Game:

League of Legends (2009)

Category:

Discussion

Duration: 4:31

205 views

13

Subscribe so you don’t miss any Logical Leveling Videos.
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/LogicalLeveling
_____________________________________________
A dedicated gamer's YouTube channel celebrating gaming. The good, the bad, and the two polygon. Logical Leveling talks about everything gaming: news, upcoming games, and reviews. As well as some of the more obscure topics, like the impact of a certain game and why a game failed. If you're a lifelong fan of video games and everything about them, this is a home for you.

So join the community! Subscribe, comment, and get involved. The goal of Logical Leveling isn't just for me to talk about games (though that is fun) but to find like-minded people and have a discussion. So let me know if you disagree or why you do agree on a video. I'd love for Logical Leveling to become a home base for people who like to get into the nitty-gritty of the gaming industry. If that sounds like something you want or would enjoy, then it's up to you to make it happen!
_____________________________________________
#esports

What does Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Fifa, and Farm simulator have in common? They’re all games with a professional esports scene. Yes farm simulator has a competitive scene it’s awesome. Esport comes in different shapes and sizes with a wide range of games and genres. Some are still small, played mostly online with relatively small prize pools. While others are huge events, with massive sponsorships, played in front of sold-out stadiums and played for millions of dollars. So how did this all start? How large is this industry? And what does the future look like for esports?

You could be forgiven for missing this industry. It kind of happened overnight. And it’s still very young. While there were high score competitions in the 1980s, it wasn’t until the 90s, with the release of multiplayer games like street fighter, warcraft, and quake, where players could directly compete against each other, that head-to-head tournaments took place. And the first esports event that resembles what we have today was Red annihilation in 1997. A Quake tournament where after 2000 players competed online the top 16 were flown out to E3 that year for a final showdown where the winner, Dennis Fong, famously won the fabled game developer John Carmack’s Ferrari.

The introduction of broadband internet gave esports its first boost and expanded its reach. It was easier than ever to compete with broadband and allowed the very best to rise to the top, leading to better tournaments. However, undoubtedly, the biggest boost for esports was Twitch in 2011. The accessibility of Twitch made it easier than ever to watch your favorite competitions. Likewise, it was easier than ever to broadcast your tournament to a broad audience. and esport viewership exploded. In just two years, the League of Legends World Championship went from 1.7 million viewers in 2011 to 32 million viewers in 2013. Twitch enabled esports to develop into a spectator sport. In the years after Twitch’s launch, esports has continued to show immense growth. esport analytics company Newzoo, shows that from 2018 to the end of 2019 there was a 12% increase year over year. Bringing the global esports viewing audience at the end of 2020 to 435.8 million. This year, there are more people watching esports than the NBA or MLB in the US alone.

The audience isn’t the only growth in esports, with prize pools getting larger and larger. In 2019 16-year-old Kyle Giersdorf won the Fortnight world cup with a prize pool of 30 million dollars. This year Team Spirt won the lion’s share of the Dota 2 International prize pool of 40 million dollars. For context, in 2019, esports prize pools paid out more than the Tour De France, The Masters, the Indy 500, and Wimbledon.

As you can imagine, with a lot of hype surrounding this industry’s boom, there’s a lot of money following it. With some revenue being made up from ticket sales, merchandising, and media rights, the majority is sponsorships. Whether it’s directly or indirectly, many brands are investing in esports. And it’s this revenue growth that really allows esports to stand tall. Up until 2018, esports revenue had increased by 30% each year. In 2019 the esports market was valued at 957.5 million dollars. The industry saw its first decline in 2020 attributed to loss of ticket sales during the pandemic, but in 2021 esports revenue cracked through the billion-dollar mark. While esports is still young, through some growing pains, it has matured rapidly. Like many 2020 was esport’s worst year yet but it came back stronger then ever. The future of esports is bright. With continued investment from big names such as Shaquille O’Neal, Steph Curry, Mike Tyson, and large organizations such as the Philadelphia 76’s, Miami Heat Paris Saint-Germain F.C., and many others.

Other Statistics