Nowadays, the idea of a top, elite gamer making six figures doesn’t surprise many people. There might be a few Boomers who still can’t believe it. Still, given that eSports has spent the best part of a decade selling out stadiums and generating prizes that climb into the tens of millions of dollars, the idea that the top players and teams can’t make a comfortable living off it is an idea deeply rooted in the past.
Millennials who grew up with console games and then watched them become international markets have watched in disbelief as this change has occurred. Anyone who played video console games in the late 1990s and early 2000s knew how much potential there was to adapt successfully to the internet and allow gamers to face off against each other, regardless of where they were in the world.
Following The Blueprint
Other gaming sectors had already showcased the potential that lay in wait online. The casino gaming industry had already created a foundation for this, shifting its focus from land-based providers to desktops and ensuring that some of the foremost casino classics, such as slot games, could be translated to be transposed online.
This ethos has served the gambling industry well as it strives toward new ideas and creative goals, with the slot gaming sector being one of the many beneficiaries. Ignition slot games is one of many companies that have put their time and effort into focusing on the marvels and innovation in online gaming. While the casino gaming world may have been the first to show how profitable it was, eSports and professional video gaming quickly caught up. They highlighted the unbelievable potential audience for companies and games that could harness it.
Early Days Of Online Video Gaming
Although Sony and Microsoft announced they were finalizing the latter stages of their online facilities in the mid-2000s, things started to heat up later in that decade. Since the PlayStation 3 and beyond, Sony has ramped up its investment, innovation, and expansion to maximize the quality of online video gaming.
Since they have been facing off against fellow multi-billion dollar gaming juggernaut Microsoft, online gaming has become a much more attractive proposition for millions of gamers. The two market leaders are embarking on one of the fiercest competitive rivalries in the gaming industry.
Initially, organic communities would form online, where underground leagues and the top names on each game, whether Call of Duty, which was huge in the early 2010s, or soccer games like FIFA.
Event organizers quickly picked up on how profitable eSports could become and that the market was there, not just for gamers but for an audience who were intrigued to see how the world’s best on each game were able to set the standard so high.
Although video gaming tournaments predate the rise of online gaming, they have facilitated an avenue for tens of millions of gamers to play regularly online, meaning that the potential audience numbers skyrocketed. Those who sat within the top rankings of each game possessed an in-demand skill set that other gamers were keen to watch.
The Rise Of YouTube & Twitch
By the mid-2010s, eSports tournaments were regularly selling out stadiums; no longer just significant sporting events, such as Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, sold out stadiums. Especially in Asia, team eSports like Dota 2 and League of Legends commanded a staggering audience in the tens of millions.
This led to the world’s biggest streaming sites, like Twitch and YouTube, offering platforms for eSports companies to broadcast to a gigantic audience. As they were able to maximize this reach and generate huge money through commercials and broader visibility in the video gaming world, they could attract higher levels of investment, bolster the already incredible prize pools that were on offer, and legitimize video gaming as a profession where those who operated at the pinnacle would be able to make colossal sums.
Conclusion
If we strip out factors like an increase in game design quality and the ease of access to the internet, the main reason behind video gaming becoming a legitimate profession boils down to one thing: as it does with most sectors, there’s a big audience for it.
Any market that can attract millions of customers who are happy to watch online, pay for tickets to watch in an arena or stadium, or bet on underlying markets is helping to create a base, which means that professional video gaming is a viable profession.
It’s become such a success that it’s not just the big teams at the top who make the big bucks but a whole army of people who make these events work, ranging from event managers, security, ticket websites, presenters, and set designers. The future looks bright for video gamers and those vying to turn their industry into their full-time vocation.