The popularity of esports has skyrocketed in the last decade, but are esports really the next generation of sporting entertainment?
In the bleak mid-lockdown of 2020, I found myself desperately scrolling online looking for the next article or video to keep myself momentarily distracted from the monotony of university work.
An hour later, I found myself engrossed in a competitive esports Rocket League match and was surprised at how entertaining and watchable the games were. I pulled away from the video and convinced myself that I ought to be spending my time better than watching other people play video games, perceiving it to be the pinnacle of my lockdown boredom.
Nevertheless, there was a certain unavoidable allure to the content watched: the skill level of the players that made for tense, competitive matches; the visual spectacle of match-defining moments, and the communication between players that gave a real sense of teamwork. It was entertaining.
Was it as entertaining as traditional ‘real life’ sports, such as football? I would be reluctant to go so far. But was it that far off?
Esports still labour under the lingering stigma of not being a ‘real’ sport: competitions do not take place in ‘real life’, nor does it involve physical exertion amongst its players. This has led to great controversy surrounding whether esports should even be considered sports in the first place, and raised questions as to the extent we should be celebrating the meteoric rise of competitive video gaming in the last decade.
Esports are predicted to reach a total global audience of 640 million by 2025, a 20% increase on the 532 million viewers they boast today. They are also expected to surpass a combined revenue of $3 billion in 2023, the bulk of which comes from sponsorship deals.
In recognition of this potential, esports have begun to be drafted into the mainstream of global sporting entertainment. Esports tournaments were piloted at the 2022 Commonwealth games, whilst some of the world’s biggest football clubs have invested in entire teams of esport athletes to represent their clubs on games like FIFA.
One game in particular that encapsulates this sudden meteoric rise is Rocket League. Launched in 2015, the game is deceptively simple that entails a game of football in which a player controls a rocket car to score. Fast-paced and frantic, the game makes for thrilling competitive matches.
Since its humble beginnings as a free-to-play Playstation game, Rocket League is now one of the hottest properties in the ever-burgeoning world of esports. The Rocket League esports YouTube account boasts 540,000 subscribers where the 2023-2024 Championship Series will take place.
In the 2021-2022 Championship Series, players from all over the globe competed in the hopes of qualifying for the finals and winning a prize pool of $6 Million.
The surging popularity of esports shows no signs of slowing down. But should we be concerned about the mainstreaming of a sport that requires so little physical activity?
The harshest critics of esports argued that a sport must encompass some form of physical activity, and so any entertainment value is rendered null.
But did the games I watched during lockdown not possess all the hallmarks of legitimate sporting entertainment? Did the games not demand skill and teamwork? Did it not produce spectacle?
If these are the criteria sports are measured with, competitive video gaming must be a sport.
However, I would be reluctant to place video gaming in the same bracket as traditional sports and would instead be keener to categorise it as a ‘mind sport’, similar to chess. After all, darts, snooker, and chess all require minimal physical exertion and yet are still highly respected.
They require different kinds of skills, and just because no exercise is involved, it doesn’t mean that exceptional talent isn’t routinely on display.
The sheer range of different plays and scenarios can also make esports a thrilling watch. I certainly enjoyed seeing epic last-minute clutches or moments of individual brilliance to turn a game on its head.
Nevertheless, esports do have their downsides. Tournament layouts can be confusing, and often it’s very hard to keep up with the sheer number of games played, especially when many can last up to 3 hours if watching games like League of Legends, making it very time-consuming.
Upon reflection, however, perhaps I was too hasty in shunning my initial indulgence of esports. I would certainly argue that the unique entertainment value of esports can make for a refreshing and surprisingly engrossing alternative to traditional sports.
Ultimately, whether we think esports are worthy of our attention or not will increasingly become more of a moot point as young people continue to push competitive video gaming into the mainstream, given their digital marketing potential.
One thing is for sure: the rocket-ship of esports shows no signs of running out of fuel.