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Image Source: The Rising Success Of E-sports

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Image Source: The Rising Success Of E-sports

If you are not yet aware, e-sports is a relatively newer term for an older one: electronic ball-and-stick gaming. E-sports generally takes the form of multiplayer online game competitions, most often between groups of professional athletes, privately or publicly, or between groups of enthusiasts. The best-known e-sports include Counter-Strike, DOTA 2, and WarCraft 3. These are not the only e-sports, by any means, but they are among the most well-known and, thus, the most watched. There is an active community interested in maintaining and developing these competitive games, so if you have an interest in e-sports, you will not be alone.

As it is, e-sports is an unregulated area. This is partly due to the fact that, at least in its beginnings, e-sports was an attempt to capitalize on the already existing spectator sport audience. The idea was that professional gamers could then be paid to play video games in the same way that professional football or baseball players are paid to play sports. Of course, the competition between gamers has developed into a more sophisticated form, with large-scale, multi-million dollar tournaments being held regularly. Additionally, smaller-scale competitions with hundreds of participants have also developed, some of them earning thousands of dollars in cash or esports.

The reason that e-sports has exploded into such a huge industry with so many potential customers is the simple demographics of the target audience: younger generations, more specialized audiences, and a relative willingness to spend money. Video game consoles and personal computers make up the largest portion of the market for e-sports. In addition, modern technology gives every user the capability of recording and uploading their own games, providing another revenue stream for the professional gamers. Many of the top e-sports tournaments use an automated software program which, in turn, awards points to each player based on performance. These high-stakes tournaments draw a significant number of devoted players and can reach millions of viewers.

The growing number of e-sports events is the topic of much conversation today. There is great interest in finding out how the new markets for e-sports will develop. One of the most successful e-sports companies, Major League Gaming, has taken steps to establish its own e-sports league. In doing so, it has created a standard for competing professional teams and individual players. It also has attracted a number of new teams, creating a serious surge in interest in the tournaments.

Many of the professional e-sports leagues are now planning further increases in prize money and viewer draw by expanding their tournaments and developing even more elaborate, interactive competition formats. The problem faced by these teams, however, is how to attract motivated gamers to join their leagues, where they must compete against other e-sports companies, not only to earn a living but to advance to higher levels. This is the question that has been addressed by the Electronic Sports Association, an international nonprofit association started to coordinate and regulate the competitive video gaming industry. The association has set the terms for its competitions, requiring its members to set up their own websites to advertise their teams and to attract more players.

Another way for e-sports to progress is to create a professional image through endorsements. A Starcraft II player may well become a celebrity in his own right, given his ability to command huge fan following. Other e-sports companies may follow this route, encouraging their starcraft professional players to take up endorsements to build up their own brand. This could potentially help them to overshadow their competitors, thus increasing their market share.

Already there are some signs that the e-sports market in its current form is primed to expand significantly in the near future. Valve, the company behind the popular free-to-play PC game, has confirmed that it will host its own e-sports tournament to kick off its yearlong partnership with ESL. The tournament, tentatively called the "Esteem Cup" will pit e-sports pros against each other in what is sure to be one of the most high-profile events of the year. The stakes are high: upwards of $50,000 will be on the line, and fans can get in for the low, cost of just $2.2 million. This represents a significant investment by Valve - not just on the big tournament itself, but on the growing trend of e-sports as a spectator sport.

If these two trends are anything to go by, the future of e-sports looks very bright indeed. Already, the growing popularity of free online games such as CS: GO and League of Legends have helped to pave the way for a separate, more substantial spectator sector. As video game tournaments continue to grow in popularity, the spectacles that emerge will only continue to attract even more attention from media outlets, advertisers and the general public. In order to succeed in e-sports, it looks like major game companies will need to jump into the ring, forming alliances with professional gaming groups. Whether this ultimately leads to them creating their own e-sports division or entrenching their existing partnership with Valve remains to be seen, but e-sports is definitely on the rise.

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