We live in the golden age of eSports. The concept “gamer” has even been used by Spanish politicians in the current electoral campaign. The scope of the idea is enormous, also reaching seemingly unrelated industries. But, what are eSports? We will try to explain it in this article.
It’s about playing a game online against other players, creating events for it too. Thanks to the rapid evolution of information technologies, the number of people playing is so significant that it has become a social phenomenon, and there are even professional players dedicated, body and soul, to gaming.
It may seem that this is only a phenomenon that has been brought about by home entertainment, but the impact is much more significant. It is a way of life, which encompasses professions and beliefs. It is something so big that it has influenced several generations, and it seems that it will continue to do so in the future.
We can link this phenomenon to gaming consoles, but not in its birth in 1972, with the first machine, the Magnavox, but in the ’80s, when players gathered to play with their consoles in groups. Playing with other players will become the future of the video game industry.
But the real origin does not come until the ’90s and later: the arrival of multimedia devices and an Internet connection allowed to play against virtual competitors around the world. Revolution was coming with a capital “R”.
From then on, the phenomenon spread like wildfire. The number of players was increasing, as was the time some of them invested in competing, becoming experts and, therefore, professionals.
Today it has become one of the most essential industries in the world, with more than 300 million fans worldwide, millions of fans that generate more audiences and economic resources than many conventional sports competitions.
Precisely, the conventional sport that tries to open the debate on whether or not eSports are sport. But the very definition of sport is based on competition, and it is intrinsic to online sports. Moreover, professional players prepare exhaustively for competing, train and also wear themselves out in competitions.
The truth is that the world of online sports is exciting and fun. It doesn’t take a significant investment to get started, and it’s a great way to have fun and also a way to find friends who share your passion.
There are eSports clubs, usually founded by people who have not developed enough skills to be gaming professionals, but have a great passion and see in this sector the possibility of having an income. For this reason and in the same way as in a professional sports club, they sign professional players.
Clubs are financed by sponsorship and advertising, to participate in professional leagues. The income can be more than attractive. Just one piece of information is enough to realize what eSports move around the world: it is estimated that by 2024 eSports will move more than a billion dollars worldwide.
To outsiders, it may seem that spending hours and hours playing online, in your bedroom or in your living room, is antisocial behaviour. But this stereotype today is quite the opposite: fans of these competitions have a better academic background, have better jobs and even happy families; some professional gamers have even more fans than other professional sportsmen on social networks.
And, just as online sports have detractors from the traditional sports world, they also have great support from this field. Professional basketball or soccer teams are joining the phenomenon by participating in professional online leagues of their sports.
There is nothing but good news about this industry. Every year is rising the investment, the number of fans and the amount of resources moving the industry. Far from it has remained that image of a minority and freak world, where the losers were comfortable. We are facing a robust industry of the future and an excellent way to have fun, as well as a vast and varied professional field with constant growth.
How to be part of this community?
If you are passionate about eSports and want to keep abreast of all developments, the best thing you can do is follow platforms like enews.gg, where you can find all the news of the eSports industry, and you can participate in it as a mere spectator, as an amateur or professional player and many more things.
But you can also take your passion much further by being part of the team of this platform. As you have seen, this industry is more than promising and needs professionals who know the sector in depth. An excellent way to find your future in your passion.
An ideal small platform, because it guarantees a sustained and sustainable growth, as the eSports sector grows year after year in investment, followers and resources. It is also a good way to get into one of the industries with the most potential and future.
