Who hasn’t dreamed of one day turning their passion into a profession? And how many have heard their parents tell them that video games are a waste of time? This year, enthusiasts are taking their revenge: the esport has become a very lucrative business. The game has officially made its way into the big league.
It was a few months ago, the young Kyle’Bugha’ Guosdorf, 16 years old, won the Fortnite Cup and brought home $3 million. A considerable amount, especially when compared to the $2.9 million prize won by world tennis champion Novak Djokovic at the Wimbeldon tournament the same year.
A few months later, in August, DOTA 2’s major competition The International, took place and the OG team was awarded $15.6 million. A colossal amount of money.
How did the sports industry reach such high levels? Video game competitions have been growing for decades, following the evolution and democratization of technology. But at the heart of this industry are passionate players who have succeeded in transforming their passion into a profitable business.
This year, the esport has taken on an unprecedented scale at an international level: since the beginning of this year, China has recognised 15 types of professions related to esport. In Montreal, Canada, the first sports-study inspired program focused on esports studies is offered by the Académie de l’Esport. The objective is to supervise the practice of esports, teach prevention techniques, healthy habits and create the best cyber-athletes in the country. A big first.
The esport is expected to continue to gain in popularity and another major advance should be observed with better integration of women in this still predominantly male field.
Want to get some key figures about the industry’s future? The infographic below shows the evolution of the esports industry, the incredible dimensions it has taken and offers a projection of the years to come:
eSports – an Infographic by hotukdeals
