Annie Zhao
asked
Holly Jennings:
I absolutely loved every bit of Arena and I'm so excited for the sequel! Was there any inspiration from the esports environment of League of Legends (LCS)? Do you play any games with a competitive scene?
Holly Jennings
Hi Annie. I'm so happy you loved Arena and I hope you enjoy the sequel Gauntlet as well (it's out now!) The inspiration for Arena sparked from a documentary on eSports and the corruption in the industry. I had been aware of competitive gaming previously, but only in Asia and Europe. Once I realized it had come to North America and was growing by the day, I knew I had to write a story about it.
I tried watching LoL in the beginning but since I'd never played the game before, it wasn't having the same impact on me as CoD champs or other eSport games. I feel like when you've played the game, watching the pros is that much more exciting. Now that I have a better understanding of LoL, I've been watching it a bit more. However, my heavy preference is still CoD.
I've never competed personally. I wasn't aware of it when I was younger and now I'm too old. :P
Since writing Arena, I've had a few retired pros reach out to me and they've helped me develop the sequel. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for your awesome questions.
I tried watching LoL in the beginning but since I'd never played the game before, it wasn't having the same impact on me as CoD champs or other eSport games. I feel like when you've played the game, watching the pros is that much more exciting. Now that I have a better understanding of LoL, I've been watching it a bit more. However, my heavy preference is still CoD.
I've never competed personally. I wasn't aware of it when I was younger and now I'm too old. :P
Since writing Arena, I've had a few retired pros reach out to me and they've helped me develop the sequel. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for your awesome questions.
More Answered Questions
Cate (The Professional Fangirl)
asked
Holly Jennings:
Hello Holly! Thanks for writing Arena and Gauntlet. I'm watching an eSports tournament on mute (NorCal Regionals 2018, Street Fighter V) as I finish Gauntlet. I would like to ask if you want to write more books about eSports. Maybe a spinoff to Arena? :)
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