A pandemic proved that esports is more vital than ever for entertainment

A pandemic proved that esports is more vital than ever for entertainment | Opinion

Written by: Gambyl Nation Editorial Team
on January 28, 2021
at 3:28 pm
filed in eSports

< wpparagraph > Disruption is what moves the needle forward This is something that applies to business and it teaches us that we cannot deny the evolution of tomorrow This is rightfully applicable to esports as well and the lessons it has taught us over the course of the COVID 19 outbreak What esports made evident is that in a crisis it is able to quickly adapt and thrive while the platforms of old fall behind < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Throughout the world of professional sports many traditional leagues such as the <a target= blank href=httpswwwnbacomarticle20200311coronavirus pandemic causes nba suspend season rel=noreferrer noopener>NBA<a> <a target= blank href=httpswwwmlbcomnewsmlb 2020 season delayed rel=noreferrer noopener>MLB<a> <a target= blank href=httpswwwespncomnhlstory id28891430sources nhl suspending play immediately due virus rel=noreferrer noopener>NHL<a> <a target= blank href=httpswwwlatimescomsportssoccerstory2020 03 19mls further suspends season may 10 coronavirus rel=noreferrer noopener>MLS<a> and <a target= blank href=httpswwwnbcsportscomwashingtonother sportsnascar suspends season until may will reschedule events rel=noreferrer noopener>NASCAR<a> shocked the world when they decided to suspend their practices and in some cases their leagues As for esports the impact hit just as hard especially on those with a physical presence Numerous events have either been cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic including events for <a target= blank href=httpswwwesl onecomdota2los angeles202003esl one los angeles 2020 major postponed rel=noreferrer noopener>DOTA 2<a> <a target= blank href=httpswwwespncomesportsstory id28874362riot games announces lol mid season invitational moved july rel=noreferrer noopener>League of Legends<a> <a target= blank href=httpswwwthevergecom202022421150508overwatch league blizzard south korea games canceled esports coronavirus rel=noreferrer noopener>Overwatch<a> and many more For a brief time it seemed esports would follow the full suspension model being laid out by the traditional sports < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > One article even assumed the cancellation for Apex Legends would be a final blow to the games pro scene Some have pondered that a <a target= blank href=httpswwwbusinessinsidercomgaming industry hit by coronavirus as tournaments cancelled 2020 3 rel=noreferrer noopener>dive in revenue<a> and tournaments with no audiences would likely destroy the industrys footprint and any chance at legitimizing itself in the big leagues While one can appreciate the sentiment it turns out that esports is proving much more resilient to this crisis than other professional sports and may be demonstrating the model for weathering a pandemic crisis such as this < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > The esports industry must see and react to what is an enormous opportunity as the only sport left standing < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > The nature of competitive gaming allows for more flexibility to meet demand while operating remotely and many events leagues and competitions pivoted towards online participation and viewership two well known Counter Strike Global Offensive leagues Flashpoint and ESL Pro League for example The play from home format is what esports was created from in the first place and the results for viewership in these competitions is <a target= blank href=httpswwwreuterscomarticleesports csgo katowice viewershipiem katowice sets viewership record amid coronavirus outbreak idUSFLM3NTQY6 rel=noreferrer noopener>booming<a> Counter Strike itself has also surged to <a target= blank href=httpswwwgamesindustrybizarticles2020 03 16 record number of steam users online during coronavirus outbreak rel=noreferrer noopener>one million concurrent players<a> < wpparagraph > < wpimage aligncenterid4624width585height439sizeSluglargelinkDestinationnone > <div class=wp block image><figure class=aligncenter size large is resized><img src=httpswwwgambylcomwp contentuploads202101pexels lucie liz 3165335 1024x768jpg alt= class=wp image 4624 width=585 height=439><figure><div> < wpimage > < wpparagraph > Beyond CSGO lets take a look at the numbers breakdown according to Forbes < wpparagraph > < wplist > <ul><li>Steam is seeing a record 203 million concurrent gamers<li><li>CSGOs Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice had a peak viewership reaching more than one million This makes it one of the most watched tournaments in the esports history<li><li>Call of Duty Warzone saw 15 million players in its first three days<li><li>Chinese live streaming service Douyu experienced increased viewership of the countrys most popular games<li><ul> < wplist > < wpparagraph > More players means more viewers and audience engagement Where other traditional sports see a crisis for their operations the esports industry must see and react to what is an enormous opportunity as the only sport left standing < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > The CSGO Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice attracted one million peak viewers as a digital event < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Whats particularly interesting about the esports phenomenon during this time is the crowds and new faces that are flocking to it One trend weve seen is the migration of traditional athletes to online streaming platforms The NBA and its stars are <a target= blank href=httpswwwnbcsportscombayareakingswatch