The eSports Tournaments’ popularity has gained momentum over the past years. Millions of people are showing interest in the gaming industry every day. Is it time to take a step forward?
eSports Tournaments Evolution – Online Events as a GameChanger
The growing popularity of eSports tournaments has turned the gaming industry into a global phenomenon over the past couple of years. Today, some of the major eSports events could match the Super Bowl or World Cup spectators number.
Consequently, the global eSports industry is worth around $1bn. Alongside this, the overall prize of gaming tournaments is increasing to a staggering figure (a couple of millions in some cases). With that in mind, let’s see what eSports gaming tournaments hold in time to come.
History of Esports Tournaments – Then and Now
The global demand for eSports events is rapidly growing day by day. As a result, media rights present online gaming’s second most lucrative segment with an astonishing 192.6m USD share. This comes as no surprise when we look back at eSports history. In 1972, the first gaming event occurred. Stanford University was a host of the Spacewar video game competition.
The grand prize for this tournament was a year’s subscription for Rolling Stone magazine. In comparison, The International 2019 DOTA 2 tournament in Shanghai had a total prize pool of 34.33 million U.S. dollars.
The Space Invaders Championship, held in 1980, was a pioneer in competitive gaming sports we know and cherish today. This event had more than 10,000 competitors from all around the U.S. As of today, the League of Legends World Championship was one of the most-watched events in gaming history, with over 100 million unique viewers.
What Makes Esports So Irresistible?
From gladiators until today’s modern sports, these competitions have been the center of people’s attention. Still, some contests are more popular than others. Why?
Looking into eSports essence, the first thing that comes to our mind is its accessibility. No matter where you are or with whom, it’s easy to access. Online gaming doesn’t require arenas or stadiums. You can become a part of a global eSport tournament event using a computer or any other device. With gaming, everything is just a click away. You can be part of your favorite sports event from the comfort of your home.
When looking at physical sports, you’ll usually have practice hours, which will demand some traveling in some cases. On the other hand, if you are looking to become a good eSports player, you can practice anywhere you want, at any time. With online gaming, you know that there’s always someone, even in a most distant corner of the world, thinking the same. And the best thing is, nothing stops you from enjoying your favorite game.
Esports In 5 Years From Now
Online tournaments have become massive global events in the last couple of years. The eSports industry will continue to grow over the next five years. Predictions say that online gaming revenues will reach $1.6bn. Although some countries continue to distance themselves from esports, there is no doubt that this lucrative industry will find a way to reach as many people as possible.
Major Sponsorship Deals
The sponsorship revenues are playing a huge part in forming gaming tournaments and events. In 2020, BMW, IBM, Levi’s, and Marvel Entertainment entered the online gaming world. With this in mind, there’s no doubt major companies will heavily participate in shaping the future of eSports tournaments.
Larger Audience
More people are aware of eSports nowadays. Online gaming competitions have a substantial audience, with more than 495 million viewers. Some predictions say that by 2023, this figure can go way over 646 million.
Gender Expansion
As a global brand, the gaming industry pays special attention to gender democratization and other metrics. As a result, since 2016, eSports gained a 6% increase in female viewership.
Technical Advancement
Digital evolution plays no small part in the future of eSports. Technological advancement will make gaming more imaginative and more fun. The advances in the field of AI and Virtual Reality will make games more interactive and engaging.
Online Events as a Solution
Online gaming has already become a global trend. Looking at how the eSports industry is developing, there’s no doubt it will attract more people than ever before. With the increased number of interested parties, accessibility comes into question.
Many times before, we’ve witnessed a full arena during eSports tournaments. Keeping in mind that online gaming attracts people from different parts of the world simultaneously, online events come as a solution. Let’s review some of the aspects of why this could come as a benefit to the gaming industry:
More Accessibility – It’s not just about the players. People love to watch gaming tournaments. If the eSports growth continues, arenas could become too small to accommodate all of the interested spectators.
Additionally, online gaming events would gather people from all across the globe at the same time. This way could be more budget-consuming as it will remove people’s need to travel across the world to enjoy the spectacle.
With a chance to watch live, this could be a perfect way to know who’ll win the championship – from the comfort of their homes.
Fewer Expenses – hosting a tournament can bring some logistics issues. Simultaneously, it costs money. The expenses of traveling, players’ accommodations, equipment, arenas/stadiums, etc., can be overwhelming. As a result, hosting eSports tournaments online can be budget savvy and easier to organize.
Higher Income – With more people involved, naturally comes more income. We are speaking about online advertisements, e-commerce products, etc. As always, people find creative ways to make extra revenue using various modern – technology instruments.
From The Arena To Your Home – eSports Transition
The gaming industry came a long way from the first Space invaders event to massive ESports competitions. A long time ago, games were just a bonus product of technological advancement.
Today, the gaming industry is pushing the market towards meeting its followers’ needs and demands. The interest in online gaming is rapidly growing. Consequently, online eSports tournaments will maintain their importance just as much as their other sports counterparts in the future.
