eSports
Revealed: What does it take to become an esports star?
- Johan Sundstein aka ‘N0tail’ is the top-ranking esports player of 2020, with $6.9 million in prize money to his name
- The average age of a top-ranking esports player is 24 for male players and 27 for female
- Popular streaming sites have experienced a 20% increase in the number of hours streamed in lockdown
Esports have accelerated into the mainstream in recent years, providing many avid gamers with the opportunity to turn their passion into a career. And with prize funds reaching the millions, being on top of your game certainly pays off. So, what does it take to make it big in esports and how has the industry evolved? Intel explored the ins and outs of the growing esports world.
The making of an esports star
- The most top-ranking male players of 2020 are from China (26%), and the most top-ranking female players are from the USA (42%)
- Physical health must also be a priority when training for esports, as well as in-game performance
As an avid gamer, what would it take to break into the esports industry and what exactly does an esports star look like today?
Based on the 100 top-ranking male and female esports players of 2020, the average age is 24 for male players and 27 for female. Some are even as young as 16, demonstrating that progression is very possible at a young age.
To climb the ranks, players must be committed to perfecting their game and putting in the necessary training, both in-game and physically. Professionals specialise in one or two games, focusing their time and energy on perfecting their performance.
“The best game to get into when moving into professional gaming or streaming is something you actually enjoy,” explains Chris Ball aka ‘Sacriel’. “It’s clear to see when a streamer is forcing themselves to play a type of game they don’t enjoy just because they feel a ‘big’ game is their only option – so instead find something that you can be passionate about.”
Healthy eating and a good night’s sleep are also recommended for optimal performance.
Esports host, Frankie Ward says “Esports teams are beginning to bring their routines in line with more traditional sports. Counter-Strike team Astralis, for example, has a coach, sports psychologist, and a physiotherapist. They also have a nutritionist and a sleep doctor that they can access, should they need extra help.”
Aoife Wilson, Head of Video at Eurogamer also stresses the importance of physical health, adding that players should “make physical training a priority alongside in-game training, which can not only help with focus and mindset, but in preventing strain or injuries that can come with sitting at your computer for prolonged periods of time.”
The esports industry in 2020
- The industry, which is currently worth $1.1 billion in 2020, is projected to be worth $1.8 billion by 2022
- The top competing countries are the USA, China and The Republic of Korea
Esports have come a long way since their conception – from ‘Spacewar’ played on the first ever computer to ‘Dota 2’, best enjoyed on a specialist gaming PC. So, what does the industry look like in 2020?
Today esports have the potential to fill huge arenas with thousands of fans. Not to mention the additional at-home audience watching live competitions streamed online. The Intel® Extreme Masters, held in Katowice in 2017, was one of the largest esports events in history, with a live attendance of 173,000 and viewership of 46 million.
While many live 2020 esports events were forced to cancel in response to the coronavirus pandemic, some went ahead in a virtual format. In fact, popular streaming sites such as Twitch and YouTube experienced a 20% increase in the number of hours streamed in lockdown, suggesting gaming provided solace to many throughout quarantine.
The esports industry has grown by epic proportions in recent years. Over the last five years, revenue has tripled from $325M to $1.1 billion and audience size has quadrupled from 120M to 495M. What’s more, the industry is projected to be worth a huge $1.8 billion by 2022.
While the esports world is very much a global playing field, with players hailing from all around the globe, the top competing countries are the USA, China and The Republic of Korea. 2019 winnings totalled $41.3 million, $18.5 million and $16.5 million for the respective nations.
Streamer Chris Ball aka ‘Sacriel’ says, “as the technical limits on game engines get pushed further and further back with breakthroughs in computing prowess, I think esports and streaming is going to become more mainstream and I look forward to what the new technology brings us.”
You can view the full list of those make it to the top in the eSport industry here.
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BETER, the leading provider of betting content and data, and GRID, a first-party esports live data provider, extend their partnership to bring advanced data visualizations to BETER’s esports offering, enhancing the betting experience for all enthusiasts around the globe
GRID widgets include visualizations such as The Map Winner Prediction Tracker, Series Scoreboard, LiveLog, and Comparison Widgets. The integration will also see a recently released GRID Stats Widget integrated into the BETER betting solutions, displaying various customizable statistics such as win rate, damage per round, First 5 kills, headshots, and many more.
Designed to be game title-agnostic, the GRID Widgets display real-time stats. They can be powered by any data source for any game in any genre, making them an entirely universal tool for data visualization across all esports content.
This new integration of data visualization will help bettors make more informed betting decisions and significantly increase their understanding of the game and its progress before, during, and after the game is live.
The widgets are versatile and fully customizable to match any partner’s branding and ensure the best experience can be scaled across mobile and desktop platforms.
Chuck Robinson, Chief Revenue Officer at BETER: “We are excited to expand our partnership with GRID, bringing advanced data visualizations to our esports offering. This collaboration allows us to offer our partners’ customers a more immersive and engaging betting experience, helping them interact with esports on a whole new level. By leveraging GRID’s real-time data and customizable widgets with comprehensive statistics, we’re setting a new standard in the betting landscape, ensuring that BETER continues to lead the way in innovative esports betting solutions.”
Mikael Westerling, Chief Sales Officer at GRID: “Together with BETER, we share a common vision for how the esports betting experience should be designed—immersive, authentic, interactive, and powered by official data. Data is a powerful tool for storytelling, and the GRID widgets are designed to make esports content more accessible to new fans while deepening engagement with existing audiences. By providing real-time, actionable insights directly from the game server to BETER, we deliver a next-level experience that truly resonates with the esports community.”
The post BETER and GRID Bring Advanced Data Visualizations to Esports Betting appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Esports betting in the United States is a yet to be fully tapped, and with more regulatory progress the total market and opportunity in esports continues to grow.
