ESports – Electronic Sports

Transforms virtual gaming into a spectator sport. It is similar to the practice of watching a professional sports game. The main difference is that the viewers watch video gamers compete against each other in various sports. Just as spectators enjoy watching players compete in traditional sports, online viewers also enjoy watching video gamers compete against each other.

The industry includes notable games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Dota. Gamers can stream themselves playing to earn money through gameplay, join more prominent organizations, conduct their activities as members, and earn cash prizes. Players can interact with fans via social media and even directly via gameplay.

ESports is unique because the only thing that matters is the players’ talent. Unlike selection criteria for traditional sports that include a certain height or weight, or even gender, none of these matter for ESports. Regardless of their physical features, abilities, or disabilities, players can engage and showcase their capabilities. The easy accessibility of ESports contributes to its allure and its cohort of a globally immersed fan base.

ESports provide a complete hands-on experience that is much more immersive and engaging than their traditional counterparts. It greatly owes its fame to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the onset of the pandemic and lockdowns, ESports gained immense popularity. It thrived within the safe and secure surroundings of the home of individuals. Due to health and safety reasons, live sports games have been paused the world, leaving avid sports fans disappointed. However, the onset of ESports gave them something new and exciting to look forward to and kept them occupied with what they love to participate in.

ESports Audience

While it is true that ESports has just emerged and is practically just a ground-level movement, its viewers are present worldwide. Studies have predicted that ESports will spread to the extent of establishing local and national teams in ten years, just like we have with regular sports today. Community venues have been coming up at a rapid rate around various cities. Universities and colleges are also enthusiastic about attempting to level up their gaming facilities by recruiting students for their gaming teams, which is very similar to the way athletes and players are recruited for regular sports teams.

ESports has a rapidly expanding and diverse audience. Most of them hail from North America, Asia, and Europe. North America and Europe have achieved a global hold on ESports and gaming communities. The esports audience is deeply engaged; most are young digital natives.

In India, ESports has seen a phenomenal rise in popularity. In India, ESports largely owes its fame to the Covid-19 pandemic. Entrepreneurs in India have mentioned that they have noticed a significant surge in their followings all across their social media accounts. This has led to an optimistic view of the gaming industry in general, and thus entrepreneurs and gamers are keen to invest more in the industry.

ESports in India

Rising professional players in India are becoming entrepreneurs, which signifies the evolving prominence of ESports in India. As they noticed, viewership doubled from 17 million during 2020, and even the prize pool for ESports grew about 25-30 %. The director of the Esports Federation of India estimated that there are about 200 million eSports enthusiasts in India. Global gaming firms that publish games such as Call of Duty and more are coming up to invest in India’s ESports environment. Electronics and consumer brands are expanding funds and budgets for sponsoring ESports tournaments. According to industry executives, the spurt in commercial interest in ESports has made it a very viable career option, and ESports has been considered a serious career path for many who wish to pursue gaming professionally.

ESports have grown exponentially in recent times. Gaming arenas and hubs are rapidly increasing to facilitate the growth of ESports as an industry in India. These arenas and ESports spaces are emerging in places like Bengaluru and Gurgaon. These technologically advanced cities offer a vibrant gaming environment where various ESports arenas are present and thriving. Tournaments are conducted frequently in these hubs, thus allowing a very active environment for gamers. Venues with free roam games or open-world games offer many opportunities to interested gamers who want to take up ESports for a living. This influx has helped remove the negative stigma that surrounded ESports in the earlier years. The growth achieved by the ESports industry has powerfully attracted investment dollars which have further facilitated more remarkable industry growth.

Conclusion

ESports is becoming the norm of the day. Every year the audience increases, and more and more people are looking forward to watching gamers compete against various national or international teams. Esports is undoubtedly the next big thing in India, and India is slowly but steadily warming up.