Nowadays, esports has become a global phenomenon. People from all over the globe are paying close attention to team compositions and brackets much like they would for an NBA playoffs bracket before the first match kicks off. It's safe to say that esports have become one of the major sporting happenings in the world even though it's comprised entirely of electronic sports and video games.
The main reason esports are getting so much traction is that they are relatively new and offer something fresh to the audience. Gamers competing against each other is much like any other sport but only in a different setting. With that in mind, let's take a look at how esports are taking over the world.
The global viewership for esports
As mentioned before, esports has soared in popularity all over the world. Millions of people watch individual matches and tournaments with close attention. League of Legends (LoL) has over 617.77 million viewers worldwide making it one of the most popular esports games. The main reason esports have so many viewers is that it's broadcasted accordingly.
Streaming platforms, media outlets and even TV channels are joining in on the feed for major esports events. Some individual Twitch channels have millions of viewers that are following the stream during the off-season. Therefore, people are interested in these games even when nothing major is going on.
Prize pools to sweeten the pot
Major game development studios and other brands see esports even as an ideal marketing platform to promote their products or services. This is precisely why these companies sponsor major esports leagues and tournaments.
In other words, the prize pool gets larger each year, drawing out more players and more viewers each time. For instance, the prize pool for the Dota 2 International in 2021 was $40,018,400.00, which is an astonishing amount of money for an esports event.
Furthermore, an esports tournament organizer from Saudi Arabia has announced a prize pool of $45 million for their upcoming event "The Land of Heroes" scheduled to take place in 2023. It seems that all the mothers who said no one will make a living playing video games are biting their tongues right now.
Viral news
One of the main reasons why esports are continuing to gain momentum in terms of popularity and viewership is that the news surrounding esports are constantly active. Social media is buzzing with information related to esports and any news or updates regarding teams, individual players or major events goes viral in a matter of seconds.
News and other content are constantly being distributed across various platforms and media channels so people are always up to date regarding anything relevant that's going on in the world of esports. With so much noise, it's difficult for people not to notice what's happening. This even attracts people who are not gamers themselves and are not fond of video games but who might be curious what all the buzz is about.
It is clear that many people find esports interesting enough to watch and follow. As mentioned before, the very fresh nature of esports gives people a new perspective on sports, which is why esports are able to attract a much broader audience.
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