Welcome to I Am Your Target Demographic and today we're discussing eSports.
This video is not intended for people that are familiar and know this topic inside and
out but rather for folks that don't know what this means or don't understand its significance.
So if you're in the first category, share this video with someone in the second category.
What does the term "esport" mean?
It's literally short for "electronic sports," meaning video games that can be played competitively,
either as an individual or as a team.
This idea of competing has existed since video games themselves have existed.
We had people playing Space Invaders to beat the high score.
Arcades were places where heroes could be made, people breaking records and becoming
local celebrities.
When PC gaming became popular, this is where people began to play against strangers, people
who could be in other countries even.
This launched the era of international icons, teams and players that could claim to be the
best in the world.
We jump forward to now, this is NOT a history lesson.
There are many games that are considered esports and have tournaments and prizes and plenty
of chances for people to compete.
If you're a developer and you can find a way to make your game competitive, this can extend
the lifetime of a game considerably.
However many games tout themselves as an esport but if they don't gain traction, their competitive
scene is not strong, this could make or break the reputation of a game.
Now let's look at some prime examples.
One of the most well-known is something called League of Legends, which I have an entire
video describing.
This game was released formally in 2009 and has been supported since, with competitions
and tournaments around the world.
The 2016 world championship for League of Legends attracted over 43 million viewers
online and the prize pool was over 6 million dollars.
This is their job, these people that travel and compete.
They're sponsored by companies, with endorsements that can support them financially between competitions.
The latest estimate is that over 100 million people play League of Legends in an average month.
This game was created and sustained by Riot Games.
League's biggest competitor is called Dota2 which is short for Defense of the Ancients.
Dota's latest tournament held at the Key Arena in Seattle gave over 9 million dollars to
the winning team alone, plus millions more to the runners up.
This competition was streamed across the internet as well as being aired on various ESPN channels.
Esports don't always look like this genre of game.
A recent example is Overwatch, a team-based shooter that has gotten much traction, from
Blizzard, the same company that created the games Warcraft and Starcraft, both of which
I have videos describing.
Check out the description if you're curious about those games.
Now like actual sports, these competitive teams have staffs of trainers and scheduling coordinators.
They're also owned like sports teams are, some with very notable owners including professional
athletes like Shaquille O'Neil, Magic Johnson, and Alex Rodriguez, who all own or co-own their own teams.
Since this can be a lucrative career, many young people might want to pursue this, to
live the dream.
They likely start playing young, they might even choose universities that have prestigious
esports programs or teams.
It's becoming more and more common for universities to treat these competitors as other athletes
are, meaning there are significant scholarships for these athletes to attend a given university.
Knowing that a successful team can boost that university's prestige at an international level.
Also like professional athletes, injuries can be devastating.
A wrist injury could ruin your career at just 20 years old.
A case of carpel tunnel could cost you millions.
The injuries might be very different but the effect is just as significant, hence why they
might focus on conditioning and training for intensive gaming.
So in a nutshell, this is a legitimate movement and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down.
It's a billion dollar industry and one that you'll likely see more and more of, once it
gets more mainstream coverage.
Do you play any games competitively?
If so, let me know in the comments.
Hopefully you found this interesting, thanks for watching.
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