eSports: Media and Representation
The realm of eSports has been getting quite a bit of attention lately. From colleges across the U.S. to traditional sports team owners to the obvious gamer, everyone seems to be enamored with eSports. The media coverage has been constant and unrelenting as every organization weighs in on the topic. There are both positive and negative things to be said about the phenomenon based on the source you explore. Let’s start with what most people would consider a positive.
When reading an article from a website that focuses on video games, you hear about the actual competitions that take place: who won, any controversies, did the meta change, etc. This is because these publications care about the sports, the actual game that’s being played. This is good for gamers who want to keep up with the sports and be active in the community, but others have different goals in mind. Some organizations are obsessed with the financial prospects.
An article from Forbes talks about eSports as a potential investment and money-maker for professional sports teams. It’s solely concerned with the profit that the industry can produce, and rightfully so. While the appeal of eSports is beyond many who wish to profit from it, that isn’t going to stop them from trying to turn a profit on one of the hottest industries in the world today. The economics are bringing businesses into the fold of eSports to the benefit of everyone involved. Even universities are starting to take the competitions seriously.
A lot of schools are now offering full scholarships to potential eSports professionals. The eSports phenomenon can also bring in much-needed money to colleges all over the country that would be unavailable through traditional funding. Colleges and their publications like to focus on the fact that people who don’t play traditional sports can still find a home at their location as shown in this article.
While a lot of organizations are on the hype train, there have been concerns raised. In an article by theconversation.com, there are claims of mental side effects on the players of eSports that are not fully explored yet. This, in combination with the young age of players, makes eSports come out looking negative in that aspect.
eSports is big business, and everyone is talking. There are people who don’t understand and trash it on forums or through articles such as the one listed above. This is the negative representation of eSports, but plenty of fans and businessmen don’t seem to mind the occasion ridicule. At the very least, everyone is talking.
