The easy accessibility of eSports is bound to attract more and more audiences in the coming years. Unlike other sports that requires extensive training and knowledge of the sport, eSports simplifies the process by enabling every participant be it competitor or audience to engage in it. In 2016, the number of eSports enthusiasts and occasional viewers totaled 323 million. The number of viewers who regularly follow the industry and tune in to watch international competitions is projected to nearly double by 2020.
In terms of title popularity, the League of Legends takes the lead, especially when looking at the number of registered players. As of mid-2015, the game had a player base of 67 million. That same year, 36 million individuals (unique viewers) streamed the League of Legends World Championships online, which represented a 33% increase from 2014.
From the DOTA 2 competitions offering millions of dollars to winning players, to Call of Duty extending its reach into the million-dollar prize pools, eSports is gradually becoming a worldwide profession for individuals. The graph below presents the leading eSports tournaments worldwide as of November 2017, ranked by overall prize pool. The International 2017, which took place in the U.S. in August 2017 and featured DOTA 2, ranked first, with a total prize pool of 24.69 million U.S. dollars.
Many gamers see the appeal of such rewards and partake in numerous tournaments and championship, either as individual contestants or in teams. Among the leading players known to the industry is the U.S. player Peter Dager, who earned 2.62 million U.S. dollars throughout his recorded eSports gaming career.
All in all, with the constantly growing eSports market, the earnings are bound to grow and attract masses of new, skilled players. Video gaming is no longer a pastime of purported home-dwellers or arcade-loitering individuals; the professionalization of this activity has now validated it as a career choice for talented players to earn millions and sign lucrative sponsorship deals. Clubs are boasting about player signings in the way that other professional sports teams do.
What is more, the easy accessibility of eSports has been attracting audiences of all kinds. In 2015, 115 million eSports enthusiasts were identified to regularly follow the industry, with the same number of occasional viewers who tuned in to watch the bigger events. This figure is projected to grow steadily to a total of 427 million by 2019.
One of the biggest challenges facing eSport now is getting the general public to recognise it as a valid sport.
