Let’s imagine you have to explain the concept of television to someone living in the days before its invention. Sure, they may be able to understand its benefits and why it would change the entertainment business, but if you were then to explain to that same person how often people would sit and watch it, how important it would be culturally, how a large proportion of people would eventually have three or four of these devices in their homes, you would find yourself being met with a look of bewilderment. In other words, let’s just say you would have a hard time convincing someone that it would go on to become as popular as it did. And if we are being honest, you would probably have had as equally a hard time describing televisions decline to someone who experienced it at its absolute peak. The point is that times change, and we believe that esports is due its time.
When it comes to esports, despite the fact we are living in a time in which its popularity is already high, and continuously increasing, there are still many people who are puzzled at its actual appeal. The idea of watching someone else play a video game that isn’t your friend, or who you get to have a go after, is not something that is easy for many people to get their head around. But just as the eventual popularity of the television would have been incredibly difficult to explain, esports is now in a similar boat.
If you are unaware of the popularity of esports, you will likely be surprised. For example, by the year 2024, there are expected to be 577.2 million viewers of eSports worldwide, which is an incredibly large increase from the 397.8 million in 2019. Stadiums are already being filled by passionate fans who want to watch the world’s best esports athletes ply their trade. This is all but guaranteed to become a regular occurrence, similar to how standard sports stadiums are packed to the rafters on any given Sunday. And in essence, this is its greatest comparison. The clue is in the name, the appeal of esports it very similar to sports. Esports is, after all, video gaming events and/or tournaments that end in championships at regional and international level, in which professional and amateur players compete against one another. Sounds familiar, right?
Just as fans gather to watch esports live, there are countless other similarities to standard sports too. Professional esports athletes train incredibly hard in order to reach the elite level, fans can – and do – find the best odds on any eSports online, and whether its an individual player or a game, such as League of Legends, fans follow their/its progress on a weekly basis.
As long as there are rules and a competitive aspect, it should not come a surprise that fans are flocking to esports. Yes, the majority of fans are from younger generations, but this is not to suggest that the following of esports is only for the young. This is simply because of the fact that esports is a relatively new sport and that digital natives can engage with it more easily. If you are asking us, a large amount of these will be lifelong fans, we are simply witnessing the beginning of the sport’s popularity and appeal.
To return to the aforementioned comparison with television, this is exactly what is meant by it. Just as it was younger generations who first embraced television, the same is happening with esports today. Every statistic suggests that the popularity of esports is set to to continue to grow at an incredibly fast pace. So, the next time someone doubts the potential of epsorts, talk to them about something they have already seen grow in their lifetime, and they might just be able to understand.
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