How video game skills can get you ahead in life | William Collis

Transcriber:

翻译人员: Alexis Young 校对人员: Helen Chang

In 2019,

在 2019 年，

the highest paid athlete in the world

世界上收入最高的运动员

was an Argentine footballer named Lionel Messi.

是一位名叫莱昂内尔·梅西的 阿根廷足球运动员。

And his talent?

至于他的天赋？

Dribbling a ball down a pitch and booting it past a goalkeeper.

盘球穿越球场， 接着将球踢过守门员。

It's a skill so revered by fans and corporate sponsors alike,

这是一项深受粉丝 和企业赞助商推崇的技能，

that in 2019,

以至于在 2019 年，

Messi took home 104 million dollars.

梅西赚进一亿四百万美元。

That's almost two million dollars for every goal he scored in season.

等于是赛季里每进一球 就进帐两百万美元。

He's a pretty spectacular athlete by any standard.

以任何标准衡量， 他都是一位非常出色的运动员。

But why is it Messi's particular skills are so valuable?

但为什么梅西的球技会这么有价值？

Sure, there are obvious answers.

当然有明显的答案。

We just have enormous respect for athletic prowess,

我们对杰出的运动才能极为尊崇，

we love human competition,

我们热爱人类间的竞争，

and sports unite generations.

而运动让各世代更团结。

You can enjoy watching soccer with your grandfather

你可以和你的祖父和孙女

and your granddaughter alike.

一起享受观看足球的乐趣。

But growing up, I admired a different sort of athlete.

但在成长过程中， 我欣赏的是另一种运动员，

I didn't just want to bend it like Beckham.

我不只想要像贝克汉那样 踢出香蕉球。

I loved video games

我喜欢电子游戏，

and I was floored by the intricate strategies

精采游戏所需的复杂战略 和精确的反射动作

and precision reflexes required to play them well.

令我完全臣服。

To me, they were equally admirable

对我来说，他们与世界各地 体育场发生的任何事

to anything taking place in stadia around the world.

都同样令人钦佩。

And I still feel that way.

至今我依然那么觉得。

Today, I still love video games,

我仍然喜欢电子游戏，

I founded successful companies in the space

我在这个领域创立了 几个成功的公司，

and I've even written a book about the industry.

还写了一本关于这个行业的书。

But most importantly,

但最重要的是

I've discovered I'm not alone,

我发现我并不孤单，

because as I've grown up, so has gaming.

因为随着我的成长，游戏也进步了。

And today, millions of players around the world

而今天，全球数以百万计的玩家

need to compete in gaming centers

需要在像这个螺旋竞技场般的 游戏中心竞争，

like this helix,

and large gaming tournaments,

而大型游戏锦标赛，

like the League of Legends World Championships

像是英雄联盟世界锦标赛，

can reach over 100 million viewers online.

在线观看人数可以超过 1 亿。

That's more than some Super Bowls.

人数超过一些超级碗竞赛。

And Lionel Messi isn’t the only pro getting [paid] for his skills.

而莱昂内尔·梅西也不是唯一一个

因为他的技能 而获得报酬的职业球员。

Top gaming teams can take home 15 million dollars or more

顶级游戏团队可以从 像 Dota 邀请赛这样的单一锦标赛中

from a single tournament like Dota's Invitational.

获得 1,500 万美元以上的收入。

And all this is why traditional sports stars,

这就是为什么传统体育明星，

from David Beckham to Shaquille O'Neal,

从大卫贝克汉姆到沙奎尔奥尼尔，

are investing in competitive games,

正在投资竞技游戏，

transforming our industry,

几乎在一夜之间

now called esports,

将我们现在称为电子竞技的行业

into a 27-billion-dollar phenomenon, almost overnight.

转变为价值 270 亿美元的产业。

But despite all this,

但尽管如此，

the skills required to be a pro gamer still don't get much respect.

成为职业玩家所需的技能 仍然没有得到太多尊重。

Parents hound their gamer-loving kids to go outside, do something useful,

父母们会赶他们喜欢玩游戏的孩子 到户外玩，做一些有用的事，

take up a real sport.

玩一项真正的运动。

And I'm not saying that physical activity isn't important,

我也不是说体能活动不重要，

or that esports are somehow better than traditional sports.

