The Esports Phenomenon

First-person shooters. MOBAs. Twitch. League of Legends. Many will not understand any of these terms from the world of gaming. However, what people may find easier to understand is this: over $1 billion. That's the global esports revenue generated in 2019. Here's another figure for you: 450 million. That's the estimated number of viewers that esports had globally last year. And how about a final one: $25 million. That was the tournament prize pool for the Dota 2 International, one of the biggest events in e-sports.

Over the latter half of the last decade, esports has exploded across the globe and the UK is no exception. A YouGov report in 2017 found that 35% of British adults are aware of esports, equating to 18.3 million people, with 3.6 million saying that they had watched esports. Meanwhile in 2018, ESL One Birmingham, an esports tournament for the game Dota 2, was the fastest-selling tournament in the organisers' history.

But the world of esports is a complex one. It is difficult to define and the name itself can be misleading as most countries do not class it as a sport, with the UK being one of these countries. Meanwhile the industry faces challenges over perceptions that the media and people unfamiliar with esports have towards gaming, and the rapid growth of esports means that there is uncertainty over how much more it can expand. And of course, just like everything else in the world, esports has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. However as an activity that is meant to be played online and requires no physical interaction with other players, there are arguments to say that esports may have thrived in recent months as it has filled the void left by the cancellation of sport.

^{Image credit: Unsplash}

For the last two years, Birmingham has hosted ESL One Birmingham, a Dota 2 tournament organised by ESL (Electronic Sports League). ESL is one of the biggest gaming leagues in the world and organises tournaments across the globe, with Dota 2 being one the most popular e-sports titles.

In 2018, ESL One Birmingham became the fastest selling Dota 2 tournament in ESL's history, with over 1000 tickets being sold within the first 5 minutes of them being made available.

What is Esports, and is the name accurate?

Before going any further its important to explain what is meant by the term 'esports'. However this is easier said than done. The term could be taken to mean any gaming, from someone playing Candy Crush on their smart phone at home, to the professional gamer playing in front of thousands at a major tournament.

The British Esports Association describes esports as 'competitive video gaming, where people play against each other online and also at spectator events in indoor arenas, usually for a cash prize' and that it can be played by both amateurs and professionals. For such a broad spectrum as gaming, this is a pretty good summary of what esports is today.

Alex is a esports fan and regularly plays League of Legends, one of the biggest esports titles in the industry. Not only does he play the game but he also enjoys watching the live streams of tournaments and matches.

"I'd usually watch about an hour of the team I was supporting and then another game or two of the big clashes involving the teams challenging for the title. I support a team called Rogue on League of Legends and they're doing alright!"

So, from a fan's point of view, what does he see esports as?

"I'd say esports is a team game that involves strategy and high-skilled play. I think that's probably the best way of describing esports."

One of the obvious questions though is this: can it be called a sport? The term 'esports' is simply short for 'electronic sports' but video games inherently involve sitting down and a lack of physical activity.

But esports now has many similarities with sports such as football. There are teams, managers, spectators, and merchandise. At the highest levels it involves incredible skill, teamwork and strategy.

Some countries, like Poland for example, do classify esports as a sport. However here in the UK it is classified as a game, just like chess and bridge.

As esports has grown and become more professional it now certainly has many similarities with more traditional sports, and for Alex, the debate had a simple answer.

Alex explains why he sees competitive gaming as a sport

This question of whether or not gaming should be seen as a sport may not be as significant as it seems though, as becomes apparent when speaking to those in the industry.

Kalvin Chung is the Managing Director of MnM Gaming, an esports organisation set up in 2014, with the aim of providing support and opportunities for talent in the UK esports scene. For Kalvin, the question of whether esports should be seen as a sport or not is all about esports becoming more widely accepted.

"A lot of people think if it was classified as a sport then that would be seen as acceptance in some peoples' eyes. It would make the dialogue easier. People can't go and say that darts isn't a sport for example, because it just is classified as one, that's a line drawn."

"So I think a lot of issues would potentially be fixed, and a lot of people would feel more accepted if that was the case."

However, whilst there would be benefits to this, Kalvin believes that esports can survive and prosper as its own separate thing.

