Scott “SirScoots” Smith provides explanation as to why players voted to not play in PEA

The PEA drama finally seems to be coming to a close, with players voting to play in the ESL Pro League insead. Now thanks to player spokesperson Scott “SirScoots” Smith, we know why they chose ESL. 

A lengthy Medium blog from SirScoots reveals a number of key points, such as that playing in the PEA league would have been more financially successful for players in the short term. However it basically comes down to players wanting to compete against the best competition, in the most prestigious tournaments with the most viewers, as this will better secure their long term future. 

“As a professional gamer, so much of your livelihood depends on how you connect with your community,” says SirScoots in the blog. “This happens in a variety of ways, including: social media, live streaming and other content, and of course playing in top-tier competitions with many fans watching. The players mostly felt that going with the PEA’s proposal would be a step in the wrong direction in these regards. Being in a more contained environment with easier competition might be appealing if the players only cared about making as much money per match as possible in the short term. However, from most other perspectives (including competition quality and prestige) the players did not feel that being contained was in their best interests or the best interests of the Counter-Strike community. This is especially because being contained can very quickly turn into being isolated.”

The full blog post in available here and certainly worth a read.