Why We’re Building a Marketplace for Esports Talent
When a bunch of people get together to compete in multiplayer games, we call that esports. With a YoY growth rate of 38% in 2017, this booming industry is growing at almost breakneck speed. Once shunned as a pastime for the geeky leet weirdos, esports today is gaining recognition and respect from fans and advertisers all around the globe. Though not yet at all-star earnings levels, many pro players are nevertheless beginning to out-earn professional athletes, and viewership is also on the rise: last year’s League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational attracted over 364 million unique viewers worldwide, which is a mind-blowing number compared to the 111,3 million people who tuned in to watch the Superbowl.
So where’s the problem? Well, unlike in other sports, the only people really earning any money are the very elite players and their managers. Imagine a world where the football industry was just FIFA and nothing else. No local leagues, no high school or college leagues, no football clubs for kids — just Cristiano and his clique. In a way, that’s what the esports industry’s structure is like today.
There is one major difference, though: in esports, there’s no need to be local. As long as we play on the same server, my semi-pro team could train and play remotely, with each team member living in a different country. If I wanted to, I could ask a talented player from far away to show me the tricks of her trade and help me train. But even though it seems micro-transactions as a business model in video games are here to stay (in games like Clash of Clans, you can even pay your way to victory), until now, there has been no secure way for aspiring players to pay for coaching or hire team members.
Enter GewdGame
We got the idea for GewdGame last summer while we were working on a different video game-related project. We thought — could there be a way to give gamers the possibility to monetize the time spent gaming? The decision was made after I had the opportunity to visit dmexco 2017 and listen to a panel of esports professionals talk about the business side of things. So many stakeholders can’t be wrong — esports teams, advertisers, broadcasters, organizers, and of course, the passionate fans, many of which dream of becoming the next Faker.
Designed to be secure
Online multiplayer games are notoriously ridden by numerous scam attempts and prohibited practices like smurfing or boosting. By using such services, players don’t just risk revealing sensitive personal information to untrusted third parties, they toe the line when it comes to individual games’ EULAs: messing with the game’s scripts and using other people’s accounts can get you permanently banned. With so many scammy services out there, it’s really no wonder publishers are so restrictive.
In light of this, we decided that the marketplace model is perfect for players offering legitimate services in esports. Finding the perfect player to help you train or join your team is a snap when there’s a trustworthy, independent third-party facilitator ensuring the security of transactions and making sure both parties fulfill their end of the deal.
Data-driven ratings
… with a human touch. If you plan on spending money on a player, you’ll want to make sure they really are who they say they are. Using real in-game data retrieved via API, we can make sure your new team member really has the stats they claim to have. But it’s not just about raw data, either — it’s also about the player’s communication style, coaching skills, agreeableness, and attitude. This is why the GG Honor rating system incorporates both in-game data and player feedback, painting a clearer picture.
First steps toward an esports career
It’s not easy to get started in esports, especially if you live in an area where there just aren’t that many teams and tournaments happening. Clap if you’ve ever tried to find someone to practice with on Discord, Reddit, or in a Facebook group — with each person starting their own thread whenever they’re looking for a practice partner, it’s one big mess! We’re making things easier by providing players a chance to connect for free practice matches through GewdGame. It can’t get much simpler than choosing a game, player level and role, and a timeslot for the practice session, and bam! Find exactly the type of players you want, whenever you want.
Helping develop the esports ecosystem
We’re on a mission: to help develop esports into an ecosystem where anybody can find a way to legally monetize their time and skills. By 2020, we want to become the world’s leading esports talent marketplace and training hub. By offering a comprehensive set of tools, GewdGame will serve as the go-to service for all players with professional esports ambitions.
Help us make that vision a reality — apply for the beta launching very, very soon! 🚀
GewdGame is an esports talent marketplace and matching platform helping competitive gamers to build up their skills and manage their teams. Find and hire great teams, players or coaches using our marketplace — or just find a practice match partner!
Join us on Discord, Twitter, Facebook or Reddit, or better yet — sign up and start getting Gewd today!
