Video games called to be the sports of the future

It is not new that for many young people, the usual thing is to stay playing in front of the computer or video game console all night, this as a means of entertainment; however, in recent years a new wave has arrived with force, and is that the new hobby is no longer based only on playing, but to watch others play, which is based not only on fun but also on competition.

The professionalization of many players has caused the video game industry to glimpse a new horizon. eSports are made up of gamers who compete in front of an audience that watches them play.

An expanding market

Electronic games have established themselves as an industry with great growth potential and constitute a proposal that has come to move millions of dollars annually.

According to data from Newzoo, in 2021, the global revenue of the eSports industry will increase 14.5% to 1,084 million dollars, after closing 2020 at 947 million.

A report presented by Deloitte, forecasts that, by 2023, eSports will reach revenues of around $787 million in the old continent alone. 62% of Spaniards claim to be involved in some way with eSports, followed by Italians with 58% and Germans with 53% percent.

Competitions and tournaments

The structure of electronic games is similar to that of other professional sports, as it includes tournaments and prizes, with the particularity that most of the competitions are created by the owners of the video games themselves, with this, the companies have managed to increase their audience. In this way, the profits are no longer only from the sales of the videogames, but are added to those generated by the competitions.

It is worth mentioning that eSports tournaments take place as in conventional sports; they bring together renowned players of each video game, use stadiums to play the games and there is a massive sale of tickets, as well as an audience that watches live from their homes, and there are even qualified commentators who narrate the plays. The only difference is that both fans and players are seated in front of a screen.

So, while we are still in the early stages of e-sports as a global phenomenon and industry, the sector is already well organized.