What is eSports?
Simply put, eSports are electronic sports. Organized competitive gaming events in different leagues where teams and players compete for victory. Great prizes are on offer, as is the prestige of being crowned.
The very best players essentially compete to be the best in the world at their favorite game. Video Platforms play a huge role in the development of Esports.
Video platforms like Twitch and YouTube have been integral in the growth of Esports. These platforms give players a way to showcase their skills and build up a following. In addition, they provide a way for viewers to connect with players and follow the competitive scene.
YouTube Gaming is another popular video platform for gamers and offers many of the same features as Twitch. However, YouTube Gaming also has some unique features that make it stand out from other platforms, such as the ability to link directly to YouTube videos and the ability to live stream in 4K resolution. If you are interested in Esports, you can buy instant YouTube subscribers to have a larger audience and maximize your profit.
The winning teams or individual players can expect potential prize money in the millions, as well as additional funds from sponsorships, endorsements and team salaries.
The community wanted a move towards organized, stadium-based tournaments and this is where ESL and Intel came in.
Global viewership of eSports competitions has helped push the popularity into the mainstream. To the point where Intel has even tried to get eSports officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee by bringing the 12th season of the Intel Extreme Masters to PyeongChang during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
How Big Is Esports?
eSports is a continuously growing industry, both in terms of popularity and money. In 2017, eSports generated an estimated global turnover of £565 million. In 2021 the global market for eSports was estimated at over one billion US dollars. More than half more than last year.
Attendance at the major stadium competitions continues to increase as fans scramble to catch their favorite teams, but online viewership is also increasing.
During the 2018 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational , 60 million unique viewers tuned in and consumed a total of 363,000,000 hours of footage. The 2017 Intel Extreme Masters World Championship saw 46 million unique online viewers. Both events had significantly larger viewers than President Trump’s televised inauguration, which gives you an idea of how important this industry is.
In 2021, an estimated 474 million people watched eSports worldwide.
In 2017, a YouGov report released data showing that just seven per cent of UK adults (roughly four million people) had watched eSports games. As a nation, we still lag behind other countries that take eSports much more seriously.
In China, for example, around 45 percent of adults have watched eSports online.
However, the passion for eSports and competitive gaming is growing in the UK. Thanks in part to the rise in popularity of video game streamers, YouTuber content creators, and the rise in popularity of Twitch.
In 2018, Intel’s Scott Gillingham told us:
“The UK is the fifth largest gaming market in the world. It relies on people buying games and the hardware to play games. The eSports industry is still growing and is underdeveloped compared to other parts of the world. The US is one of the top gaming countries in the world and its eSports industry is huge.
This year has been a real growth area for eSports in the UK. We’ve seen more tournaments like ESL One . It’s the first time ESL has bought a major to the UK. It sold out within 24 hours and was one of the fastest selling ESL tournaments in the world. Over 24,000 people attended this event over three days. We are seeing the industry and community growing in the UK and we are seeing more eSports events coming to the UK.
