JANUARY 2021 ASM Magazine Vol II Issue I | Page 11

E - S P O R T S
INSIGHT

WHY AFRICA IS A FERTILE GROUND FOR AN E-SPORTS BOOM

By Kingsley Kobo , Abidjan Cote D ' Ivoire
“ With a youthful and increasingly urban population in Africa , there ’ s an opportunity to invest in the dynamic eSports ecosystem , and capitalise on a growing entertainment phenomenon within this emerging market ,” - Morris Garrard - Futuresource Consulting -
Few years ago , I was on holidays in Accra , the capital city of Ghana , where football ( soccer ) is a cult . We were feverishly waiting for the Uefa Champions League final , an event no lover of the sport in the West African country would wish to miss .
“ A T T E N T I O N I S T H E D E A R E S T C O M M O D I T Y I N T H E W O R L D . H E W H O C A P T U R E S I T E A R N S N O T O N L Y F O L L O W E R S H I P B U T A L S O P O W E R A N D M O N E Y ” –
M A R V I N R A D O M S K Y
I wanted to feel the warmth and boisterousness so I decided to go see the game at one of the numerous sports bars in town . The first bar I entered had several screens and a huge excited crowd inside . I was happy not to be too late to the party , but unfortunately it was the wrong arena .
“ I hope no goals yet , who is dominating ?” I asked a young man of about 20 years of age . Most of the people there were about that age though .“ What are you talking about ?” He responded half mindedly after giving me a startled side glance .
“ I came to watch the Uefa Champions League final , ” I insisted .“ Oh , no , here is eSports . Cross the road , there is another sports bar around the corner . I think your game should be ongoing right there ,” he said and moved away from me closer to one of the screens .
C O N T ' D O N P 3 4 .
Hmm , my game , not theirs ! Two worlds of sports passion separated by a narrow driveway : one , composed of a younger male audience , following video games being streamed on multiple TV screens ; the other , made up of older males , watching traditional
football .
That was the first time I realized eSports has cemented a place in the hearts of a fledgling generation that could revolutionalize the culture and business of sports in Africa .
The second instance was in Ivory Coast on a certain December 31st , the last day of the year , which is synonymous with wild festivities and religious events . Traditionally , nobody is found at home on the night of this day . Beer parlours , nightclubs , playgrounds and churches are jam-packed .
However , I was appalled to see eSports arenas also filled , with gamers and spectators ; most of them in their casual clothes ,
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