League of Legends, CS:GO, Vainglory. You might not know it but all of these games have something in common. They are part of eSports, an industry where players can win prize pools ranging from one hundred thousand up to ten million dollars. When eSports first came around, if you played video games you were considered uncool, nerdy, and overall disliked. However, over the past decades, its community has risen up from under the mound of dislike. In the past, eSports wasn’t popular and nobody thought much of it. The players didn’t make much and the prize pools weren’t large either. Today, it has evolved into a much more refined and prosperous industry. eSports is getting a 1Up and changing the world in many ways.
As prominent eSports is now, you may be asking, “Is it really that popular?” eSports is similar to the NFL or NBA, where you draft or form a team by signing players into contracts and compete to win prize pools. On twitch.tv, a website used to stream gameplay or watch other’s gameplay, the viewership can reach up to 90,000 people watching casually. It’s a completely different story when the League of Legends World Championship is on.
League of Legends is one of the most popular games and as of today, its viewer count for the World Championship is 36 million, while the NBA finals is 1.76 million online. With a viewer count higher than the NBA finals, it goes to show how profitable the eSports industry can be. It allows for companies such as Logitech, to advertise their product and sponsor teams to show off their product. With the the Logitech sponsorships, they can make up to two billion in revenue.
Decades ago, eSports tournaments would typically be from 100 to 200 viewers, as the years went by its community started to grow and expand. It has become so popular that it is now being considered for the Olympics of 2024. The reason it’s being considered as a medal event is because it is getting close to being called an official sport. Through eSports, the Olympics could also appeal to the millennials and increase viewership. This isn’t a one-way relationship, where the Olympics could gain ground through the help of eSports, but eSports can benefit as well. The Olympics would help eSports get exposure to the billions of people who watch the event every four years. Through this exposure, eSports will be on its way to becoming a legitimate, mainstream sport. eSports is coming back and coming back swinging.
As prominent eSports is now, you may be asking, “Is it really that popular?” eSports is similar to the NFL or NBA, where you draft or form a team by signing players into contracts and compete to win prize pools. On twitch.tv, a website used to stream gameplay or watch other’s gameplay, the viewership can reach up to 90,000 people watching casually. It’s a completely different story when the League of Legends World Championship is on.
League of Legends is one of the most popular games and as of today, its viewer count for the World Championship is 36 million, while the NBA finals is 1.76 million online. With a viewer count higher than the NBA finals, it goes to show how profitable the eSports industry can be. It allows for companies such as Logitech, to advertise their product and sponsor teams to show off their product. With the the Logitech sponsorships, they can make up to two billion in revenue.
Decades ago, eSports tournaments would typically be from 100 to 200 viewers, as the years went by its community started to grow and expand. It has become so popular that it is now being considered for the Olympics of 2024. The reason it’s being considered as a medal event is because it is getting close to being called an official sport. Through eSports, the Olympics could also appeal to the millennials and increase viewership. This isn’t a one-way relationship, where the Olympics could gain ground through the help of eSports, but eSports can benefit as well. The Olympics would help eSports get exposure to the billions of people who watch the event every four years. Through this exposure, eSports will be on its way to becoming a legitimate, mainstream sport. eSports is coming back and coming back swinging.