Esports 30 with Kevin Knocke

Today is a little bit different episode (WE’RE FREE TO SAY WHAT WE WANT!). There’s a lot of unrest in the world as peaceful protestors take up the #BlackLivesMatter cause. […]

We have a LOT of things to discuss! The show will be transitioning to a new format and destination (including video!) which Kevin talks about at length. Plus, because it’s […]

Anna Baumann (@esportslawEU) joins Kevin this week to discuss Rogue’s entry to the LEC and what it was like to bring a brand new team into the ecosystem and the […]

When a players uses a rush only strategy to win a major Madden event, that’s great for esports, but proof most sports fans won’t seriously watch esports events as a […]

When a players uses a rush only strategy to win a major Madden event, that's great for esports, but proof most sports fans won't seriously watch esports events as a replacement for sports. Plus, why reductive conversations about esports in financial media outlets can hurt long term sponsorship prospects.

Consoles are great. Controllers are great. Aim assist giving casual players a good time is great. Aim assist is competitive play is not. Kevin talks about the recent drama in […]

Consoles are great. Controllers are great. Aim assist giving casual players a good time is great. Aim assist is competitive play is not. Kevin talks about the recent drama in Fortnite around the success of controller players, why we need to think of esports team revenue in a completely different way, and on a personal note, some reflection on having COVID-19.

CS:GO is offering a beta texture streaming option to allow low end PCs a more stable competitive experience, and Kevin talks about why the game needs stuff like this in […]

CS:GO is offering a beta texture streaming option to allow low end PCs a more stable competitive experience, and Kevin talks about why the game needs stuff like this in light of Valorant's launch. Plus, why the Leena/Doublelift situation this week is dumb and punishable, but still not the conflict of interest the rabid anti-Riot crowd wants it to be.

Kevin was asked over the weekend about what would happen if a league the size of the Overwatch League were to shut down. So more happy topics today yay! Plus, […]

Kevin was asked over the weekend about what would happen if a league the size of the Overwatch League were to shut down. So more happy topics today yay! Plus, mailbag episode taking questions from fans, including one where Miguel Dooley, Rogue's Community Manager, joins to discuss how he manages a pro team's Discord channel.

If your league, team, or organization makes a critical mistake and your fans notice? Apologize and own up to it immediately. Kevin talks this week about why it seems that […]

If your league, team, or organization makes a critical mistake and your fans notice? Apologize and own up to it immediately. Kevin talks this week about why it seems that the OWL team is not listening to this advice (and why the league seems to be falling apart in front of our eyes) and how companies should think about how they engage in communication with their fans.

Friend of the show Frank Villarreal (@Rogue_Frank), President and Founder of Rogue, joins to talk about conflicts of interest and why the Doublelift situation is all manufactured outrage. Plus, he […]

Friend of the show Frank Villarreal (@Rogue_Frank), President and Founder of Rogue, joins to talk about conflicts of interest and why the Doublelift situation is all manufactured outrage. Plus, he and Kevin talk about the first couple weeks of Valorant and take comments from listeners!

Seriously, Doublelift to TSM is not a big deal, and the personalities advocating that it is are just pushing for clicks and outrage. Kevin talks about that along with why […]

Seriously, Doublelift to TSM is not a big deal, and the personalities advocating that it is are just pushing for clicks and outrage. Kevin talks about that along with why it's smart for players to switch to Valorant even before it proves itself (or any new big game release), and how big tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft will dominate gaming over the coming decade.

Why was everyone so upset about Doublelift going back to TSM? It’s most likely to hurt them in the event something goes wrong! Also, Chris Bumbaca (@BOOMbaca) joins to talk […]

Why was everyone so upset about Doublelift going back to TSM? It's most likely to hurt them in the event something goes wrong! Also, Chris Bumbaca (@BOOMbaca) joins to talk about how sports fans are reacting to esports while there's no live sports to watch and how he covers esports as a traditional sports journalist.

Will esports return to normal after the crisis? Michael O’Dell (@ODEEisOG) joins Kevin today to talk about the impacts of this recession vs the 2008-2009 recession and how it will […]

Will esports return to normal after the crisis? Michael O'Dell (@ODEEisOG) joins Kevin today to talk about the impacts of this recession vs the 2008-2009 recession and how it will impact esports. Plus, a ton of thoughts about Valorant, the state of the game, how big it will get, and how to scout and build a team in a brand new game.

Why is China banning gamers from connecting with others outside the country? Because games are one of the best ways for dissenters to communicate. Plus, Kevin talks about his experience […]

Why is China banning gamers from connecting with others outside the country? Because games are one of the best ways for dissenters to communicate. Plus, Kevin talks about his experience casting the ESPN Esports Valorant Invitational, FaZe's new Series A investment, and why you never hear about people doubting whether a man is good enough at a game.

Kevin hates gaming chairs. Hates them. He talks today about why he feels validated in this opinion along with BMW’s huge team sponsorship, Nevada taking wagers for esports officially, and […]

Kevin hates gaming chairs. Hates them. He talks today about why he feels validated in this opinion along with BMW's huge team sponsorship, Nevada taking wagers for esports officially, and Riot's new Teamfight Tactics tournament announcement.

Kevin is joined by Tomas (@RGEflyy) and Nico (@IAmBlueLoL) from Rogue’s League of Legends team to discuss how a team is built in preparation for pro play and how moving […]

Kevin is joined by Tomas (@RGEflyy) and Nico (@IAmBlueLoL) from Rogue's League of Legends team to discuss how a team is built in preparation for pro play and how moving to online matches because of the coronavirus pandemic changes how a team prepares. But first, continued thoughts on VALORANT and how quickly it took for a NASCAR driver to drop the worst word imaginable in a broadcast.

