Is Online Gaming here to stay?

The pandemic closed many doors, almost literally sometimes as people worldwide were confined to their houses while the virus did its worst. But when one door closes, another one flies opens and one industry to benefit from the coronavirus was online gaming. The popularity of online multiplayer action on games such as Call of Duty, Fortnite, League of Legends and Counter Strike exploded. The purchases of PS4, PC and Xbox headsets went through the roof. Adrenalin levels were bordering excruciating. But is this sudden phenomenon just a flash in the pan or has online gaming and esports found its way into the fabric of everyday activity?

What it has certainly done, is accelerate the awareness and popularity of online gaming. The combination of objective-based campaigns intermingled with conversation with friends has inadvertently unveiled another way for people to connect with each other in the absence of social establishments. This increased popularity in online gaming has in turn led to an increased awareness of professional online gaming events. Nearly all the popular titles such as Call of Duty, DOTA and Counter Strike have tournaments organised all year round; events that draw in 89 million hours watched, like at the ESL Pro League for Counter Strike. This figure was a 129% increase on 2019. The same league also reported half a million simultaneous viewers which was a record in itself for the highest number of people watching a Counter Strike match.

These figures could be put down to an organic rise of eSports, or theorists out there will also attribute this as a beneficiary of the pandemic. Regardless of how it has come about, the acceptance of professional online gaming as a sport that is quickly pulling up alongside the likes of football, tennis and NFL has been realised and at sites like betting24, you can now find a plethora of markets for eSports betting. This is further enhanced by the aforementioned events and leagues that are fast becoming regular additions to eSports fans calendars worldwide. The accessibility is key for followers and due to the online nature of the sport itself, it is only fitting that the events maximise the use of online channels to broadcast the play.

In a faster moving world and society, receiving information quickly is imperative. People crave the latest news as soon as it is released and platforms like Twitter are impressively quick on the uptake. For gaming fans, the emergence of Twitch and the adaptability of YouTube have provided avenues for this. And they are flocking to their monitors to watch players do battle. At the IEM Katowice 2020 Grand Finals, the one million mark was smashed for viewership, sending online gaming to new heights of popularity.

The global pandemic has played a part in accelerating the progress of eSports and I think many people, those partaking and not, will see the impact of online gaming continue to go from strength to strength.