ESports has bubbled up from its subculture beginnings into the monoculture. It is estimated that by the end of 2019, the total audience of eSports will have grown to an around 454 million viewers and associated revenues will increase to over $1 billion.
ESports consists of competitive multiplayer videogame competitions between professional players, either as individuals or as teams. Although organised online and offline competitions have long been a part of gaming culture, they were a largely amateur pursuit until the early 2000s. The meteoric rise of eSports over the past decade has been led primarily by South Korea, China, Europe and North America. Other regions including the Arab world are catching up quickly. Gamers have known this for a while but now investors, governments and the general public are getting on board.
By Niji Narayan
Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.