All about eSports

Before we dive into today’s eSports industry let’s take a quick look at its humble beginnings. We cannot talk about the eSports industry without its predecessor; the first competitive games of the Olympics.

Back in 776BC

The year is 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, right next to Mount Olympus. The Olympic Festival has been created to honour Zeus, the father of all Ancient Greek Gods. The competition was an attempt to unite individual states and cities through competitive events. At the time, there was not a shared sense of being Greek as the competitors identified as a citizen of the city they came from. In anticipation of the negativity festival messengers were dispatched to send word of a truce among all competitor’s cities.

Once a truce was agreed there was a procession from competitor's hometowns to Olympia. Upon arrival they swore an oath to the crowds and to the Gods. The Olympic Oath pledged that they would obey all rules of the tournament and compete against each other with honour and respect much like our eSports values. 

The history of eSports

Sports have always been more than a hobby. Competitive sports are a way to unite people with a common passion and push human limits. Our eSports history starts with that itself, the passion for gaming and the human desire to push our boundaries physically and psychologically.

Now join us on a journey that will take us back in time when the passion-play of many became the passion job of a few. 

Watch: A brief history of eSports (5:28 minutes)

 Watch the video below and take notes.

Watch: eSports History-World of eSports (4:21 minutes)

 Watch the video below and take notes. Then answer the questions below the video.

1. What were some competitive games played before the Internet was widely used? How many have you played and heard of?
2.  In which country was gaming first popular? Which countries is gaming popular in now?
3.  What dramatically changed eSports in 2011? How so?

eSports is a booming industry and the world’s fastest growing sport. It is well established in Asia, North America, Europe and gaining popularity in all countries including New Zealand.

It is set to rival traditional sports in viewership and unlike traditional sports, eSports is far more socially inclusive. Players from various demographics, men and women of nearly all ages and the virtual format break down any language or cultural barriers making esports accessible to anyone.

Millions of avid fans from around the globe tune in to watch the most elite gamers battle it out for top spots. Sold out arenas, big name sponsorship and massive prize pools are driving the multi-billion-dollar industry to new heights.

Components of the eSports industry

There are various moving parts which make up professional gaming and the eSports industry. The model below has five key components:

1. Channels
2. Publishers
3. Leagues
4. Events 
5. Teams

Many eSports companies have more than one industry role to meet the needs of eSports brand and eSports consumers. For example, ESL:

• owns a channel (ESL.TV)
• organises events for publishers and sponsors
• owns its own leagues and events: Landing | ESL Play (eslgaming.com)

You can see the many interconnected stakeholders in the eSports industry graphic below. As you consider the interconnections see how many brans you recognise and the scope of their role in the eSports industry:

An ecosystem is a system of interconnecting parts. It is important to understand the individual roles in eSport events, but they would not exist without the roles of game publishers, tournament and league organisers, broadcast platforms and advertisers. They are all parts of the eSports ecosystem as you can see in the image below: 

Like mother nature, eSports has a delicate balance. All the components interact with each other to create something that can only be achieved by the sum of the parts.  Try to imagine an eSports championship with no game?! Or a Twitch stream with no viewers?! Or even a league that has no teams- impossible right? All these components coexist, but they also depend on each other. We are all part of this ecosystem and it's only up to us to make it sustainable. 

How the eSports industry and ecosystem interconnect

The above graphic shows the supply chain for eSports entertainment. In other words, how value gets delivered to fans from Point A to Point B. However, there are more ways to show how each component of eSports influences another. 

Watch: How eSports Teams make Money (8:16 minutes)

Watch the following documentary and take notes. Who do you think is really making money in the eSports industry?!

The world of eSports is exploding with all types of Personal Computer (PC) and console games with everything from athletic sports games to collectable card games. Every game that qualifies as an eSport can be classified into one of many genres such as Real Time Strategy (RTS), First-Person Shooter (FPS) or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA). 

Read: Find out more about New Zealand eSports industry

Read all about how the eSports Industry in New Zealand ‘hasn’t even started yet’.

eSports is growing rapidly and so are the industry career options. As we discussed, becoming a professional player is not the only way you can make a living in gaming.

Roles in eSports events

As eSports grows so does the list of roles associated with it. Each role plays a key part and must work for the good of the team to be successful. In Module 5, you will be undertaking your capstone assessment, and running your eSports event with your team!

Here are a few of the roles necessary for an eSport event:

Look at the graphic below of possible eSports career paths. 

The eSports ecosystem (Anderson et al., 2018; Lee & Steinkuehler, 2019).