Esports may be a nascent industry, but it’s growing incredibly fast. More and more games are popping up with esports contingents; from hero shooters like Overwatch and Apex Legends to battle royale contenders like Call of Duty: Warzone and MOBAs like League of Legends, esports is huge, and now’s the time to start taking an interest. We think that esports is going to dominate the landscape of sport in the future, perhaps even taking over traditional sport in terms of fan interest and dedication. Here are just some of the reasons for that.
Esports is more accessible
Unfortunately, many sports simply aren’t set up to accommodate those with different physical needs. While there are some very admirable initiatives in the world of sport to help folks get out and try playing, the world of sport at large is yet to adopt many of these initiatives, which can make traditional sport feel off-putting for a lot of people. That’s where esports come in. All you need to play esports is a keyboard, a mouse, and a PC. This opens up the discipline massively to more people and means that esports is significantly more accessible than many of its more physical counterparts.
The esports betting industry is growing
There are simply hundreds of esports betting sites out there that can provide great odds and a chance to win real cash by betting on your favourite esport. While the traditional sports betting industry is of course still completely operational and doing a roaring trade, the esports betting industry is growing exponentially, just as the actual discipline of esports is. The more events created by organisers and attended by fans, the more chances there are for you to place bets and win some money. Everyone's a winner when it comes to esports betting.
Esports fans are spoiled for choice
The amount of games vying for your attention as an esports fan is simply staggering. As we mentioned earlier, MOBAs, battle royale games, and first-person hero shooters are all incredibly popular titles, but there are also classic sports sims like FIFA and even racing games like Forza or Gran Turismo aiming for esports top spots. No matter what kind of game you’re into, you’ll be able to find an esports event that caters to your tastes, so you’ll never get tired of esports. Almost every genre is represented at competition standard; even single-player games can become esports titles.
The world of esports moves very fast
A game that’s massively popular in the world of esports today can become yesterday’s news extremely quickly. As a result, the esports industry is very fast-moving. If you like to keep track of lots of different games and your attention span doesn’t necessarily accommodate learning one game massively in-depth, then esports is absolutely for you. Unlike traditional sport, esports fluctuates; the hot new game could be a first-person shooter today, a MOBA tomorrow, and a sports sim next week. That’s why esports is perfect for you if you like to move with trends.
The most effective tactic often changes within games
Even if a game is a perennial esports favourite – League of Legends, for example – the most effective tactic available (or “meta”) shifts regularly. That means that even if you’ve learned the basic rules of a game, the actual way in which professionals are playing it can be different from moment to moment. There was a time during League of Legends’ Season 8 when changes Riot made to the game meant the ADC role was completely dead. In its place arose new champions with completely different strategies and play styles. This can happen frequently in the world of esports, but not trad sports.
Right now, you can watch esports for free
The world of esports is nowhere near as riddled with pay-per-view events and paywalls as the world of traditional sport. There’s no corporate monopoly on the vast majority of esports events; while physical attendance is, of course, going to cost you, watching events on Twitch is easy and won’t set you back a single penny (in most cases). This means that not only is esports more accessible from the perspective of those with different requirements, it’s also more accessible to those who may not quite have the income to subscribe to expensive pay-per-view TV or on-demand services.
Esports teams break down boundaries
While many esports teams are represented in terms of nations, a lot of them bring together people from various walks of life, be that gender, race, or sexuality. While there certainly is prejudice in esports, for the most part, the kind of tribalism and social comparison engaged in by some traditional sports fans is largely absent from esports. There’s a lot of work to do in order to make the industry a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone, but we’re already a lot further along in this when it comes to the world of esports than we are for traditional sports.
Anyone can, in theory, become a pro
Becoming a professional sports star is very difficult indeed. You need to hone your body to be razor-sharp, and even then, you’re not necessarily guaranteed a place on a professional athletic team. Of course, that’s also true of esports, but it’s much easier to become a professional. The avenues for making your way to the pro sphere in esports are, for the most part, visible and accessible to everyone. Esports will dominate the sport world because it’s open to everyone regardless of origin; it doesn’t have the elitist, off-putting feel of a lot of traditional professional athletic disciplines.
