The Future of eSports

Predicting the future is a difficult and, arguably, impossible task. This final chapter builds on the past and present and explores macro-level trends and how they may impact the future of eSports. This includes issues related to data privacy, blockchain, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, 5G wireless, and major policy and regulatory issues that may challenge eSports. Together, these trends offer a framework to map out how eSports may impact both business and society. The final section of this chapter synthesizes the detailed research questions from each chapter to guide future research in the field of eSports.

The eSports Economy

A decade ago, few people believed that eSports would be a billion-dollar business. However, over the past few years, the industry has grown exponentially, attracting fans, players, investors, sponsors, and governing bodies. The global eSport economy exceeded the $1B dollar mark for the first time in 2019. In this chapter, the size of the eSport industry in terms of investment, revenue generation, and major costs will be discussed. The chapter also presents the risks and concerns associated with the eSports industry.

eSports Sponsorship

Previous chapters have articulated that eSports has arrived and is worth deep investigation and consideration. Billions of participants, a competitive gaming market, technology advances, and celebrity athletes are among many other positive characteristics. As seen in other properties with characteristics like this, sponsorship becomes a viable revenue source as brands are able to reach engaged consumers/fans and seek to achieve their own business objectives. This chapter introduces the marketing tactic of sponsorship, applies and examines it in eSports and assesses its future potential.

eSports Stakeholders

Chapter 1 introduced eSports and many of the key stakeholder groups involved in the industry. This chapter builds on the introduction, expands the stakeholder groups, explores more deeply the major stakeholders in eSports, and delves into the relationships and interactions between and amongst these groups. In particular, Chapter 2 focuses on the most important stakeholder groups. The purpose of the chapter is threefold: (1) to learn more about the stakeholders and identify those most important to the field and its growth, (2) to assess the power dynamics amongst those stakeholders, and (3) to compare these stakeholders, relative to traditional professional sports.

eSports Health and Wellness

The reason for injuries in eSports is that in order to succeed at gaming on a competitive level, athletes are typically required to play for many hours a day. Teams often practice together from three to four hours a day, and as with many sports, this is the bare minimum. These practices also take place in environments that have inappropriate lighting, engender poor posture, and challenging time awareness. The result is serious overuse injuries. At the same time, there are important benefits that can accrue from participation. The challenge is then to create an environment that enhances health benefits while allowing the athletes to pursue their chosen sport and minimize health concerns.

eSports Gender, Race and Culture

Gaming culture has often courted controversy, whether for its association with sloth, its violent content, or sexist depictions of female characters. In the narrower context of eSports, instances of misogyny, racism, and homophobia remain an ongoing concern. Despite the fact that women and racialized groups make up a significant proportion of the gaming public, eSports viewership among those groups is proportionally much lower. Moreover, analyses in this chapter show that women and people of color comprise a fraction of the top streamers on Twitch, as well as the broadcast face of eSports media coverage, the casters. Despite efforts to educate users and regulate the conduct of players and streamers, the eSports community continually runs into controversy. While the industry grapples with its image related to social justice and equity, the clear lack of diversity in eSports excludes a large and important demographic, and thus limits its economic growth. Reforms have been slow to come, and some argue have had impact.

eSports Media

eSports media, in contrast to legacy media (print, linear broadcasting), are almost exclusively creators and disseminators of digital content. They can take the form of live competitions on streaming platforms such as Twitch, videos of gameplay and interviews on YouTube, or coverage of the latest League of Legends Spring Championship. The gaming industry is bullish on the potential for eSports growth out of the endemic online culture associated with gaming. However, the value of eSports media rights compared to traditional sports pales in comparison. This chapter considers the current and future landscape of eSports media, starting with an examination of Twitch's pivotal role in promoting and supporting competitive gaming on the streaming platform. It will describe the integration between game publishers and their extensive “do-it-yourself” media operations, as well as the ways independent endemic and mainstream media cover the industry and monetize content.

eSports Today

Today, gaming, from consoles to PCs to mobile devices, is a global phenomenon with over two billion active participants. In the past two-decades, a subsector of gaming has emerged. eSports has transformed gaming into a networked forum where participants compete with others from around the world. This first chapter provides an overview of the major eSports issues and themes. It will include mapping the history of eSports and the major components of its business ecosystem. Each subsequent chapter will do a deep dive into core themes within eSports and their implications on business and society.