Professional competitive gaming started small but grew quickly. In its infancy, gaming tournaments offered free pizza as prizes, but now there are millions of dollars on the line and huge sponsorship and endorsement deals for eSports athletes, tournaments, and gaming guilds.
The growth of eSports is difficult to ignore, and not just for members of the public. Huge corporations and sporting bodies are taking eSports seriously, and taking note of the huge marketing opportunities, it presents them. Gamers have been a difficult consumer group to tap into, and eSports creates a pathway to this highly motivated and affluent demographic that usually avoids traditional media like television. The next big thing in sports and entertainment is eSports, and it is easy to see why. Read on to find out more about one of the fastest-growing forms of modern entertainment.
eSports Is A Big Business
The growth in popularity of eSports, and the huge profits they are bringing in, have helped them jump from a niche interest into the mainstream. Millions of people across the world tune into tournaments and watch upcoming eSports athletes compete in virtual arenas for some massive cash prizes. When grouped together, all the various competitions are the fastest growing sport on the planet, and people are starting to notice.
Big business and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are starting to take eSports seriously and cannot help but contemplate the opportunities they present them for reaching a wider audience. It is only a matter of time before eSports become an Olympic event, the IOC is already exploring the idea, and eSports competitions have been held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. Though not a medal event, it has become obvious that the world’s sporting bodies are keeping a close eye on eSports and looking for ways to introduce them to mainstream events.
People are betting on eSports too, which is a sure sign that they have become a part of mainstream culture. It is not just businesses and global authorities that are investing in eSports, everyday people are too. If you enjoy gambling with real money, consider this guide from Online Casino Review. They know all the ins and outs of gambling online and can help you get ready for the coming eSports revolution by placing some bets at online casinos and getting used to calculating odds and assessing risks. Pretty soon, betting on eSports is going to become commonplace, so you may want to start getting some gambling experience now.
Stars Power eSports Growth
Just like in traditional athletics, star power is helping fuel interest in eSports. Some of the biggest names in sports, who win some of the largest cash prizes, are eSports athletes. They are the vanguard of eSports, leading the way to mainstream recognition and promoting the sports to the world outside of it. Though their names may be a little different than people are used to, using online handles rather than the names their parents gave them, these stars are becoming household names quickly.
The marketing and promotional opportunities this gives businesses are huge, allowing them to reach an audience that shuns traditional media and traditional sports. The big names in eSports are bringing in the big bucks for the rest of the industry, helping to push the huge levels of growth and expansion to even greater heights. Sponsorship deals for the stars of eSports and the tournaments they compete in are growing faster than the deals that NFL or the NBA enjoy, and will surpass them this decade.
Coca-Cola is a great example of this. They started investing in eSports early to help them market their various products to a new audience. What began as a small investment in League of Legends tournaments has grown into a huge marketing operation. They now sponsor a raft of eSports guilds, athletes, and huge tournaments, including a huge deal last year with Guild Esports, which rocketed the David Beckham-backed guild’s share price up over 40%. Take a moment to think about that, and you will realize the potential of eSports for growth and profit.
Changing The Game
Not only is eSports changing sports, but it is also changing the video game industry. Game developers and publishers are seeing how the popularity of a game on the eSports circuit can fuel huge sales and can lead to massive profits. Blizzard Entertainment is one of the world’s largest video game developers, and their title, StarCraft became one of the most popular games played at eSports tournaments.
Following the growth of eSports, they now have a department dedicated to developing eSports games and supporting the players and the industry. They cannot afford to ignore the massive growth and potential of eSports, and the opportunity it offers them to grow their consumer base and their brand recognition. Their game Overwatch, and its sequel, Overwatch 2, were developed with eSports in mind, and both were quickly picked up by tournaments as competitive games. The rise of eSports is changing the way games are designed and marketed.
It is not just the games that are changing, but the ways that players and fans interact and engage with them. When Amazon bought Twitch for just under $1 billion in 2014, it raised a lot of eyebrows, but now it looks like a steal. The video streaming platform is one of the most popular sites with gamers, and pros and amateurs alike stream millions of hours a day of gameplay. This helps market the players, games, and tournaments to wider audiences and make them accessible to people across the world.
If you haven’t watched any eSports yet, now is the time to get involved. Become a part of its massive growth and start learning more about the games, tournaments, and stars. Over the next few years, competitive gaming is going to dominate mainstream sporting culture, so get ahead of the curve so you can help your friends and family learn more when they inevitably dip their toes in the eSports water.
