Why China’s E-sports industry is at the top?
Overview
There is no denying the fact that the E-sports industry is growing at the fastest rate in today’s time. The E-sports community is growing at a rapid rate which is giving a major boost to the E-sports market. In this blog, we’ll take a detailed look at how China reached the top spot in the E-sports industry. With an economy that big, China made sure to put its resources in the right place that gave an upswing to almost every sector.
What is E-sports?
To understand the E-sports industry, we first need to understand what exactly is E-sports and how it can play such a big role in impacting the economy of a developed country. In simple words, Esports is gaming for monetary purposes and an audience. There was a time when people associated gaming with a hobby or just a fun activity. In the past decade, this thought process has taken a completely different shape because of the constant developments in technology and the increased digitization.
The Chinese E-sports industry
We all know how China’s economy has survived even the worst of crises and has remained stable for a long time. Owing to that, their economy has been growing at a rapid rate and the E-sports industry has played a major role in that. The local industries support E-sports and the introduction of 5G has opened wider horizons for gamers. Not just the growing AI and technology, but the improved streaming services have also given a turn to the picture of E-sports in the country. The increased viewership of streamed games on different platforms is also creating the necessary hype needed for the E-sports industry and the E-sports gamers to grow.
Most of the games that are being played in India are the ones that came from China or were introduced. Currently, the demand is highest for MOBA (Multiplayer online battle arena) and Battle Royale games. The Chinese have made sure to give in to the trends to reach the right audience. There’s an interesting story when it comes to the introduction of E-sports in China. After a dramatic increase in the popularity of video games in the 1990s, the Ministry of Culture of China deemed them harmful to society, and video games were banned in 2000 (this restriction lasted until 2015) (“Marketing to China”, 2021). But the multi-million gaming and esports industry was born despite the ban. This shows us how much gaming has changed and evolved in the past 20 years.
The Statistics
Even when the numbers have been a little low, in the beginning, the E-sports industry has managed to make its way through all the hurdles. Here are a few key stats that will give us an idea about the lows and highs of the Chinese E-sports industry. The numbers have increased from 147.4 Market value in billion yuan in 2020 to yuan 215.7 billion yuan in 2022. This depicts how fast-paced development is in the Chinese E-sports industry
The games with the highest popularity
A few games that have the maximum appeal and following in China are League of Legends, DOTA 2, Overwatch, FIFA, Streetfighter, Starcraft II, Rocket League, etc.
DOTA 2 has emerged to be the most profitable game in China. DOTA 2’s strategic approach towards the very much demanded multiplayer gaming mode is the reason for its ever-increasing popularity in China. A multiplayer game developed by Valve corporation, an American video game developer, publisher, and digital distribution company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Despite not being a home name, DOTA 2 has left a significant mark on the Chinese market.
Overwatch, is a vibrant team-based shooter set on near-future earth developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Teams work to complete map-specific objectives within a limited period of time.
These are the top Esports games played in China. Here is a short list of the most popular and richest Esports players in China.
As of 2022, Wang Chunyu, also known as Ame, was the highest-earning Chinese eSports player. According to the estimates, the 24-years-old player earned around 3.4 million U.S. dollars throughout his recorded eSports gaming career. Now, isn’t that surprising and amazing at the same time? When people thought gaming doesn’t hold anything, some players are making millions out of these games. Not only just money but some players and teams have also gained unfathomable popularity and fame within the common people, especially the youngsters. They are even more popular than celebrities and are highly idolized. Not just that, few gamers are also top streamers of the industry, and youngsters are giving them the need to grow at the right pace.
The future of Esports in the Chinese Market
Gaming is not considered a hobby or fun activity anymore. It has become a legitimate profession for so many people. Gaming has set aside the gender and age bars and has let everyone choose their future based on their capability and talent. This is the reason that more and more people are getting into E-sports these days. Now that China has the biggest E-sports market in the world, there is no doubt that it’ll do its best to retain its position at the top. The E-sports industry has increased the revenue of the nation and has helped in the growth of the economy of the country. Let us see what China has in store in the future for the E-sports industry and the increasing number of gamers in the country.
Until next time, #liveitforgaming!