"In my personal opinion I don't think it needs to be classified as a sport. I don't think we have to chase what is perceived by other people as the sports system. I think we can just continue to do our own thing and work with the sports base. There's a lot of teams in football, basketball, baseball, that are involved with esports."

"That's just my take, I don't think we need to have that acceptance, but I understand why it's a lot easier if that were the case."

^{Image credit: MnM Gaming}

The challenges esports faces, and the benefits that it can bring...

Speaking to Kalvin, it was the issue of acceptance that kept coming up, and the difficulty that esports faces in being accepted by those who are unfamiliar with it.

"Acceptance is the biggest thing. I don't blame people, it's really hard to understand the esports world if you've not been born into it, so I think it's about finding the right language to create the right dialogue with news companies, universities, and parents."

Kalvin is referencing the negative perception that gaming has often faced from the media. This is one of the major challenges facing the industry.

"People sit in offices for 10-12 hours a day, or sit in front of TV for hours a day watching things. But as soon as it becomes you're watching something more interactive [gaming] on Twitch or Youtube Live, then it just becomes obscene and unacceptable."

For years gaming has been something that should be discouraged, particularly for children and adolescents, who are of course the main market of the industry. Whilst issues of obesity and more recently video game addiction, are of course very real, esports is often treated unfairly in the media. So one of the main challenges for the industry is highlighting the benefits that playing games can bring. This is where the British Esports Association comes in.

Source: The Daily Mirror https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/terrifying-truth-gaming-addiction-what-14016556

Source: The Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4768834/Violent-shooter-video-games-really-rot-brain.html

Source: The i https://inews.co.uk/news/childhood-obesity-teenagers-video-games-study-415841

Courtesy of British Esports Association

Set up in 2016, the British Esports Association has three goals: to promote esports in the UK and increase its awareness, to improve the standard of esports in the UK, and to inspire future talent. Significantly they aim to promote esports not 'as a rival to traditional sport, but as a credible activity in its own right which can have positive cognitive and other esports benefits when done in moderation.'

Click here for more info about the British Esports Association

The main initiative that the association runs is the British Esports Championships, which is a tournament for school and college teams. The first full championships started in September 2018, and had more than 70 teams participating. The association actively encourage the setting up of school and college teams and participation in esports, in stark contrast to the often negative connotations that gaming has.

How to set up an esports society or club in your school, college or university

Advice article by @markmccreadyuk, president and founder of @MonarchsEsports and Scotland representative at British Esports

Read here: https://t.co/KfVZHbNY2f pic.twitter.com/81IO0ifDy2
— British Esports Association (@British_Esports) August 17, 2020

'You'll sometimes get papers or publications doing strange pieces on esports, with weird comments'
Dominic Sacco, Head of Content, British Esports Association

Dominic Sacco is the Head of Content at the British Esports Association. Just like Kalvin he also agreed that perception was a huge issue for esports.

"There are still a lot of people that don't have a gaming background or don't really understand video games that will just dismiss it and say 'what's that? That's not even a real sport.'"

"So perception is a challenge, but in the media as well. You'll sometimes get papers or publications or broadcasters doing strange pieces on esports, with weird comments like 'I'm surprised they're not all playing in a darkened room' or 'I bet they've never seen the sun', silly things like that."

But as already mentioned, the British Esports Association champion the positives of gaming and esports, particularly in schools. Dominic spoke about the benefits that esports has brought to schools and colleges.

Dominic discusses the benefits that the association have seen esports have in schools.

There is a lot to be said for the cognitive benefits that gaming can have, by improving reaction times, encouraging strategic thinking and promoting teamwork and communication skill, to name but a few. As mentioned by Dominic though, it is the social aspect that is arguably the greatest benefit of esports. In this respect, gaming and esports are no different to any other sport.

*Credit: National Student Esports*

*Credit: National Student Esports*

🏆 The competition has been fierce, but the University of Warwick are Esports University of the Year!