或者电子竞技在某种程度上 比传统运动更好。

What I want to argue

我想说的是，

is that it takes real skill to be good at competitive video games.

擅长竞技电子游戏需要真正的技能。

So let's take a look at the skills required to win in Fortnite,

那么让我们来看看

在《要塞英雄》、 《英雄联盟》、《火箭联盟》

League of Legends, Rocket League,

some of today's most popular esports.

以及当今一些最受欢迎的 电竞游戏中获胜所需的技能。

Now, all of these games are very different.

每种游戏都很不同。

League of Legends is about controlling a magical champion

《英雄联盟》是关于 控制一个魔法战士，

as they siege an opposing fortress with spells and abilities.

并用他们的法术和技能 围攻对方的堡垒。

Fortnite is about parachuting into 100-person free-for-all

《要塞英雄》是跳伞降落在 一个热带岛屿，

on a tropical island paradise

进入 100 人免费混战，

and Rocket League is soccer with cars,

而《火箭联盟》有汽车和足球，

which, while it may sound strange, I promise, is incredibly fun.

虽然这听起来很怪， 但我保证非常有趣。

And yet, all of these three esports,

然而，尽管存在差异，

despite their differences, and most competitive games, actually

这三种电子竞技 以及最具竞争力的游戏

have three common categories of skill.

实际上都具有三种常见的技能类别。

And I'm going to take you through each in turn.

我将依次向你介绍。

The first type of skill required to master esports is mechanical skill,

精通电竞需要的 第一种技能是操控技巧，

sometimes referred to as micro.

有时也称为 “微观技能“。

Mechanical skill governs activating and aiming in-game abilities

操控技巧能以 一个像素也不差的精准度

with pixel-perfect accuracy.

在游戏中启动和瞄准。

And I'd most liken mechanical skill to playing an instrument like piano.

我认为操控技巧 好比演奏像钢琴之类的乐器。

There's a musical flow and a timing to predict

对手的动作和反应

in your opponent's actions and reactions.

有音乐般的流动性和时机 让你得以预测。

And crucially, just like piano,

重要的是，就像弹钢琴，

top esports pros hit dozens of keys at once.

顶尖的电竞玩家一次按几十个键。

Gamers regularly achieve APMs, or actions per minute,

玩家经常在一分钟内

of 300 or more,

执行三百个以上的动作，

which is roughly one command every fifth of a second

那大约是每五分之一秒下一个指令。

and in particularly mechanically demanding esports,

在特别要求操控技巧的电竞游戏中，

like StarCraft,

例如《星海争霸》，

top pros achieve APMs of 600 or more,

顶尖的职业选手每分钟执行 六百个以上的动作，

allowing them to literally control entire armies one unit at a time.

这使他们得以同时控制 一整个部队中的每个单位。

To give you an idea of how difficult this is,

为了让您了解这有多困难，

imagine a classic game like Super Mario Brothers.

想象你在玩一个经典游戏， 就说《超级玛利欧兄弟》好了。

But instead of controlling one Mario, there are now two hundred,

你不只是控制一个玛利欧， 而是同时控制两百个，

and instead of playing on one screen, you're playing across dozens,

你不是在一个屏幕上玩， 而是几十个，

each set to a different level or stage.

并且每个都设定在 不同的等级或状态。

And now Mario can't just run or jump, but he has new powers,

而玛利欧不再只能奔跑 或跳跃，他有新的能力

teleportations, cannon blast, things like that,

比如隔空远距传送、爆破之类的，

that have to be activated with split-second timing.

并且必须抓住时机，瞬间启动。

Yeah, it is really hard

没错，把《星海争霸》这类 要求操控技术的游戏玩好很困难。

to play mechanically demanding esports like StarCraft well.

Now the second category of skill required to master esports

接下来，精通电竞 所需的第二种技能，

is strategic skill, sometimes called macro.

也就是策略技能， 有时称为「宏观技能」。

And this governs the larger tactical choices gamers make.

这主导了玩家大范围的战术性决策

And I'd liken and strategic skill to mastery of chess.

我认为策略技能 和精通国际象棋很相似，

You have to plan attacks and counterattacks

你必须计划进攻和反击，

and manipulate the digital battlefield to your advantage.

并操纵数字战场以发挥您的优势。

But crucially, unlike chess, esports are constantly evolving.

