Cybersport is developing faster than any other sport. In addition, everything related to esports is also actively developing: athletes, coaches, equipment, virtual sites, streaming services, even online bookmakers with specialized sections for esports betting. Why did it happen? Let's take a look at it in this article.
Football, hockey, basketball are the most popular sports. And now you can safely add esports to them. After all, esports has already gathered hundreds of thousands of fans onesports arenas and stadiums of world capitals and hundreds of millions are watching the broadcasts. For example, on the website of Shangri La, the esports betting section is gaining popularity at a fantastic pace. And this trend can be seen across all specialized platforms.
Virtual sport attracts not only with its spectacularity, but also by the fact that it has no boundaries. And the boundaries with traditional sports are becoming more and more blurred, and now there are talks about introducing esports into the program of the Olympic Games and including it in the school educational curriculum.
Availability
Streaming websites like Twitch and ESTNN are gaining popularity. It is noteworthy that streaming platforms enable game lovers to watch their favorites. Like, for example, the Fortnite streamer Ninja, whose popularity skyrocketed after streaming with world stars. By comparison, it's like being able to freely watch Tom Brady, LeBron James, or Lionel Messi. But streaming sites provide the opportunity to watch the idol for free. Accessibility allows video game fans to get even closer to streamers. The streamers themselves, in turn, make millions in just one year. Advertising revenues and sponsorships are doing their job, said Shangri La's owner Michael Boettcher.
Top streamers: who are they?
Media
Popular sports sites like ESPN or TheScore have gone to great lengths to create esports content. The media take into account the growing need for quality content and news and provide them to their readers. This allows esports fans to receive better and more relevant information.
Investors
Recall that recently, Activision Blizzard's Overwatch League added 8 new franchises. All 8 franchises reportedly paid over $ 35,000 to be part of the League. The investment helps game developers and other side investors increase their finances by organizing major tournaments.
How much and what do cyber athletes earn?
Why “playing computer games” and “being a cyber athlete” are not the same thing. The threshold for entering esports is low. Today everyone has a computer, everything else depends on the intentions of the player. A complete set of equipment for a serious beginner gamer usually costs $ 1,000. The same is true in regular sports: if you start running professionally, you need special trainers so as not to ruin your knees. If we are talking about top athletes, then they, of course, spend exorbitant amounts on equipment.
How do esports players make money? First, they get paid for a contract with the team they are playing for. Secondly, they receive prize money. The more serious the competition, the bigger it is. The winnings can exceed to million dollars. There is a streaming platform where gamers can stream their games and workouts. The platform invites them to integrate ads into videos and pay per views. Cyber athletes can also receive money for advertising campaigns.
You can participate in many competitions from the age of 14. As for the "retirement" age, everything here is individual for a specific game. In real-time strategies, sports old age begins at about 24 years old, because hands no longer keep up with the head - an extremely unpleasant feeling. In competitive puzzles, people of 50-55 years old sometimes quite successfully perform. And the most interesting thing is that there are always those who want not only to play, but also to watch those who play, as well as to place bets on the results.
Esports Prize Pool
Professional players become real millionaires after they successfully compete in tournaments. The International 2018 for Dota 2, for example, had a prize pool of over $ 24 million, and the prize pool in 2019 exceeded $ 32 million. The two-time champions of The International have earned more than $ 26 million in total from their two wins. In 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the championship was postponed to 2021, and now the guaranteed prize pool is more than $ 35 million.
This is a trend that has no end as the growth of esports is still in its very early stages.
What other games can esports players compete in?
Competitive puzzles are logic games using cards, where you need to form a starting position, and then implement it as well as possible. The player's task here is to mislead the opponent and outwit him.
Real time strategy. The player develops three areas: economic, scientific and military. By combining all three or giving preference to one, the player must defeat his opponent. He or she needs to understand as soon as possible how the opponent will act: for example, use the so-called fog of war to close the map and prevent him from seeing what you are doing.
Sports simulators such as hockey. An intuitive game is played with joysticks.
Technical simulators such as a racing simulator. The player sits in a special chair, he or she has the same steering wheel and pedal as in a racing car, and a large monitor to monitor the game.
