The Covid pandemic may have stunted the growth of many businesses worldwide but as far as e-sports is concerned, it hardly scratched its surface. The one advantage esports has over the majority of other sports is that it is contactless (at least with other players) and only requires a good internet connection, a console, and some snappy hand-eye coordination. All of which can be done while in the comfortable confines of your home. Players can literally be in bed and still be playing competitive matches 24/7. It’s that accessible and easy. It took a while for the world to understand just how good esports can get in terms of revenue, advertisement, talent, and of course, popularity.
Ease of Access
The secret to the growth of this industry is its appeal to the younger generation. Kids, teenagers, and adults alike find something worthwhile to play and brush up on their talents. There’s an entire spectrum of games for people to slot themselves into. You’re into golf? Nintendo has come up with a juggernaut by the name of Wii sports that carefully and accurately puts such real-world games onto your home screen. By letting you take control of the on-screen player, and having you exercise your talent in your tv lounge, it adds this level of accessibility that otherwise wouldn’t have been available in the pandemic. Similarly, if you’re into guns and arms, there are titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield to make you feel the adrenaline rush of holding a gun, firing it, cooking a grenade, headshots, tank driving, strategizing, access to environments all over the world, history lessons, the list is endless. All of this while you’re sitting in your pajamas and sipping mango juice.
Pop-Culturization
Esports is a beast at this point. Its regular increase in numbers is dwarfing old and new industries alike. With a wide assortment of customizations, microtransactions, events, and goodies, there’s no telling where this industry is going to start slowing down let alone stop. And now the pioneers of this industry have started throwing musical artists into the mix. Well-established artists like Kanye, Drake, and Juice WRLD have already made big appearances in games such as Fortnite. Their inclusivity in gaming is nothing short of an exclusive experience for the player base. Naturally, since these are all online games and players far and wide flock to witness such events, having a good internet connection is a crucial need. CenturyLink internet services stay ahead of the curve in this aspect by providing bleeding fast speeds at affordable rates to keep the online party going. Having a pop party inside the game that promotes having fun along with sniping heads off provides a healthy side gig to enjoy for competitive esports.
The Thrill of the Fight
One of the biggest reasons, for which players find e-sports so addicting, is the thrill of the fight they offer. Suppose you drop into a MOBA game (Multiplayer Online Battle Game) like League of Legends with your squad of 5 people to take over the enemy base. Right from the beginning of the match, you have to pick lanes, devise strategies, keep an eye on your mini-map, and be cool under pressure as you advance, or defend yourself and your team. There is so much going on on the screen and every aspect of it is a thrill of its kind. Anxiety, excitement, pressure, anger, there’s a whole spectrum of emotions that encompass just one game. In sort, this is where games like LoL offer such an attractive pull. Not to mention how terrifyingly big their esports tournament can get. The League of Legends World Championship offers teams all around the world to come to showcase their talent and fight for a chance to raise the Summoner’s Cup. Only last year, in 2021, the viewership for the tournament was a staggering 73.86 million viewers, worldwide. This only goes to show just how big a single esports game can get.
Big Value Teams
Almost every team that has what it takes to reach the big esports tournament has investments in it that easily touch the millions mark. Take FaZe Clan, SKT, TSM, and Cloud9, all these teams have an average value of 300 million dollars in them. This number isn’t something to be taken lightly. There’s proper coaching, schools, and tests before picking the cream of players to be included. Everything, even the diet, is a deciding factor. Faker, who plays for SKT in League of Legends, regularly tells his fans who enjoy watching him play in his off time as “Hide on Bush” on Twitch, to eat broccoli. The secret, according to him, is that it helps with keeping a healthy diet and also prevents you from getting drowsy while gaming. He’s eating his greens and also maintaining his title as number one in the rank charts. Win-win! That’s not all, physical exercise is just as important. Players take regular breaks and keep themselves active to promote healthy brain activity. Therapists and life coaches alike are deployed to provide an ever-present service for these players who then go on to represent the big leagues.
Conclusion
With talks of bringing esports to the Olympics also in the works, there’s no denying how much reach this industry has. Everyone will have to acknowledge the vastness of this field sooner or later. If anything, esports is also a big facilitator of bringing the world together with games that everyone can enjoy and compete in. Technology is booming and it’s only a matter of time till Esports will be racing neck to neck with actual sports in a race to prove which industry is bigger.