但重要的是，与国际象棋不同， 电竞会不断进化。

A popular esport like Fortnite can patch almost every week.

热门的电竞游戏， 像是《要塞英雄》，

可能几乎每周都有修正檔。

And even the most competitive esports

甚至像彩虹六号围攻这样 最具最高度竞争性的电竞游戏，

like Rainbow Six Siege update every quarter,

每季度都会更新，

and these changes aren't just cosmetic.

但这些更新不仅仅是表面上的。

They introduce new abilities, new heroes, new maps.

他们引入了新能力、 新英雄角色、新地图。

Constant change requires adaptivity.

持续性的改变需要适应能力。

It asks esports pros to do more than just practice

为了适应，专业电竞选手 不能只是练习，

but to theorize and invent.

而是要建立理论并发明玩法。

Now, gamers call this constantly evolving suite of strategies

现在，游戏玩家将这种 不断发展的策略套件

the meta, short for the "metagame."

称为“元游戏”。

And it would be like if every few weeks

这就像是每隔几周

the rules of basketball fundamentally evolved.

篮球的规则就有根本上的演变。

Maybe three-pointers are now worth five points,

可能是三分球现在值五分，

or NBA pros can dribble out of bounds.

或者 NBA 职业球员 可以越线运球。

If this happened,

如果发生这种情况，

basketball would permit for new strategies to win games

要赢得篮球比赛就会需要新的战术，

and the teams that discovered these new strategies first

先发现这些新战术的球队

would have a big, if temporary, advantage.

将拥有巨大但可能是短暂的优势。

And this is exactly what happens in esports

这就是每次出现修正档或更新时

every time there's a patch or update.

确实发生在电竞领域的事。

Competitive gaming rewards its most creative

电竞游戏以免费胜利

and unconventional thinkers with free wins.

奖励其最具创造力 和最不按常规思考的人。

Now, the last category of skill required to be good at esports is leadership,

擅长电竞所需的 最后一项技能是领导力，

sometimes referred to as shot calling.

有时也被称作「号令」。

Esports pros are constantly in private voice-chat communications

专业电竞选手会不断地和队友 进行私人语音通话，

with their teammates,

supplemented by a system of in-game pings.

并以游戏中的信息传送系统补强。

This is what allows a team of League of Legends pros

这使一个《英雄联盟》 专业队伍的五个终极玩家

to coordinate a spectacular barrage of five-man ultimates,

迅速利用对手小小的位置错误，

flashing in to capitalize on a minor mispositioning by their opponents.

协调出惊人的密集火力。

And leadership skill is also what allows game captains to rally their teammates

领导力也使队长们能在面临危机时

召集他们的队友，

in moments of crisis

and inspire them to make one last risky all-in assault

并激励队友冒险豁出去，

全力对敌方做最后进攻。

on the opposing base.

And I'd argue this is the same type of leadership

我认为各地的高管和团队队长

exuded by executives and team captains everywhere.

都展现这种领导力。

It's the ability to seize opportunity,

这是一种抓住机会、

clearly and decisively communicate decisions

清楚且果断地传达决定

and inspire others to follow your lead.

并且激励其他人追随的能力。

And all these three categories of skill,

操控技巧、策略技能 和领导力這三種技能

mechanical, strategic and leadership,

they have a crucial element in common.

具有重要的共通元素：

They're all almost entirely mental.

这些技能都几乎完全是心理层面的。

Unlike my ability to have a basketball career at five-foot-ten,

身高五呎十吋的我 不可能追求篮球职涯，

esports doesn’t care how tall I am,

但电竞不在乎我有多高，

what gender I identify as, how old I am.

也不在乎我是什么性别，我多大了。

In fact, esports controllers can even be adapted

事实上，电竞游戏的控制器

已可依照专业玩家的 特殊生理需求来调整。

to pros with unique physical needs.

Look at gamers like "Brolylegs" who can't move his arms or legs

看看像 Brolylegs 这样 无法移动手臂或腿的玩家，

or "Halfcoordinated," who has limited use of his right hand.

或者右手使用受限的 Halfcoordinated。

And these pros don't just compete, they set records.

然而这些职业级选手不只参赛， 他们还缔造纪录。

Now, I'm not here to argue that esports is some sort of egalitarian paradise.