🥇1st @warwickesports
🥈2nd @UoSVGE
🥉3rd @StaffsEsports
💐4th @UopEsports
💐5th @bhamEsports

👀 See notable mentions & points breakdown here: https://t.co/tF7r0dojYJ pic.twitter.com/WTvsQwWir2
— National Student Esports (@nse_gg) May 1, 2020

This social aspect runs right the way through to university campuses and beyond. National Student Esports (NSE) is an organisation that was set up as "an official body for esports on the university stage" and that works in partnership with BUCS (British Universities and College Sport). Chris Henshaw, League Operations Manager at NSE, explained what they do as an organisation

"The aim was to help grow esports in the university space and help build that into a sustainable long-term system. We set up our own set of leagues, similar to BUCS, where we have lots of different esports and games being played, and each of those games has university teams playing."

"So you then have a national champion for CS:GO, a national champion for League of Legends and all these other games. But on top of that we then have the Esports University of the Year for the university that does the best overall, which is very similar to the BUCS Sports university of the year. By making it similar to sports where it makes sense to be similar to sports this, this makes it understandable for people to get into it."

Esports has surged in popularity at universities over recent years just like it has in other walks of life, as Chris explained.

"We've seen steady 30-40% growth each year, and a couple of years ago was the first time we saw a big surge of about 60-70% across all universities, not just the ones we're running. We've seen more universities setting up their own leagues as well."

For Chris, the social aspect of esports and esports societies is crucial to this growth and popularity.

Chris discusses how the social aspect of esports is much more significant than for other sports such as football

When I asked Alex what the main benefits of playing esports were, the first thing that he mentioned was the social aspect and the opportunity to meet people and play in a team.

And for a final word on the benefits of esports lets go back to Dominic.

"Cognitive benefits, social communication benefit, reaction times. But also making friends. When I was growing up we didn't have esports, it wasn't a mainstream thing, but you had P.E. at school and there would always be a collection of kids who didn't want to do P.E. for whatever reason. Esports gives them another avenue."

Esports and the pandemic

So on to the unavoidable topic of the year, the colossus in everyone's lives at the moment, and the only thing we can talk about right now: Covid-19.

For a while the virus brought the sporting and entertainment worlds to a standstill. However this wasn't the case for esports. Whilst physical tournaments with crowds were of course cancelled, many were able to continue as competitors simply played from their own homes.

In some cases, esports began to fill the void left by physical sports. Several professional Formula 1 drivers joined celebrities and other sports stars in virtual Grand Prix, with 22 million to tuning in to watch the races which were streamed online.

#VirtualGP + @Aubameyang7 + @McLarenF1 = 🤙🏼 pic.twitter.com/xpyYqlqFhJ
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) May 20, 2020

Other sports have followed suit. Fifa has always been one of the most popular games in the world and in April some of the Premier League's biggest stars, such as Raheem Sterling and Wilfred Zaha, took part in the ePremier League Invitational tournament. Even cycling as got involved with the switch to virtual racing. Chris Froome had one of the more bizarre moments of his legendary career, as he took on the likes of Olly Murs and Mel C in Sky Sports' The Race - Wheel for Heroes, cycling around a virtual volcano, and almost losing to the former Spice Girl.

🥇 @chrisfroome
🥈 @KP24
🥉 @MelanieCmusic

It went down to the final 200 metres, but the Tour De France champion claims glory in the #WheelsForHeroes race which helped raise money for charity

More: https://t.co/bN1vnYWpbP pic.twitter.com/zGF1jo0Yj1
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 7, 2020

Traditional esports games have thrived in lockdown as well. In the past few months, the BBC have been streaming live matches from the UK League of Legends Championship...

...and a wide array of content can now be found on their website through a simple search, with everything from articles explaining what esports entails to videos from previous tournaments and events.

"Esports has been given the opportunity of more acceptance during Covid"
Kalvin Chung, Managing Director, MnM Gaming

As all other sports have been off and broadcasters such as the BBC and Sky have shown esports events, esports has had the chance to increase its audience. Many esports events are streamed on sites such as YouTube and Twitch so are easy to find and watch, something Alex pointed out.

"You can easily go on your computer and just type in 'League of Legends stream' and start watching a tournament!"

This chance to reach out to new fans was something that hadn't passed Kalvin by either.

