Rise of eSports: Global player changing sporting landscapes
THE $13 billion sporting juggernaut that is America’s NFL is set to come under threat in the future from a new global player — eSports.
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THE $13 billion sporting juggernaut that is America’s NFL is set to come under threat from a new global sport that is on track to take its No. 1 mantle by 2050.
Already a $1.5 billion global industry projected to grow as much as 50 per cent by 2020, eSports is shaping up to be a major player in the world’s sporting landscape in decades to come as a new generation of “digital natives” grow up with more interest in computers and PlayStations than footballs and netballs.
A YouGov study last year found only 15 per cent of Australian adults had watched eSports but the number of 18-24 year olds tuning in to professional video gaming — 23 per cent — points to enormous growth potential.
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With technology continuing to advance, industry insiders say “the sky’s the limit” for eSports as big money investment in the sport begins to roll in.
“This thing is massive and it’s only getting bigger,” ESports Games Association Australia chief executive Mat Jessep said. “eSports fans are all digital natives. They’re all living in the digital world. Some of them don’t even have free-to-air TV.
“This is where traditional sports are wanting to get to, they’re wanting to get better engagement in the digital world.”
A range of industry experts spoken to by the Sunday Herald Sun predict that by 2050, eSports will:
● Be an Olympic sport, with the Asian Games set to trial it as a medal event in 2022 and expectations the IOC could jump on board in 2024.
● Be a top-three sport in Australia, in the same conversation as AFL and NRL.
● Have dedicated boutique stadiums in major Australian capital cities where spectators will be able to watch games carried out in a 3D projection environment; and
● Have significant broadcast deals to help fund the sport and its professional players, some of whom are already raking in millions of dollars.
David Parker, a former Melbourne boy now living in Los Angeles where he runs an eSports events company, said while Australia was beginning to catch up, gaming was already big business in the US — and growing.
“It’s started to become more mainstream and ESPN have started including it in their features whether it’s top players in SportsCenter or even broadcasting full tournaments,” Parker said.
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IT could be the ultimate revenge of the nerds — video gamers are predicted to become the new sporting heroes by 2050.
Professional video gaming, or eSports, is already a $1.5 billion global industry but is projected to grow as much as 50 per cent by 2020.
A YouGov study last year found only 15 per cent of Australian adults had watched eSports but the number of 18-24-year-olds tuning in to professional video gaming — 23 per cent — points to enormous growth potential.
With technology continuing to advance, industry insiders said “the sky’s the limit” for eSports as big money investment in the sport begins to roll in.
“This thing is massive and it’s only getting bigger,” eSports Games Association Australia chief executive Mat Jessep said.
According to industry experts, by 2050 it could become an Olympic sport and will fill small stadiums with fans watching the events on giant screens.
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