Competitive gaming and competitive sports are equally professional in many ways.
First, there are organizations founded for purposes of competitive gaming, such as Fnatic, Dignitas, and Cloud 9. Think of how Toronto has a team in the NBA, one in the NHL, and another in the MLB. That is how it is in e-Sports too, with organizations often possessing many teams that compete in their own individual game. These organizations are sponsored like they are in competitive sports, and often by big name brands. For example, SK Telecom and Samsung, two companies that control much of the Korean economy, have sponsored teams in multiple games for many years. That is as significant as Google or Apple sponsoring teams in North America, reflecting how integrated e-Sports is in Korean culture. While e-Sports teams are organized in a professional manner, so are the signing of players.
For a gamer to be on a professional team, a contract must be created, and the players usually live together along with their coach while following a regular schedule of practice times. Players live together because synergy, communication, and execution are the most vital elements of any team game. A few seconds can often be the deciding factor between a victory and a loss, so high levels of communication and decisiveness are mandatory. It takes more than just game knowledge to win; it requires just as much teamwork and tactical plays.
Additionally, e-Sports often follow a league format and the style of a spectator sport. The league format is different with each game and region. For LoL (Leage of Legends), there is a regular season of about half a year where ten teams play against each other in pre-scheduled matches. This takes place in a single location, where players are required to be present at a LAN match to prevent cheating. Alongside, there is always live commentary and analysis, and live broadcasts are always available on YouTube and Twitch. Of course, just like any sport, there are tickets sold that allow you to watch the matches live at the event with a passionate audience. Lastly, there are always post-game interviews and analyses, followed by the choosing of the MVP. There is also a playoff season where the top seeds compete in the regional qualifiers. The top finishers of the playoffs have the privilege to face a new challenge: the international tournament. This is where only the best teams from each region compete in a sequence of group stages and best-of-five series to determine the reigning world champion. With so many teams around the world and only one throne, the competition and stakes are extremely high in virtually every part of the team’s seasonal play.
But how big are
e-sports?
Globally:
71-million people watched e-Sports in 2013 (double the amount in 2012)
Average e-Sports viewer has viewing sessions of 2.2 hours and watch 19 times a month.
Season 3 LoL World Championship:
32 million views alongside 18,000 people attending (game 7 of the NBA Finals had 26.3 million views)
Sold out the Staples Center in one hour
Twitch (a website for live-broadcasting gameplay and e-Sports):
12,000,000,000 minutes watched per month
1 million broadcasters per month
Over 45 million unique viewers every month.
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