I had the pleasure to interview the President of the One Nation Of Gamers to gain an insight into to world of Barcrafts.
For those of you unfamiliar with Barcraft, it’s the replacement of your general sports event shown in a bar. Instead of football, on the screen we have StarCraft 2!
The One Nation Of Gamers is a leading force in Barcraft, organizing them across the US and putting profits straight back into the scene. All tournaments they host were funded by you and they are simply giving back by putting on awesome events.
But enough of me lets dive right into the interview…
Caltu:
You have just come off a highly popular event of the ONOG i2 Intivational, that received great community feedback.
You really hit the money, what do you feel sets you apart from other offline tournaments?
Deric Ortiz:
Well, just to be clear – we’re an online tournament. ONOG events are not live at the moment.
I think what makes ONOG events great is that they are a direct product of community involvement.
Any time an ONOG barcrafter goes to a barcraft and buys a beer or a burger they know that some of that is going towards the next eSports tournament. They instantly become part of something larger than themselves and really contribute to creating content for the eSports scene
Caltu:
One of the great things was you attracted such great community.
In both the talent in players and casters, and as you said ONOG is a community in itself in Barcrafts and other areas.
MrBitter and Axletoss are so well known in the scene it just gave the community a sense of “Ok this feels a lot more personal, lets sit down for a weekend and enjoy a tournament”.
Do you see the names getting more diverse over time or are you happy with the current casters and player base?
Would you like to feature the bigger Koreans or keep the personal feel of a CatZ or Destiny that is so key for the ONOG?
Deric:
I am definitely happy with MrBitter, Gwin, Tumba and Axeltoss and the players we’ve been able to attract.
I see the participants of future ONOG tournaments to remain diverse.
When I invite people to this tournament, I seek a mix of community favorites – coL.Catz, Quantic.Destiny — some lesser known or underrepresented underdogs who are voted in by the community (Tt.PiG, GL.Snute) that have a chance to make waves, and players viewed as being at the top of the game (Fnatic.aLive).
I think that combination is what makes ONOG tournaments special – we have the best, we have the favorites, and we also try to find tomorrow’s best and tomorrow’s favorites.
Caltu:
It’s no secret the Barcrafts are becoming the next biggest thing in competitive gaming.
You go to a bar to watch a sport with your friends and generally have an amazing evening.
Now that favorite sport StarCraft 2 is being broadcast everywhere, with you as a massive player in the Barcraft world, what are your feelings surrounding Barcrafts?
Deric:
I think barcrafts are great for gaming and eSports in general because they provide a public space for gamers to come out and congregate in that’s also shared with the general public.
If barcrafts are done correctly (i.e., held in upscale, popular sports bars), then it will be a vehicle to accelerate the growth of eSports because you’re going to increase awareness of eSports by exposing a large amount of the general public to the existence and energy of eSports.
I think barcrafts are also a force to push against the social stigma of adult gamers as an anti-social group of people. Barcrafts shows the opposite – Gamers are incredibly social when they have opportunities to congregate and meetup with like-minded peers.
I think normalizing adult gaming is also an important factor in growing the eSports scene.
Besides that, I love barcrafts personally because they’re high-energy events that give me nerd chills as 100s chant for people I am personal fans of 
Caltu:
StarCraft is not just a game anymore, it’s a past time.
It’s hitting up there with the NBA with the NFL as what you and your friends pick for your evenings entertainment.
We need to move past the “Gaming is for kids” and push eSports into the front of the public attention.
We are all having so much fun with it, it’s time to show everyone else how much fun we are having
Barcrafts need to be everywhere, and you already have big points on the map covered.
Any hot spots to check out for upcoming Barcrafts for events such as the MLG Spring Arena?
Deric:
ONOG currently has 11 locations and is working on its 12th and 13th. ONOG currently does barcrafts in NYC, DC, Baltimore, Richmond, Irvine, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Phoenix and Berlin
For this upcoming Spring Arena next week, we will be having barcrafts in San Francisco, NYC, DC, Richmond, Atlanta and Irvine.
Anyone can find upcoming events at our website, the events section of our Facebook and Twitter
Caltu:
This is just a small example of the massive phenomenon that is Barcraft.
It’s truly nation-wide just within the ONOG and even worldwide with Barcrafts dotted all around the world.
I highly recommend making it to any of these events, even if you are not a fan of StarCraft 2, Barcraft is sure to change that.
I know my local Barcrafts hosts inter-Barcraft leagues, featuring representatives from each fighting it out for glory.
As Barcraft is only going to get more popular over time, do you have any future plans to move forward with more tournaments ?
Or specifically more ONOG Invitationals?
Deric:
We definitely have more events in the works but I can’t quite get into them yet but they will be pretty exciting.
ONOG barcrafts are also going to change in a very cool way to bring more to gamers.
When we do, I am TOTALLY gonna let you know.
Caltu:
I’m sure we will all keep ourselves glued to any news to drop from the One Nation Of Gamers.
My thanks to Deric for giving us his time and stay tuned right here on GAMEBREAKER for more Starcraft 2 news.
