E-sports conquer hearts in Austria

In the past, people were certainly amused by die-hard gamers who would sit in front of their computers for hours on end and play their hearts out. In principle, this phenomenon has been established since the advent of games consoles and, consequently, the first computer games. Gamers were seen as strange people who seemed to have no friends or other hobbies.

Today, this phenomenon has not only become more established, but has also been given its own technical term: eSports. However, eSports is by no means just about passionate gaming. The virtual battlefield offers talented players unique career opportunities and a separate industry is emerging, on which you can even place bets on hitnspin, for example.

Fascination thanks to a wide variety of games

Computer games have always provided the perfect arena for an exciting competitive atmosphere, but their fascination is by no means due to the thrill itself. The selection of games that qualify for the eSports sector is quite extensive, with everything from adventure games to first-person shooters:

• League of Legends
• Dota 2
• Apex
• Counter Strike GO
• Starcraft II
• Valorant
• Fortnite

At the same time, each game requires different skills, as can be seen in these two examples:

No eSports without streaming platforms

However, the prerequisite for the increasing popularity of eSports is not only computers, so that players can play at all, but also streaming platforms. Thanks to such streaming services in combination with social networks, a unique community can be created.

On the one hand, streaming allows particularly talented players to simply broadcast their game progress live. Streaming gives them the opportunity to showcase their skills to a wider audience and even create their own fan community in the process. This creates fan communities around professional gamers just as much as around professional athletes who have established themselves in football or basketball, for example.

Streaming is of course interesting for gamers themselves. They can learn a few tricks of the trade through streams while watching the action. The excitement ultimately increases during tournaments, which are also streamed live.

New promotion opportunities for talents

Anyone who has found their perfect game and trains diligently as for a traditional sport or plays a lot can get into the professional league relatively easily. However, this also only works if they show off their skills via livestream.

Companies in both the technology and entertainment sectors are now always on the lookout for new talent, so a stream with a demonstration of skill can spontaneously help to launch a whole new career. Innovation-friendly brands in particular recognise the value of directly addressing young target groups via livestream and those who can build up their own fan base have a better chance of being promoted to a professional gamer team. The pay is even comparable to that of a traditional professional athlete. Competitions offer prize money in the millions, meaning that some professional gamers have already made a living at a young age.

Promoting new talent

The industry is always on the lookout for talent. Most professional gamers retire after a few years and thanks to the prize money they have won, they can do so easily. However, this also means that new talent needs to be found and nurtured. For example, talent is promoted in two ways:

• Formation of youth teams
• Local gaming events

In some cases, local gaming events and youth teams are even organised by schools or universities to actually promote teamwork and strategic thinking. At the same time, participants receive guidance from professional gaming coaches and are given an insight into a potential career.

A new area for sponsors and investors

eSports now form a kind of second arm of conventional sporting events, which is known to be sponsored by numerous companies in professional circles. Companies have realised how popular eSports are and that they will even exceed the market share of traditional sports within the next few years. This is money well invested and can be used in many ways to increase your own reach:

• Teams
• events
• tournaments

The investments pay off in the end through a feedback effect. Talented players are supported and new formats and leagues are created to raise the level of competition. At the same time, this attracts a wider audience to eSports events. They in turn feel inspired to be able to earn real money by playing something as simple as their favourite computer game and try their own luck.

Opening up new markets

eSports is not only establishing itself as a new sport, which has even been given its own category at the Olympic Games. In sport, connoisseurs like to place bets, which can be perfectly transferred to eSports. Spectators can therefore place bets in real time on, among other things:

• The player who will be the first to discover the entire map
• The player who shoots first
• The player who will emerge victorious in a competition
• and much more.

Thanks to eSports, the sports betting industry can also become more attractive to the younger generation, as they have little interest in traditional sports betting.