ESports – Where It's Going And Where It Can Take You
Dhwani Shah
January 7, 2022
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3 min read
Playing video games has ceased to be just a pastime anymore. It has transformed into a legitimate profession that can provide you with international recognition and seven figure earnings. Welcome to the world of eSports!
ESports, or electronic sports refers to the world of competitive video gaming as viewed by spectators. Fans watch teams of video gamers compete against each other in a virtual environment in popular games like League of Legends, Call of Duty or Fortnite, to name a few, just as they would watch a physical sporting event, like a live basketball match at the court.
With their growing popularity, eSports tournaments can now often be viewed at an organized arena event, or streamed online, and are followed by millions of people across the world. There were an estimated 25.7 million eSports viewers in the United States in 2018, a figure which is projected to rise to over 46 million by 2023. Infact, more people watched the 2016 world finals of popular eSports game League of Legends (43 million viewers) than the NBA Finals Game 7 that year (31 million viewers). eSports is now a booming, international sensation that has entranced the major lot of the crowd.
eSports players generally engage in two activities:
Pro gaming teams compete against other teams in eSports leagues or tournaments, which host regular seasons, playoffs and world championships and offer enormous amounts in prize money. Leagues generate huge amounts from ticket sales as they are watched by tens of thousands of spectators in-person.
The eSports industry has been around since the 1990s, but it has recently been gaining a lot of momentum and popularity across the world, and has exploded into a multi billion dollar industry.
Gaming, albeit an unconventional career option, may be emerging into a rather practical one, considering the accelerating emergence of esports in the past few years.
The 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals had a prize pool of $30.4 million. This prize money is split between the players on the winning team, in addition to their league salaries, which goes to show that pros can make BIG money competing in eSports tournaments. Players and teams also earn money from sponsorships, brand endorsements, merchandising and ticket sales.
Furthermore, playing video games is shown to improve cognitive development such as better eye-to-hand coordination and superior memory. Video games also enhance multitasking, decision making and problem solving abilities, skills which are very important in everyday life as well. Pro gaming in teams teaches you the importance of communication and teamwork.
Gaming has its obvious advantages, and while you must keep in mind that it takes a great level of practice and dedication and years of preparation to rise through the ranks and be at the top of the sport, gaming can be far more than just a hobby.
However, making a career in esports is not solely limited to being a pro gamer. There are plenty of other jobs in the market, like coach, host, marketing and production crew. The eSports industry is the highest employer by demand right now and traditional industries are now finding ways to be involved with eSports, so now might be a great time to consider a career in this flourishing industry.
The eSports industry is estimated to generate nearly $2 billion in revenue in 2022. This shows how lucrative a market it is, for players, brands, producers and everyone else involved. As gaming is integrating itself into popular culture, it will continue to grow and revolutionize the gaming and sports industry .