Can you imagine playing a video/electronic game and being paid for it?
Can you imagine big brands like Intel and Adidas sponsoring electronic gaming competitions and teams?
Can you imagine supporters following electronic sports teams and paying to view the competition?
Can you imagine people betting on the outcome of competitive electronic games?
Can you imagine that a gamer or gaming team could have the celebrity status of a professional footballer/football team?
Now couple that with a gaming industry that is now bigger than DVDs, box office, movie rentals, books and music and you have a recipe for massive growth and success.
Now stop imaging and start believing because it is happening.
What is e(lectronic)Sports?
eSports is a term used to describe the playing of electronic games competitively, either at a professional or amateur level.
eSports leagues and tournaments are organized where teams and individuals compete against each other for an ever increasing pot of prize money and prestige.
Typically eSports are based on first-person shooters but is expanding into sporting and other genres.
eSports are played over the Internet or to reduce latency issues they will be played over local networks at gaming events (sports stadiums of the future). Spectators can view the event on video screens at the event or over the Internet.
Currently some of the biggest eSports platforms host games like Counter-Strike, Halo, Warcraft III, Quake, FIFA (football); and the exceptionally successfully World of Warcraft mmog(massively multiplayer online game).
If you want to explore this a little more then head over to SK Gaming.
The change and the potential
Most parents of teenagers or pre-teens can see it happening … we have a future generation of arm-chair sportsmen.
A new generation of businesses are spawning to support eSports and the demand for resilience are no less important to those involved in eSports than we currently demand from financial institutions.
Perhaps even more demanding as gamers have often been born with a joystick, gamepad and mouse in their hands. They will demand sub-50 millisecond response times and require the platforms that they interact with to handle millions of concurrent (yes I know I said that) transactions and users. They will demand that the games are fairly played and that security is tight to prevent exploits as well as protect their online privacy.
Love it or hate it but the world is changing and those that embrace this change can build new innovative business models and personal wealth from it.
Will your child be the Tiger Woods of eSports?
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