我不是在此辩称电竞是平等的天堂，

Our industry has real issues to address,

这个产业有真正的问题需要解决，

particularly around inclusivity for women,

特别是关于女性、

marginalized groups and those without equitable access to technology.

边缘族群和无法公平取得 科技产品者的包容性。

But just because esports has a long way to go,

但电竞虽然还有很长的路要走，

doesn't mean its skills don't deserve respect.

并不代表其技能不值得尊重。

And what particularly bugs me

特别困扰我的是，

is how often we ascribe such enormous value

我们经常赋予竞技场外的 传统体育人才很高的价值。

to traditional athletic talents off the field.

How many times have we been in a job interview setting, let's say,

这就好像我们在工作面试 之类的场合中，

and heard somebody say something like,

听到有人说：

"Well, John is a phenomenally qualified candidate.

“约翰是个超符合资格的候选人。

他是他大学曲棍球队的队长。”

He was captain of his college lacrosse team."

Really?

真的吗？

John is going to be a great digital marketer

约翰会是个数字营销人才，

because he can hurl a ball really far with a stick?

因为他可以用棍子把球扔得很远？

Come on, we would not apply that logic anywhere else.

得了吧，我们不会把这个逻辑 用在其他地方。

"Stand aside, scientists,

“科学家们，靠边站，

Sarah is my choice to repair this nuclear reactor.

莎拉是我修理这个核反应堆的人选。

After all, she played varsity soccer."

因为她在大学里是足球校队。”

No, what we mean when we say

不，当我们说

John or Sarah is phenomenally qualified for a job

约翰或莎拉非常能够 胜任一个工作时，

is that because of their experiences playing traditional sports,

那是因为从事传统运动的经验，

they have developed traits with real value in the workplace:

他们培养了在工作场所 具有真正价值的特质：

diligence, perseverance, teamwork.

勤奋、坚忍、团队合作。

And think of how I've just described esports to you.

想想我刚刚是如何描述电竞的。

Doesn't it sound like mechanical skill, strategic skill, leadership,

难道操控技巧、策略能力和领导力

wouldn't those develop all those same traits too?

不会发展出这些特质？

And more to the point,

更重要的是，

in today's fast-paced digital-office environment,

在今天快节奏的数字办公环境中，

I think I might rather have a pro gamer on my team than a traditional athlete.

我希望我的团队里 有职业级电竞玩家，

而不是传统运动员。

After all, I know they can be charismatic and decisive over voice chat

毕竟，我知道他们可以在语音聊天中 表现出超凡魅力和决断力，

and I'm sure doing a lot of Zoom calls today in my business.

而我现在在业务中 确实打很多 Zoom 电话。

So maybe now I've convinced you

也许我现在让你相信

that esports and video games deserve a little more respect.

电竞和电子游戏该多得到一点尊重。

But if not, let me try to make one last final appeal.

但如果没有的话， 让我尝试最后一个论点。

Because look at it this way.

这么看吧，

Our society is changing.

我们的社会正在改变。

Technology is fundamentally infiltrating every aspect of our daily lives,

科技正逐渐渗透 日常生活的每个面向，

transforming everything from how we work to how we fall in love.

并改变从工作到恋爱的每件事。

Why should sports be any different?

运动为什么该不同？

You know, I think of my own childhood, you know.

我想起自己的童年，

I grew up watching the World Cup with my family,

成长过程中， 我和家人一起看世界杯，

and I learned to love soccer in large part because I watched it with my dad.

我学会喜爱足球的原因 大多来自于和爸爸一起看球赛。

And I would have loved doing anything with him.

只要是跟他一起做的事我都喜欢。

And now I think of my own sons.

现在我想到我的儿子们，

But instead of soccer, we're watching esports,

我们不看足球，我们看电竞，

not the violent ones, mind you.

不是暴力的那种，

But I'm building the same sorts of memories with my kids

我是在和我的孩子创造共同的回忆，

that my father did with me.

就像我爸跟我一样。

We're marveling at the same skill and reveling in the same victory.

我们赞叹相同的技巧， 庆祝相同的胜利。

It is an identical feeling of pure awe and excitement.

那是完全相同的感受， 纯粹的赞叹和兴奋。

It's just a different game.

只是观赏的竞赛不同而已。

Thank you very much.

谢谢大家。