Now, I must admit, my friends and I would laugh hysterically whenever we'd talk about or watch a match of professional gaming. Games taken seriously as sport was so new, awkward and so nerdy, that it was always a reliable source for rich comedy. But that was then. To be clear though, I still think eSports is -and will continue to be- an incredibly nerdy pursuit, but I've noticed a growing following toward this niche past time. Up until a year ago, I'd chuckle at the thought of a large-scale professional gaming league. Recently however, I find myself subscribed to popular Starcraft 2 commentators like HuskyStarcraft and TotalBiscuit on YouTube. I'm totally fascinated and engrossed in professional Starcraft 2 right now. I don't think I'm the only one noticing eSports as legitimate entertainment either.
eSports has gained considerable momentum and attention throughout many gaming communities. The once small crevice of the gaming sphere is transforming into a sizable and influential entity within the industry. There's no doubt that its audience has exploded during the past few years, but how can eSports continue to expand its audience? Just how big can eSports get?
In the midst of all this growth, it's possible that eSports is entering a phase of transformation. Now that it has a relatively firm footing, perhaps some eSports will grow at faster rates than others. I know I'm a little biased on this subject, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that RTS's (StarCraft and League of Legends for example), will be the preferred choice of eSport in the future. I predict there will be a significant divide in audience size between FPS and RTS eSports later down the line (assuming it hasn't happened already).
The reasoning behind this is simple; RTS's are more easily viewable than FPS's. They are built in such a way, that they are can be easily watched by an audience. Real Team Strategy games are watched from a birds-eye-view perspective (similar to football, soccer, hockey, and many other sports). Viewers see the entirety of a match from a view that is easily accessible and presentable. RTS eSports will become more popular than FPS's solely because they're easier to follow. An eSport (or Sport) that's easy to follow has greater accessibility which means a greater potential audience. In FPSs, the camera is constantly switching between team members which can disrupt the flow of the match and be cumbersome to watch. Instead of viewing an overall, coherent game, audiences just see individual snippets of it. Competitive FPS gaming is not as easily presentable compared to its RTS counterpart. However, it's unlikely competitive FPS gaming will decline in popularity in the future. Instead, FPSs may grow at a slower rate than RTS eSports. As competitive gaming grows though, I predict presentation and accessibility factors will play critical rolls in deciding which eSport will become the most popular.
The reasoning behind this is simple; RTS's are more easily viewable than FPS's. They are built in such a way, that they are can be easily watched by an audience. Real Team Strategy games are watched from a birds-eye-view perspective (similar to football, soccer, hockey, and many other sports). Viewers see the entirety of a match from a view that is easily accessible and presentable. RTS eSports will become more popular than FPS's solely because they're easier to follow. An eSport (or Sport) that's easy to follow has greater accessibility which means a greater potential audience. In FPSs, the camera is constantly switching between team members which can disrupt the flow of the match and be cumbersome to watch. Instead of viewing an overall, coherent game, audiences just see individual snippets of it. Competitive FPS gaming is not as easily presentable compared to its RTS counterpart. However, it's unlikely competitive FPS gaming will decline in popularity in the future. Instead, FPSs may grow at a slower rate than RTS eSports. As competitive gaming grows though, I predict presentation and accessibility factors will play critical rolls in deciding which eSport will become the most popular.
Competitive gaming may be on the rise, but that still doesn't take away from its nerdy and therefore, limited setting. I know I'm stating the obvious but unfortunately it has to be said; it's not very likely that eSports will ever draw an audience comparable to football, baseball, or any other mainstream sport. Don't expect see a League of Legends match on NBC anytime soon. However, this doesn't mean eSports will not gather a respectable audience. The great thing about the video game industry is that it's still growing. The gamer population is ever expanding and gaming in general is slowly becoming a respected medium with mainstream audiences. Video games haven't yet reached a population barrier unlike cinema or television; there is still room for considerable growth. As long as this industry continues to grow, the larger eSport's potential audience can get. Right now however, eSports is still very small. So small in fact, I'd wager that eSport's key demographic has not yet been fully introduced to professional gaming. There are many experienced gamers who are not aware of the existence (or still scoff at the idea) of eSports. This will come with time though as eSports mature and slowly integrate into gaming culture. eSport's barrier to entry is still very high but will hopefully decrease as eSports develops into a respectable and (comfortably) watchable event.
Right now, this area of gaming has the potential to get a lot bigger. How it will grow however, is open for discussion. eSports is in a state of rapid expansion as a result of a greater gamer population and a more interconnected gaming community. A greater population is rather obvious, but a "more interconnected gaming community?" As games have developed, so have the groups based around them. Forums, gaming media sites, wikis, and gaming groups have continued to grow in size and reader count. The gaming community on Reddit.com for example has half a million readers and still shows signs of growth. Influential groups like these promote a more unified gaming population through showcasing topics from all crevices of gaming. As gamers become more interconnected with the wide array of options this medium has to offer, not only will eSports gain wider attention, but other budding areas will as well. I'm convinced that websites like Reddit and Youtube have helped grow the industry and have skyrocketed eSports into the spotlight as a viable source for entertainment. As these outlets grow and continue to weave their way into gaming communities, eSports will undoubtedly gain a wider viewership.
This is a very exciting time for eSports because it's entering a booming period of sorts. From IGN starting their own StarCraft league to 60,000 people tuning to TSL 3's live stream, eSports can and is getting bigger. I predict that if eSports ever reaches mainstream gaming audiences, RTS's will dominate the professional gaming scene. As the gaming community continues to grow and as its connectivity increases, eSport's audience will continue to grow as well. It may never reach the milestones sports have achieved, but considering the size and current growth patterns of the industry, eSports could pull respectable and surprisingly large audience numbers. eSports is a relatively new way to enjoy gaming and, over time, may reach a degree of acceptance and become commonplace in gaming culture.
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