Esports – organized, competitive video gaming – has exploded from a niche hobby to a major industry poised to top $4 billion in revenue in 2023. Esports is boosting and providing a serious boost to the broader video game industry in areas like game development, viewership, merchandise sales, and more. Let’s explore the growing symbiosis between esports and gaming.
Fueling Video Game Design Innovation
The need to create games that are thrilling for players and spectators to watch has influenced how game developers approach design:
- Strategic complexity – Games offer deep mechanics and strategies for elite mastery
- Role diversity – Multiple competitive roles cater to different playstyles
- Team dynamics – Importance of coordination, communication, and composition
- Balance – Frequent patching and updates to ensure fairness
- Spectator modes – Built-in tools for broadcasting matches
- Live events – Games adapted for stadium play with cheers and energy
Esports requires games to be skill-testing, strategic, and engaging to watch – pushing the industry creatively.
Extending Game Longevity and Reach
A thriving esports scene can significantly extend the lifespan and audience size of a game:
- Competitive circuits keep games relevant and exciting years after launch
- The constant improvement as developers refine games based on player feedback
- Influencers and fandom keep old games alive through streaming and events
- Collegiate leagues and scholarships introduce games to new generations of players
- Global reach as worldwide esports bring games to new regions
Esports provides the sustaining adrenaline shot that allows beloved games to endure.
Driving Hardware Innovation
To best compete at the highest levels, esports gamers need peak-performing gear:
- High-end PCs with maximum processing power and graphics
- Elite controllers and mice engineered for speed and accuracy
- High refresh rate monitors and g-sync technology
- Advanced gaming laptops balancing performance and mobility
- Comfortable gaming chairs and VR/simulation equipment
- PC cooling and accessories to avoid throttling during intense play
Esports pushes hardware makers to keep creating faster, more responsive, and more sophisticated gaming gear.
Boosting Game Sales and Microtransactions
The desire to play the same games as the pros directly drive sales:
- New game hype when a hot esports title launches
- Back catalog sales when old games gain renewed esports popularity
- In-game items and skins let fans show team pride and individuality
- Season passes and downloadable content to keep up with updates
- Merch bundles featuring favorite teams, players, and games
Whether through game downloads, virtual goods, or real collectibles, fans open their wallets.
Expanding the Gaming Audience
The spectacle of esports brings new demographics into gaming’s orbit:
- Viewers may download a game to try it out after viewing
- Family and friends of competing players get exposed to new titles
- Youth inspired to start gaming after seeing pros close to their age
- Sponsors and advertisers engage a highly sought 18-34-year-old demographic
- Non-endemic brands like Gillette and Louis Vuitton enter the industry
- Investors are drawn by the growth narrative
Esports provides a high-profile PR machine for the gaming industry as a whole.
Mainstreaming Competitive Gaming Careers
Top esports gamers can earn six-figure incomes, front professional teams, sign elite sponsorships, and even land magazine covers. This paves the way for gaming to be seen as a legitimate career:
- Public role models inspire others to try and match their success
- Structured teams and careers mimic traditional sports
- Celebrity status and fandom raise the profile of gaming
- Collegiate programs establish a development pipeline from an early age
- Business infrastructure like coaches, nutritionists, and analysts
Parents and kids alike now see “pro gamer” as an achievable dream job.
Diversifying Gaming Culture
While work remains, esports is helping push gaming culture in a more inclusive direction:
- Spotlight on diversity with major events and team signings
- Awareness of toxicity issues thanks to huge public exposure
- Codes of conduct enacted by major publishers and leagues
- Mechanisms for reporting and banning hate speech
- Supporting marginalized groups with equity initiatives
- Mainstreaming gaming as a competitive activity for all ages, races, and genders
Esports is spurring positive cultural change within gaming.
Funding Game Production and Features
The revenue generated by popular esports titles provides resources that allow publishers to improve their games:
- Higher budgets to license songs, hire talent, and amp up the quality
- Expanded staffing to quickly roll out new content and features
- Prize pools funded by game transactions and sponsors
- Development tools to support interactive live broadcasts
- Platform integrations like Twitch and Discord to optimize play and viewing
Esports profits directly circle back into making the games even better.
Conclusion
The explosive rise of esports is having profound impacts across the entire video game industry. From evolving game design to broadening gaming’s audience to funding bigger budgets, competitive gaming, and blockbuster game titles now share a synergistic relationship driving growth. The future looks bright for both gamers hoping to go pro and developers delivering the next big esports.
FAQs
How has esports influenced the amount of violence and gore in modern video games?
Esports has helped move game design away from shock value violence to more strategic gameplay. Excess gore distracts from the skill competition. Some games like Fortnite have cartoonish rather than graphic violence.
Do video game publishers pay esports leagues and organizations to feature their games?
Yes, publishers will often strike deals to have their latest release featured in major esports leagues shortly after launch. This cross-promotion benefits both the league and the publisher.
How has esports impacted the amount of video game crunch time and developer burnout?
The constant updates required to keep esports titles balanced unfortunately contribute to excessive crunch cycles and burnout at some studios. Workers’ rights have become a major issue.
What are some examples of non-endemic brands sponsoring esports?
Top non-gaming brands sponsoring esports include Mastercard, PepsiCo, Nike, State Farm, and Mercedes-Benz. This demonstrates esports expanding mainstream appeal.
Do pro video game streamers help or hurt efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within esports?
Major streamers have a platform to model positive behavior, but also the power to encourage toxicity. On balance, streamers seem to promote diversity more than discourage it.
How will augmented reality and virtual reality impact the future of esports?
AR/VR has the potential to immerse viewers and create new kinds of video game competitions and simulations. But the technology needs to advance further before going mainstream.