kings deaaron fox hilariously roast josh hart twitch stream rel=noreferrer noopener>hosting their own competitions<a> and delivering entertaining results for fans of basketball and esports < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > The industry may be able to sustain its growth rather than cutting back on projections < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Even more surprising is that <a target= blank href=httpssportsyahoocomwizards fall giannis antetokounmpos bucks 233811467html rel=noreferrer noopener>NBA2K games are being broadcasted on television<a> in the place of traditional games Another example is F1s transition to bringing their racers to the worlds computer screens backed and promoted by the F1 league itself racings best stars <a target= blank href=httpswwwespncomf1story id28939941best worst f1 esports weekend rel=noreferrer noopener>took to Twitch<a> to compete in a virtual tournament < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > A second trend is the rise of youth and amateurs in esports Many kids in schools or part of league teams are moving to online gaming to continue social interaction and competition Parents are beginning to engage with their kids and their esports gameplay in much the same way they do for their traditional sports games < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > At GYO Score weve taken notice and adjusted our esports analytics platform towards connecting players and parents with interactive esports opportunities Our recent activation the <a target= blank href=httpsgyoggkeep kids playing rel=noreferrer noopener>Keep Kids Playing<a> campaign is an effort to enable Indiana Soccers youth organizations to continue playing with their teammates in esports competitions during the quarantine period For Indiana alone this represents 60000 traditional grass soccer players who now need a way to keep connected to their teammates and their coaches and we see esports as that opportunity < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > The last trend were seeing is the growth of esports platforms and streaming platforms in the stay at home economy In the past week <a target= blank href=httpsfinanceyahoocomnewstorque esports records massive stay 125100738html rel=noreferrer noopener>Torque Esports<a> had a 52 growth in website visits and 38 growth in daily logged in users Twitch has also <a target= blank href=httpswwwlicenseglobalcomanalysisstaying bounds sports streaming scores big amid social distancing rel=noreferrer noopener>surged in app downloads<a> from Greece Italy Spain and the US Additionally GYO Score itself has seen a near 200 increase in website traffic in the weeks following the outbreak compared to the previous weeks < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > With or without physical events gamers will continue to compete with one another online and seek out that online content < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > When accounting for all of these trends the convergence of gaming and sports can truly capitalize on these new audiences This notion is not a secret for the entertainment industry with Neilsen joining the fray to <a target= blank href=httpswwwthewrapcomriot games teams with nielsen to track viewership for esports like league of legends rel=noreferrer noopener>track audience viewership<a> itll be interesting to see how others jump on the bandwagon < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Since the shutdown began en masse Twitch viewership has reportedly been up more than 10 while YouTube Gaming has increased by 15 While on the surface those numbers may not seem dramatic a permanent increase in viewers could help drive revenues even further from esports primary monetization stream sponsorship For an esports industry projected to account for more than $1 billion in revenue in 2020 these numbers show that the industry may be able to sustain its growth rather than cutting back on projections < wpparagraph > < wpimage aligncenterid4625width588height392sizeSluglargelinkDestinationnone > <div class=wp block image><figure class=aligncenter size large is resized><img src=httpswwwgambylcomwp contentuploads202101pexels soumil kumar 735911 1024x683jpg alt= class=wp image 4625 width=588 height=392><figure><div> < wpimage > < wpparagraph > Over the past few weeks many people have joked that the video game community has been training for the COVID 19 shutdown for their entire lives While we do not wish to make light of the tragic and confusing conditions sweeping the world there is some truth to the notion Gaming was born in basements and living rooms and it was our desire to connect and compete with one another online that ultimately drove gamers to create and support the notion of esports < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Esports emerging into an activity that fills hotels and arenas and stadiums has been the new phenomenon but it never took away from that online experience that still drives players today With or without physical events gamers will continue to compete with one another online and seek out that online content < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > So while esports is naturally insulated against an erosion of its existing fan base the opportunity now must be to take this unique situation in order to rally new fans new users and curious onlookers More eyes than ever before are available for the digital world to capture and esports is poised to do just that Can esports be the industry that actually figures out a way to surge in the middle of a pandemic Only time will tell but we know for certain that gamers wont be backing down from the challenge They were born ready for this < wpparagraph >