What used to be just a game amongst three-four people, is now played amongst across the globe, but you are sitting in your room. This how far E-Sports has reached.
But this could not be possible if we won’t have games like CS: GO, Valorant, and Fortnite, who actually played a pivotal role in shaping the future of Esports, creating and attracting millions of players and pulling huge crowd, filling the stadiums.
This all started with a simple story. It all started 50 years ago, when Afro hairstyle and roller-skating were the most trending things, a very-first recording tournament, Inaugural Spacewar! Was happening in just a simple Stanford classroom.
Only one PDP_10 computer, anf more than a dozen people hovering around it. Aim was only one, to beat the highest scores, and in toital there were only 5 contestants. After hours and hours, a man named, Bruce Baumgart won, getting a year subscription to Rolling Stone, as it was the official sponsor.
Early Times
There are many stories which contributed something to the growth of Esports, but this was the one which given Esports a name, a sport which can also be a choice.
Like these, numerous competitions often took place in arcades, with titles like Space Invaders and Pac-Man. However, during this time, these competitions were more about bragging rights and local recognition than substantial monetary rewards. As internet was still a dream come true, so LAN was the only saving grace. Gamers used to bring their computers to a central location to play win.
What Nintendo did, made it popular worldwide and their profit was skyrocketing. They held a nationwide tournament, hosting Nintendo world Championships, in 1990. Then, in the year 2013, as personal computers were getting famous and were in demand, and internet access was widely available, Riot Games also founded the League of Legends Championship Series.
Sponsorships
From the very starting of 21st century, Esports Growth was unstoppable as it was benefiting every sector, somehow or the other. Many brands found out the ways to showcase their product, Nvidia, Intel, AMD, being the primary companies to showcase their value and reliability, by offering tournaments, and making players use their hardware and graphic cards to compete in the tournament. Brands like Doritos and Dominos also offered their products during live events, thus fostering their value amongst players.
Not only this, many new gaming platforms emerged, like Twitch, Battle.net, and Electronic sports League (ESL), and they hosted several tournaments for gamers, thus providing a platform for the development of the gaming industry. They hosted tournaments with huge cash prizes, thus pulling some of the exceptional players and teams as well, across the globe.
21st Century- The rise of Esports
Also, there are few leagues which were established at regional level, permitting amateur and semi-professional gamers to participate in tournaments for smaller prizes. Xbox also boosted the multiplayer gaming, thus overall benefiting the online gaming industry. Introduction of Xbox live and Stream permitted competitors to connect with each other in no time, thus creating the way for online tournaments as well as leagues.
This was the era which created stars of Esports, like Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel and Lee “Flash” Young Ho. Jonathan is currently an American entrepreneur and a professional Esports player as well. He was the person who secured third place in 1999 Cyberathlete Professional League, and won $4000 as well.
What really gave Esports growth is Sponsorships/brand seizing. As per the statement given by Whalen Rozelle, who was the director of esports at Riot games, currently the COO of Riot games, said “In the beginning we used to have to explain what Esports was and now we have sponsors and brands coming directly to us. The future looks even brighter, as more organizations get involved and, in the industry, continue to grow. It is safe to say that competitive gaming will thrive for many years to come.”
There was a change for spectators as well, in the recent years, as in some of the tournaments, prizes offered were millions of dollars cash. This became remarkable as a player, Johan Sudstein, also known as Notail, is currently the highest earning player in Dota 2, racking up an incredible sum of $7, 184, 163.05, from his bright career in competitive esports.
In recent years, due to rise of streaming, gamers are now opting to be content creators themselves. With streaming their gameplay, they also create other types of contents like tutorials, reviews, entertaining videos, etc., all related to the gaming world. These things also created an atmosphere for gamers to open themselves and show their creativity and passion for gaming in different ways, thus pulling a diverse range of viewers.
Esports betting is also a topic that has took a rise in recent years, due to Covid -19 pandemic. Rolling Stone magazine also foretells that future partnerships between Esports organizations and betting companies could allow industry to took control and regulate betting in a more responsible way, pulling important revenues for the industry.
Conclusion
What holds in future for Esports is quite interesting. As per the reports, it’s estimated that by 2025, around 85 million viewers of Esports will be there, alone from India, thus going to be one of the fastest-growing markets for Esports.
It is also believed that India is on the verge to become the Esports powerhouse, in field of investment in infrastructure and strategic Education.
Future of Esports is bright, unbeatable, as the year-by-year revenue numbers pass the statements itself. A data passed by the https://intenta.digital/, states that Global Esports audience number will pass 500 million in 2022 and reach 577.2 million by 2024. Global Esports revenues will hit $1.084 million in 2021, a year-on-year growth of +14.5% up from $947.1 million in 2020, thus being the first time ever to cross the ten-figure threshold in Esports industry.
Advancements in virtual and augmented reality will transform the gaming experience further, creating immersive environments that put players at the heart of action.