It’s why at PandaScore, we recently acquired our first license in the lucrative American market, in the esports-friendly state of Colorado. The move is a strong signal of our ambition in the US, but it also sets out our methodology for solving the uncertainty problem that US esports betting currently suffers from.
Supplier licensing should lead the way
The unknowns about what markets and lines can be offered are a key piece of the puzzle in many jurisdictions. Uncertainty around the legislation means operators are tentative to jump in with both feet. At PandaScore, we’re helping operators navigate US esports betting regulation on a state-by-state basis, so they can make business led decisions in markets with right balance of stability and opportunity.
Except for a few states, esports betting regulation is relatively new: there’s not a great deal of precedent to work from, and its quickly evolving nature means there’s likely more work to be done in the future. We plan to be at the forefront of making sure that esports betting works for the whole ecosystem: operators, suppliers, regulators and the betting public.
The regulatory framework across the country may be shifting at different paces, but almost all states are going in one direction: expansion.
Esports suppliers have a duty to show operators the way and give them the tools, knowledge and expertise to make the right decision. We don’t believe in going all guns blazing, but entering markets with some certainty around esports in a considered fashion.
We can be more confident that those specific markets are built for esports, with Colorado being PandaScore’s first step for several reasons.
Why Colorado
When deciding which market to enter, we consulted heavily with our customers and whittled it down to states that had the right mix of commercial opportunity, solid regulatory environment and straightforwardness in licensing.
Since regulating esports, Colorado has had a friendly framework for esports. The catalogue for regular betting includes a wide range of esports titles based on approved games and tournaments by the publisher or regulator – which follows some similarities to how traditional sports betting is structured.
The process itself was simple and clear, with clear terms and commercials that promote investment, entrepreneurship and innovation – all key ingredients for growing new markets and ambitious organisations to build new audiences.
Colorado is the natural next step in PandaScore’s service-minded, client-first approach. There’s already a generation of bettors who are seeking out esports betting products, esports suppliers need to be the source of knowledge and expertise that helps guide and amplify the esports ambitions of their clients.
Service-minded approach, client-led growth
We bring operators into the licensing conversation from the outset, exploring the licenses most valuable to them and then leveraging our lean, efficient operating model to get it done.
We’ve proven we’re serious about the US market, and that we can get a license efficiently, so if an operator desires a specific jurisdiction, we base our decisions on the revenue potential, give them a clear, no-spin picture of the market, and put in the hard work of licensing to provide our services in the US.
Player age verification as a mandatory service
A huge part of that no-spin picture is addressing the concern and risk around player age verification in esports. Compliance is paramount for suppliers and operators alike, so knowing the requirements from state to state is essential.
PandaScore has been offering player age verification for years and is well established on this front thanks to years of servicing jurisdictions like Australia and Sweden. We already have an API that clients use for peace of mind, and are beefing it up as a standalone service intended to support regulators and governing bodies to ensure compliance, confidence and growth.
Suppliers need to lead from the front for US esports betting to succeed. It’s not just about having the best product – they need to be an expert on relevant regulation, genuinely serve the expansion interests of clients and be a truly safe pair of hands that actively supports and serves operators, bettors and regulators alike.
Author: Oliver Niner, Head of Sales at PandaScore.
eSports
HUAWEI AppGallery Sponsors PUBG MOBILE Rising Stars Season 4 to Support Emerging Esports Players in Turkey
HUAWEI AppGallery this year sponsored PUBG MOBILE Rising Stars season 4, Turkey’s biggest amateur esports tournament. Held annually, PUBG MOBILE Rising Stars’s purpose is to identify and nurture new talent, as participants engage in battle on the PUBG Mobile esports platform. The Grand Finals concluded on 1 September.
AppGallery Sponsorship: Attracting Youth Talent to Esports
AppGallery hopes to promote esports among young players, enabling them to pursue a meaningful esports career through exposure to professional teams and an offer of a monetary prize.
“Esports are a growing phenomenon across younger generations of gamers, to the point that some of them prefer to watch others playing games, than playing those games themselves! As such, the esports essence of ‘sharing fun, healthy competition with friends’ deeply aligns with AppGallery’s identity and commitment towards the gaming community,” Jaime Gonzalo, VP Huawei Mobile Services Europe, said.
He added, “PUBG MOBILE Rising Stars has become a key event in the Turkish esports scene, where players can flaunt their skills in the exciting PUBG Mobile arena and gives them the opportunity to be noticed by professional teams. An attractive prize pool of 600,000 TRY is awarded across the tournament, offering support and a potential future career path to emerging talent.”
The prize pool was distributed across the top 16 teams, and the ‘MVP’ and ‘WWCD’, the top team from each match.
Grand Finals Highlights
The Grand Finals was a crucible of competition. From 31 August to 1 September, 16 teams competed to determine the Rising Stars champion. This phase was held at the ESA Espor Arena in Maslak over two offline days, to an onsite audience of 1,300 and over 20,000 live viewers.
The team HADDINI BILBAO won this PUBG MOBILE Rising Stars Grand Finals by just 1 point after 12 closely contested matches.
Tournament Recap
PUBG MOBILE Rising Stars Season 4 played a crucial role in discovering and supporting aspiring esports athletes. Reflecting the popularity and importance of this tournament, a whopping 5,000 teams participated in the First Round of the tournament. Held from 12 August to 19 August, this Qualification Period comprised three matches daily and a point-based system.
The Group Stage consisted of the top 32 teams from the first round and featured two groups with a six-day broadcast. Only 16 teams qualified for the Grand Finals – the final phase had a two-day broadcast.
The post HUAWEI AppGallery Sponsors PUBG MOBILE Rising Stars Season 4 to Support Emerging Esports Players in Turkey appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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