"I would say that esports has been given the opportunity of more acceptance during Covid. It's on BBC Sports, Ferrari have launched their own esports series, F1's sim racing has boomed. And Counter Strike ESL have had record-breaking numbers, just day-to-day so many people watching Counter Strike."

"So I think it's [the pandemic] brought a lot more attention to esports, because of lack of other exterior things."

The All-Star Showdown is a tournament that the British Esports Association organised for student teams during lockdown, with matches streamed live on their YouTube channel. Rocket League is one of the most popular and exciting titles in esports, and would usually attract huge crowds to its tournaments. Footage courtesy of YouTube and British Esports Association

Dominic agreed that there can be some real benefits from the past 6 months for esports.

"Traditional sports fans have seen these esports activities going on and realised 'oh actually this is quite interesting'. Even if they don't think its interesting they're now more aware of it, and that should benefit esports in the long run as more people know it exists and might tune in in the future."

It would be wrong to say that there have been no negatives for the industry though, as Dominic explained.

Dominic discusses some of the challenges that the esports industry has faced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic

Meanwhile, Chris explained how esports at universities may be affected by current events.

Chris explains how esports at universities may be affected by coronavirus

Nothing has been unaffected by Covid-19 and esports is no different. However there is optimism that the future is bright for the industry.

"There's been some negatives but there's been some positives too, Dominic told me. But I think esports will find the positives overall once the coronavirus situation has cleared."

The future for Esports

Finally then, looking beyond Covid-19, what does the future of esports look like? At first glance it would seem to be very positive. There don't appear to be any obvious reasons why the remarkable growth that esports has seen over the past 5 years should stop any time soon. But speaking to Kalvin and Dominic, they were slightly more cautious about the future.

Kalvin studied economics and used some of his knowledge in this area to look at the future esports may have.

"I would have said a year ago that esports would probably take a hit some time soon, just as a natural progression. There's a debate over whether the numbers are growing too quickly, is it sustainable, are teams just constantly losing money?"

He questioned whether the data that teams are collecting regarding their viewers and growth was accurate or not and that on a national level teams are still figuring out what they need to know about their audience.

"It's a mix of questions. Is it the right data? Is there enough money to support what we're doing? Is it sustainable? And are we creating the right infrastructure for partners, for people, for everyone to get involved and make sure that it continues growing?"

"The one thing I've learnt with esports is expect the unexpected!"
Dominic Sacco

Dominic thought it was important that esports remains realistic when looking to the future.

"I don't like to come across too negative but I think it's important people keep their feet on the ground because we have seen a lot of growth and I do think at some point esports is going to peak. It's important that when that happens we take stock and be mindful of not running before we can walk."

"There's been some companies in the UK that have seen job cuts in the last year, so there's no guarantee that this is going to keep growing and it's going to be all roses and rainbows."

"I do believe esports is going to continue to grow but steadily and people need to stay level-headed. Because the one thing I've learnt with esports is expect the unexpected! Fortnite barely existed 2-3 years ago and now it's one of the biggest games on the planet and last year had a prize pool of $30 million."

"So who knows what the next big game of the next 3-5 years is going to be, it could be a game that doesn't exist yet!"

Dominic explains how he is optimistic but realistic about the future for esports

For anyone looking to get into esports or thinking of joining a club at school or university, Chris had some advice.

"I'd say if you're into games, it's the best way to meet people of similar interest and help you find friends. It's one of the few chances you'll get, if you're not looking at playing professionally, to play in a competitive environment regardless of your skill."

"You train, you prepare to face teams, you practice strategy. You do all these really fun competitive elements that you just don't get when you're playing on your own."

Ultimately, it is the involvement at amateur and local level that will determine the future of esports and whether or not it will continue to grow and thrive. Physical tournaments will be up and running again soon, and fans will once again be filling arenas to watch the very best in action.

It may be years before esports gets the acceptance it desires, and for the foreseeable future it will continue to be an activity that splits generations. Some will never accept it as a valid pursuit, and it will be under scrutiny from the outside world for a long time.

One thing is for sure though, it is not going away anytime soon and for millions of fans it engages them in ways that traditional sports never could.

^{Image credit: ESL | Helena Kristiansson}