An Intro to eSports
1 like2,053 views
The document discusses the rise of esports as a popular form of competitive gaming, highlighting its growing viewership and financial potential. It outlines the appeal of esports, the dynamics of professional play, and the challenges faced, such as fragmentation and reliance on game developers. The content emphasizes that esports is becoming a significant sector, comparable to traditional sports, with potential implications for marketing and investment.
An Intro to eSports
- 1. Welcome to the world of eSports
- 2. 'Something Needs to Fill That Void.' As Stadiums Go Quiet, Esports Are Having a Moment Viewership on Twitch, the go-to site for game streamers, is up 31% in March, by one estimate.
- 3. A form of sport competition using video games. ELECTRONIC SPORTS OK duh, thanks… aren’t video games already competition?
- 4. True… I guess normy sports are also competition
- 5. LET’S BREAK THAT DOWN Casual play. The newbs, plebs, and everyday people of the world. FEATURES: ♦ Rules of the sport ♦ Organization through teams, leagues Professional play. The people getting paid to play because of their skill. FEATURES: ♦ Rules of the sport ♦ Organization through teams, leagues ♦ Mass appeal ♦ Tons of money
- 6. So how does a game become an eSport?
- 7. People are actually into the game. REQUIREMENT 1:
- 8. Having mass appeal is a big deal. Not all sports have this. (*cough* water polo) Not all video games have this either. For a game to be entertaining to a large enough base, it has to be widely played or at least understood. It also has to be easily watchable.
- 9. WE’LL LOOK AT LEAGUE OF LEGENDS (LoL) The original eSports success story. 100 MILLION total viewers during the LoL World Championship 2019 44 MILLION peak concurrent viewers during the LoL World Championship 2019 peak concurrent users on LoL in a day (Sep 2019) 8 MILLION
- 10. IT’S EASY TO UNDERSTAND The standard map and goals are simple. TEAM 1’s BASE TEAM 2’s BASE MIDLINETEAM 1’s PLAYERS TEAM 2’s PLAYERS
- 11. IT’S EASILY WATCHABLE Watching is just like normy sports. There are commentators!There’s live action!
- 12. READY PLAYER ONE Speedrunning is like solo sports. There are categories, kind of like how there’s the 100m, 200m, etc. in sprinting. It still requires a high level of play and is entertaining. There isn’t as much money behind the scenes.
- 13. There’s financial backing behind it. REQUIREMENT 2:
- 14. You need cash money to make it work, honey. Athletes are paid (*cough* massive) salaries. Their coaches, trainers, doctors, and analysts are also paid. Teams can foot these bills because they make a ton of money from tickets, media rights, merchandise, and sponsorships. eSports is getting big enough that it can operate similarly, just on a smaller scale. For now.
- 15. ESPORTS BY THE NUMBERS Video games are beginning to get big money. $34 MILLION The prize pool for The International 2019, a Dota 2 tournament $6.8 MILLION The highest overall earnings of a pro gamer (N0tail, Dota 2) Estimated cost to buy a team in the Overwatch League’s second season $50 MILLION
- 16. ESPORTS ORGANIZATIONS The business landscape is also similar. Rich peeps own teams Teams have players Teams have sponsors Teams have support staff ♦ Coaches ♦ Operations ♦ HR ♦ Marketing ♦ IT/Developers
- 17. HOW THEY’RE MAKING THE BUCKS Who needs networks when you have streaming?
- 18. HOW THEY’RE MAKING THE BUCKS They’re monetizing their fan base. Physical events Digital events Merchandise
- 19. HOW THEY’RE MAKING THE BUCKS They’re selling big brands on advertising.
- 20. THE SPACE IS GROWING We’re getting eSports-adjacent companies. Physical therapists on a journey to help the gaming community play more and hurt less. A talent management and dedicated brand consultancy connecting brands with pro gamers and fans. An early and mid-stage Venture Fund investor focused on the esports sector. A fantasy platform for gamers, by gamers with weekly cash prizes.
- 21. OK but where do the normy sports analogies end?
- 22. eSports face more fragmentation. CHALLENGE 1:
- 23. WHAT TO PLAY… There are many similar games for players. Jane here is really good at shooty games. But she has to pick which one to dedicate her career to… Some of the most popular competitive shooter games
- 24. WHAT TO PLAY… How’s a top tier player to choose? There’s a few things Jane needs to consider that an athlete wouldn’t: ♦ Will this game still be popular in a few years? ♦ Will the devs continue to support this game? ♦ Will the league still be active? ♦ Will my sponsors find this a good fit? ♦ Oh yeah, do I actually like playing it? The uncertainty in the eSports scene makes these choices difficult. It’s not just purely about talent.
- 25. eSports face less fragmentation. CHALLENGE 2: wait, whut?
- 26. THEY DO IT ALL Game devs hold the key to the experience. CREATOR LEAGUE TEAM
- 27. THEY DO IT ALL Why does it matter? It gives one company unlimited cosmic power over the fate of the game and its eSports experience. And these companies traditionally don’t make money off one game for decades. With this centralization, a company could: ♦ Stop supporting the game ♦ Change the rules of the game whenever they want, to whatever they want ♦ Change the format of the league (schedule, teams, etc.) ♦ Change the player contracts league-wide
- 28. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS Some eSports do have others involved. There are game developers that have zero interest in also managing an eSports league around their titles. That’s when another organization can step in and organize. This diffuses the power and is closer to the setup of traditional sports. CREATOR LEAGUE TEAM
- 29. eSports is an awkward teenager. IN SUMMARY?
- 30. Wanna learn more? You don’t have to watch if you’re not into video games, but it is a really interesting emerging business. If nothing else, it’s something to keep an eye on because it will change the landscape for marketing. DOT ESPORTS DEXERTO