA Structure & how the association directly involves players in governance #WESA pic.twitter.com/T1eqt0QadI — WESA (@WESAofficial) May 13, 2016

However, it’s important to see the framework for what it is. Teams seem to have a much larger role, along with being included as members, while players are only present when they are voted into the council. Additionally, this is all happening under the WESA banner, which is run by an Executive Committee that includes 2 ESL executives alongside executives from Fnatic and Ninjas in Pyjamas.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Making an effort to include teams and players, even if for show, is a step in the right direction.[/perfectpullquote]

As this is all being initiated by WESA, it’s tough to say how the auditors will be independent. The selection process may not even involve the teams or players. Without true fairness, without the leverage to create fairness, there can’t be any.

All that said, however, and it’s important to also note that for the most part, important tournament decisions aren’t really involving teams and players. At least acknowledging that, and making an effort to include teams and players, even if for show, is a step in the right direction. A small step, but a step nonetheless.

The problem of reach

Another big problem in defining WESA is determining the group’s reach. Despite being called the “World Esports Association,” it will not include any other major leagues beyond ESL. Others, like MLG, weren’t even asked to participate.

MLG wasn’t approached or included in any conversations around the formation of WESA. — Adam Apicella (@MrAdamAp) May 13, 2016

There’s also the question of which games will be covered. Based on the teams selected, CS:GO is a likely target. But expanding wider could prove problematic. CS:GO is one of the few esports titles that operates largely separate from its publisher. Other popular titles like League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Dota 2 all have plenty of publisher interest, and will likely be harder to integrate.

For that matter, publishers don’t even seem to have a role within WESA. That’s a massive problem, especially because publishers—even Valve—have shown no hesitance in unilaterally making competitive rulings affecting the scene. These range from player punishments to streaming regulations, to even things like what kind of advertisers can sponsor a team. However WESA manages to negotiate between teams, players, and ESL, if publishers seek to impose other restrictions, there may be no way to stop them.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Stifling newcomers is a great way to ruin the development of any esport.[/perfectpullquote]

Many have also voiced concerns about which regions WESA seeks to integrate. Again, despite the “World” part of the name, the group leans heavily toward European membership. North America will likely be easy to integrate if its teams are onboarded, but smaller regions may be more difficult. How will WESA determine which teams deserve membership in a place like Brazil, or Australia—and more importantly, how will those teams’ needs be balanced against those of teams in larger regions?

Most importantly, though, is the inclusion of smaller teams. If WESA is only making decisions with the help of top players and teams, then it’s bound to become favorable to top players and teams. How will WESA effectively balance those voices with those for amateurs and brand-new teams? Stifling newcomers is a great way to ruin the development of any esport.

So what is WESA?

Essentially, it’s an attempt to create dialogue between groups in esports that currently aren’t really talking. No, it doesn’t include everybody—in fact, it’s extremely small for now, though it could get bigger. No, it doesn’t need to exist—but then again, it’s not like those discussions are really happening anyways.

All that in mind, it seems pretty reasonable, then, for WESA to have formed, and to be built with the goal of discussion. But, for all the months of work to form the group, the biggest challenge still lies ahead. Making meaningful, reasonable, and beneficial decisions for the esports industry—at least, in the areas WESA touches—is going to be significantly harder than simply creating the structure in which to talk about them.