Will e-sports ever rival traditional sport?

E-sports is fast emerging as a true rival to traditional sport across the globe – and it’s something that, statistically, 75 per cent of your customer base is into. But what’s the potential for e-sports?

Think e-sports, and many of us will hark back to people playing computer games against each other – from the classic Shane Warne Cricket 1999 (RIP, Warney) to the ever popular FIFA series of soccer games.

Unsurprisingly, it’s developed a lot since those early days, and today e-sports is big, big business – and it’s only going to get bigger. In fact, it’s the fastest-growing sports category in the world.

By 2024, it’s estimated that there’ll be almost 600 million e-sports enthusiasts and occasional viewers. In 2021, the global e-sports market was valued at more than $1bn.

This is serious stuff. And all you need is some half-decent equipment and a strong internet connection.

Sean Callanan is a sports pro with a proven track record in the industry, having worked with professional clubs around the world on their digital strategies before becoming involved in e-sports. Now the owner of e-sports club Gravitas, Callanan says the parallels with traditional sports are evident.

“In traditional sports there’s a whole bunch of different types of sports – cricket, NRL, AFL and the like. The sports we watch at the pro level are right at the very top, but there are millions of people playing them underneath that.

“So, in gaming analogy, you can play a whole bunch of different video games. You can play Fortnite, you can play League of Legends, you can play Call of Duty – millions of people are playing the game. But at the very top the best players compete against each other.

How many people in Australia play e-sports?

It’ll come as no surprise to many of us that, from a population in excess of 26 million people, 18 million Aussies currently play video games.

And, anyone who’s had any exposure to YouTube can’t have failed to have seen the volume of gamer content on there. The market’s huge.

Of the 18 million of us who enjoy playing video games, however, a couple of million, says Callanan, are already e-sports fans. They enjoy watching other people – the best of the best – compete.

“As the eyeballs grow, and the fans grow, then it becomes a little bit more like professional sports.

“Fans are watching it, consuming it in a different way.  Fifteen years ago, 30, 40 years ago, you might have grown up watching footy, watching soccer or cricket, idolising those athletes, and following those sports, and you did it via the traditional methods of TV and radio and print.

“Today’s generation are watching their favourite gamers on Twitch and on YouTube, and following them on social media.”

And, when you think about it logically, it makes total sense, doesn’t it? If you enjoy playing cricket for your local side, you’re not going to be averse to watching an Ashes test match, right?

How does e-sports work?

So, teams play each other online in a variety of different e-sports, in a variety of different formats. Different video games have different competitions and different ways of operating.

In Australia, the LCO (League of Legends Circuit Oceania) is a League of Legends comp that plays twice a week for ten weeks, for two splits – seasons – in a year.

People tune in on Twitch, and winning the league can lead to great, great things.

“There’s the option, if you win the league, to go into the World Championship – and 300 million people watch the League of Legends World Championship,” says Callanan.

“There are multiple leagues around the world, so it’s an ecosystem.”

And it’s an ecosystem that’s becoming very profitable.

Here in Australia, for example, the LCO has attracted Menulog as a major sponsor, and the major events don’t just attract an online audience, but an in-person audience too.

“Fifteen years ago, the World Championship Final for the League of Legends was held in a hall in LA. Ten years ago, it was a big thing to fill out the Staples Center [now the Crypto.com arena] there.

“Now, they fill these big stadium events.”

And bringing that gaming experience into the physical world has some positive spin-offs too.

“I still fondly remember sitting next to a young son and his dad.

“They were watching the game, and the boy was commenting he couldn’t understand why people were cheering and yelling because he’d always watched on Twitch and just followed the chat.

“So he was learning about the live experience that traditional sports fans are familiar with.

“But then also, it becomes a shared experience – parents can attend an esports game that their son or daughter is into, and it’s another interest point.”

How do professional esports players make the grade?

In much the same way as mainstream sports teams identify new recruits, esports teams conduct scouting and hold local tryouts. Players are developed by coaches, and with the ultimate aim of honing their skills sufficiently to play on the international stage.

For now, however, competing from Australia against teams based overseas is problematic, due to internet connections.

While the country’s internet network is good enough to support domestic competition, it’s too slow to compete globally.

“The ping speed is too long,” explains Callanan.

“You press a button and it tells the computer to do something, and then by the time someone else sees it they’ve already moved.”

While a true Olympic–style esports competition is problematic to arrange due to the various game owners around the world, and no governing federation, Callanan is certain esports has a huge, huge future – with significant opportunity for traditional sports teams, too.

“There’s a way for sports teams to get into the world of gaming, and engage fans through gaming – be it players playing against fans or members of the club – and that would create some opportunities for engagement and sponsorship.

“After all, 75 per cent of Australians play video games, so that means 75 per cent of sports fans do, too.”

And, when you think about it, 75 per cent of your customer base.