Ok we’re done talking about COVID-19 for a while. We could all use a little break. So let’s talk about the launch of VALORANT and why this week has provided […]

Ok we're done talking about COVID-19 for a while. We could all use a little break. So let's talk about the launch of VALORANT and why this week has provided more data in support of the claim that the entertainment side of gaming content is still a rocketship.

Yep we’re all still stuck inside. So Dave Amirrezvani (@DPTDave) joins Kevin to talk about how you can keep yourself sane and healthy while locked inside. Plus, Kevin discusses his […]

Yep we're all still stuck inside. So Dave Amirrezvani (@DPTDave) joins Kevin to talk about how you can keep yourself sane and healthy while locked inside. Plus, Kevin discusses his thoughts on F1 drivers getting in on esports action and why it's great that games like VALORANT are accessible to as many people as possible by making games able to be played well on low spec machines.

The market downturn is coming for everyone, so Kevin talks about what will happen with esports teams and why teams entirely reliant on advertiser revenue could fold during the recession […]

The market downturn is coming for everyone, so Kevin talks about what will happen with esports teams and why teams entirely reliant on advertiser revenue could fold during the recession in addition to the role developers could play in supporting their pro teams. Plus, why it's way too on-the-nose for esports fans to mock virtual NASCAR and relief that April Fool's was cancelled this year.

If there’s a silver lining for gamers in the midst of this crazy global pandemic, it’s that there’s unprecedented traffic to game servers, esports events, and livestreamers in general. Jake […]

If there's a silver lining for gamers in the midst of this crazy global pandemic, it's that there's unprecedented traffic to game servers, esports events, and livestreamers in general. Jake Phillips from StreamHatchet (streamhatchet.com, @streamhatchet) joins Kevin to talk about how viewership has been impacted while everyone sits inside and waits for this to blow over.

Today, we try to get away from talking about event cancellations or other depressing plague news. So Kevin answers a bunch of questions from listeners about content in our new […]

Today, we try to get away from talking about event cancellations or other depressing plague news. So Kevin answers a bunch of questions from listeners about content in our new reality, including what esports opportunities there are right now, how gambling will affect competitive integrity, and whether online league play ensures a true competitive game or not.

Well there’s no getting around it, there’s one topic in the world and we talk about it, including an update on Kevin’s health. Then, Richard Grisham from the studio behind […]

Well there's no getting around it, there's one topic in the world and we talk about it, including an update on Kevin's health. Then, Richard Grisham from the studio behind Out of the Park Baseball joins to discuss sports video games in a world without sports and how sports management simulation games support their competitive players.

Welp, Kevin is actually getting some cold and flu symptoms, so while he unnecessarily freaks out for a while and self quarantines, here’s a quick reminder in a shorter episode […]

Welp, Kevin is actually getting some cold and flu symptoms, so while he unnecessarily freaks out for a while and self quarantines, here's a quick reminder in a shorter episode to stay safe and take this thing seriously. We'll get past this eventually.

Hey everyone, please stay inside if you can. This thing is really serious and even if you’re not part of an at-risk group, you could infect those who are immunocompromised […]

Hey everyone, please stay inside if you can. This thing is really serious and even if you're not part of an at-risk group, you could infect those who are immunocompromised or have respiratory problems. It's a big deal and everyone should do their part to slow this thing down. In the meantime, play a bunch of video games and listen to Kevin talk to Taylor Cocke, gaming PR and former games journalist about more esports sites covering general gaming culture, the effect of the coronavirus on gaming content, and our personal top 5 Mario games of all time.

It’s callous, cold, and heartless, but the social impacts of the coronavirus are likely to keep a lot of people inside in the near future which is already showing to […]

It's callous, cold, and heartless, but the social impacts of the coronavirus are likely to keep a lot of people inside in the near future which is already showing to be a boost to gaming in affected countries. Also, a listener asks, can a vehicle crew based game (or any asymmetric game like that) actually succeed as an esport?

Frank Villarreal (@Rogue_Frank), President and Co-Founder of Rogue, joins Kevin to discuss the effect the coronavirus has had on events and teams, Diabotical vs Valorant, and follow ups to 2020 […]

Frank Villarreal (@Rogue_Frank), President and Co-Founder of Rogue, joins Kevin to discuss the effect the coronavirus has had on events and teams, Diabotical vs Valorant, and follow ups to 2020 predictions. Also, Kevin talks about his unease with the armed forces advertising to younger groups.

Mid and low tier esports events have always proven to be tough to get fans to attend, and the coronavirus may actually show leagues and investors and improving the virtual […]

Mid and low tier esports events have always proven to be tough to get fans to attend, and the coronavirus may actually show leagues and investors and improving the virtual broadcast experience is more important than replicating live events like in sports. Plus, Valorant is on everyone's mind. Why? Probably because a shooter that gets it right will be the biggest esport in the world.

Ross Ledford and Ryan Griffin join Kevin this week to take you through, step by step, how to plan and organize a collegiate esports event. Ever wonder how to start […]

Ross Ledford and Ryan Griffin join Kevin this week to take you through, step by step, how to plan and organize a collegiate esports event. Ever wonder how to start getting your college to create an esports club or how you get funding to put on massive tournaments? Listen to today's episode and you can start setting up something on your campus in the very near future.