id Software has been advocating the "fragging" of players around the world for well over a decade.  They have created some of the most popular online First Person Shooter games to date.  With their beta release of Quake Live earlier this year, they have resurrected attentiveness to their ever popular Quake franchise.  Quake Live has the same fantastic, fast paced, shoot 'em up type feel that has been the basis for the abundant popularity the Quake series has seen in the past.

With the ever-growing popularity of online gaming, eSports are on a rise; and the amounts of tournaments and leagues are as well.  Quake Live has gone cross-platform with its latest update, now supporting Linux and Macintosh operating systems.  Giving access to more players seems to only insure that Quake Live will continue to grow; and with that, will boost entrance to tournaments and leagues alike.  Even with the game still in BETA, it seems to be pretty apparent that the game is headed for the attainment of being deemed a "Browser Evolution". 

Another perk of being a browser-based game is the admittance of advertisements that can be displayed both on the site and in the game.  Will this be enough to allow the game to remain free?  What will happen if there is a subscription fee implemented?  Does Quake Live have what it takes to be the next big competitive game?  There are still many questions and concerns that have not been answered, but there is no doubt that Quake Live has the elements to be a first-class online game.

The community has been giving nothing but positive feedback about the game, even though it seems to just be Quake 3 Arena on a browser with some kinks worked out of it.  Making the game accessible by just an account and a browser brings oodles of appeal.  Both veteran Quake players and first timers to the franchise can agree that id Software has done something right.  I was able to talk with Brandon "fusion" Conner to hear his opinion of Quake Live, and where he saw the game going in the future.

Me: What are you feelings on Quake Live being browser based?

dynamic|fusion: I think it's a great concept that seems to have a lot of appeal towards newer players. New players are the backbone in any ACTIVE gaming community

Me: How do you think Quake Live will affect eSports as a whole? Is it bringing competition into the community?

dynamic|fusion: I think it's still too early to tell. The game seems to have a lot of active teams, small pickup tournaments, and great coverage (quakelive.tv plug). I think it really at this point seems promising, but only time will tell, once more activity picks up among leagues and tournaments alike. Even though "QuakeLIVE" is new, quake 3 has been around for years. They have to be doing something right.

Me: Do you think we will be seeing more 'browser based' game releases due to the early success of Quake Live? Do you see 'browser based' games being somewhat the "future to online First Person Shooters"?

dynamic|fusion: I think there are many different reasons for companies to adapt this type of business model. One that you see quake live taking advantage of is the in-game advertisements. Also accessibility is definitely a HUGE benefit with games of this nature.

dynamic|fusion: Personally I love it, I can load up a website, login, download the files in a nice web based GUI (graphical user interface) and start fragging away.

    Quake Live is still developing, and id Software is doing its best to listen to community input to further advance the game out of beta.  The game is still in adolescent stages, however; the future looks bright for id Software's browser-based Quake Live.  With a good foundation from a solid, active community and great media coverage of leagues and tournaments, the games success seems undeniable.