C O N T ' D F R O M P 3 4 .
E - S P O R T S
INSIGHT
W H Y A F R I C A I S A F E R T I L E G R O U N D F O R A N E - S P O R T S B O O M . . . C O N T ' D
However , eSports mostly appeal to the millennial and generation Z , which makes Africa a fertile ground for its growth due to the vast youthful population on the continent .
According to Newzoo , a market analytics company , 427 million people worldwide watched eSports in 2019 . It is yet unclear how the Covid-19 crisis would affect this year ’ s statistics .
Beside the big crowds , there is money involved – big money .
Gamers play for money . Top tournaments offer a minimum winning pot of $ 1 million . In 2019 , global eSports revenue hit $ 1.072 billion , through media rights , merchandises , tickets , online advertising , brand partnerships , etc .
But , most of the above successes occurred in North America , China and South Korea where the bulk of eSports enthusiasts live and operate from .
The momentum is yet to attain the needed dimension in Africa for many reasons . The number one hurdle African eSports gamers face is slow broadband speeds or a complete lack of gamespecific servers , which are run by major game publishers like Activision Blizzard , Valve and Riot Games . Unfortunately , they do not operate in Africa .
A fast and consistent internet speed is crucial when it comes to gaming . A minor delay or disruption in speed of service can cause a major impact to realtime , multiplayer games .
Secondly , the high cost of data , electrical problems and relatively expensive cost of consoles and games have been barriers to the growth of eSports on the continent .
Games run on electronic devices that operate with electricity , whose supply remains unreliable in many African countries .
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