Esports should be considered actual sports. Whenever I hear someone say that esports aren’t real sports, I need to defend it. Esports are just as demanding as other sports, requiring countless hours of training to hone skills and mechanics.
On top of that, professional gamers are paid extremely well, making upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars off of tournaments, sponsorships and live streaming.
Esports are becoming one of the world’s most popular sports, too. Millions of viewers tune into huge esport events for popular games like League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Fortnite Battle Royale. Esports are on the rise, and anyone who doesn’t consider them to be sports can (joy)stick it.
The common misconception that people who spend all day gaming are unhealthy and out of shape is incorrect and just rude. In reality, it’s the complete opposite. Training for competitive gaming isn’t a joke. Pro players practice almost all day every day. They form strategies, run plays and even work with coaches to ensure their victories in-game.
But they don’t just sit in front of their computers or TV screens; professionals work out the rest of their body as well. Staying in good physical condition benefits the mind and body. Being in shape allows them to perform at their best just like any other athlete would.
Along with a workout regimen, they also follow strict diets. Doritos and Mountain Dew are basically non-existent. If you take a look at a professional esports team, they are lean and just as healthy as the average person, maybe even more. Professional players can only be at the top of their game if all their muscles, both in their heads and on their bodies, are built.
Gaming is often seen as nothing but a pastime, a time-waster. But gaming can be a form of income that can pay out more than a nine-to-five job. Winning tournaments gives out good amounts of cash, especially with some of the bigger games in the scene.
Earlier this year, 16-year-old Kyle Giersdorf from Pennsylvania won $3 million in the first Fortnite World Cup tournament, pushing his new career in the professional gaming scene to the next level. Kyle wasn’t the only one to walk away from the tournament with some cash; the second-place finisher received $1.8 million and third got $1.2 million. Certainly nothing to scoff at.
Along with tournaments, esports athletes can also get sponsorships. Computer parts, energy food and drinks, and many other products can be included on top of funding that brands give to teams and athletes. And when players aren’t training with their team or competing in events, they can be found live streaming online from the comfort of their own homes. Streaming sites like Twitch, Mixer, and YouTube offer the most content and bring in thousands of viewers every day. While streaming, viewers can subscribe to their favorite players for a small fee, as well as donate however much money they want.
Some of the most popular streamers don’t even play on professional teams and are able to live comfortably off of streaming alone. It may be hard to break out and gain a massive audience, but if you have the skills, personality and determination, you can become a top streamer.
Along with pulling in massive amounts of prize money, esports brings in tons of viewers. When people say that video games don’t sound fun, they couldn’t be more wrong. In 2017, the League of Legends World Championship peaked at 106.2 million viewers, leaving popular events like the Tour de France in the dust. To put it in perspective, it brought in numbers similar to last year’s Super Bowl.
Professional gaming brings a lot of attention to its athletes, putting them in the spotlight just like any other major sporting event would. And it’s not just championship-level events that garner such a buzz. The aforementioned live streaming site, Twitch, is the largest of all. Averaging over a million viewers per day and peaking at a whopping 3.98 million viewers in August 2018, Twitch is a major platform for thousands of streamers and tournaments. In the next few years, esports events will rival more of the world’s biggest events and become a money-making powerhouse.
Professional gaming is no joke. It deserves to be taken seriously. If you think otherwise, consider what I said. Check out Twitch to see some of the world’s best players, and look for the next big esports event on TV or the Internet. Every day, more people around the world are exposed to gaming and the culture around it. Esports is a real sport, and it will be one of the biggest in the coming years.