Ready to check your knowledge about Esports? If the first thing that pops into your head when you read this word is video games version of real-life sports, you couldn’t be farther from the truth.
In the last years, the constant launch of new games and the focus of game developers and top world players on becoming better and better gave birth to a whole new industry. Gamers are now in the spotlight, with this niche having its own dedicated betting section ( also known as esports betting), that promises to become as important as the one of “physical sports”.
Here are 6 mind-blowing facts about eSports in the recent history of this booming entertainment industry:
1. Nationality is a competitive advantage!
First-person Shooter games such as CS: GO, rely highly on communication, which is a crucial part of the winning strategy. For the most part, the most dominant teams in the history of the game of Counter-Strike, have been from the same country, proving that the language barrier makes the difference in the end.
2. Esports have a huge fanbase, just like the real sports
Real-life gamers are passionate fans of all types of fantasy games such as DOTA, LOL, World Of Warcraft and they invest both their energy and financial resources in order to keep up to date with all the versions released by game developers.
3. Publicity and Sponsorships are highly valued strategies
Inexperienced gamers are always looking for sponsors, driven by the high costs of competing at the highest levels. Building a League of Legends team, for example, requires a long-term commitment of approximately EUR 50,000/ quarter.
Individual players who have only recently joined the esports market can still establish themselves as leading players with financial support, which is why sponsoring gamers, teams, or both is especially attractive for start-up companies that do not have the financial resources to sponsor an entire league.
Just as company names in soccer have become part of the club name, esports teams carry names such as Samsung Galaxy or SK Telecom T1.
4. Japan has opened its first-ever esports gym in Tokyo
2021 was the year of many surprises, one being the fact that leading countries in the gaming industry started to build dedicated places for those who want to train for the highest competing level. Gamers have access to nutritional coaches as well as dedicated training spaces in Tokyo.
Similar spaces have opened in Singapore and South Korea as the industry stands to surpass $1 billion in global revenue in 2021.
5. The inventor of DOTA goes by the nickname “IceFrog”
One of the most successful game inventors, the man behind the DOTA phenomenon, has a very peculiar nickname, “IceFrog”! This is one of the few fun facts that the public had access to, the rest of his personal life being hidden from the public attention.
6. Valorant – The Rising Star of the eSports industry!
With so many premieres and updated versions of famous games being postponed due to the Covid situation, avid gamers had a pleasant surprise at last. Every eSport made some progress this year, but one title took over the world, and that’s Valorant.
Although it was officially released on June 2, 2020, Valorant quickly became one of the gaming industry’s hottest topics in the following months. The development of the game started in 2014 but it has finally become available for the general public in April 2020.
Final Thoughts
These trivia facts are closely related to the latest technological advancements in the gaming industry and they stand to prove how far the esports niche has gone, since its humble beginnings. They can serve you for jumping into a conversation with a potential esports player or simply for deciding whether you stand a chance in turning your weekend hobby into a full-time career for the future. Regardless of how you want to use it, these selected 6 facts about esports are truly fascinating.
