Trends Of This Generation: The Rise of Esports

The online world is continuing to develop and every day we are doing and seeing things that we wouldn’t have even dreamt of doing online a few years ago. With modern capabilities mean we can order anything we could possibly need to arrive at our front door in the click of a button, transfer money across the world with our mobile banking app, or place bets on our favourite gamers on esports betting sites such as Midnite, our phones make these options easy for us all.

Nowadays, attendances at physical sports events are declining and especially amongst younger people, online sports events are taking their spot. The digital world has made esports a popular part of modern life and games such as Call of Duty and FIFA events are becoming more and more loved. There are now professional esports players who play games for a living, with increasingly mainstream bookmakers taking bets on the virtual events. 

Generation Z has had a profound impact on the rise of esports, growing up with technology in a society which has seen an increase in kids playing with their friends online rather than in person. The generation see online gaming as an important part of their lifestyle, being surrounded by online gaming and virtual communities, so it’s only natural that they look to role models within online gaming. As well as watching videos of gaming regularly, many also play the games themselves, either solo or with friends, so are naturally a big chunk of the target audience for top level esports.

In today’s day and age, only a small chunk of Generation Z identifies as sports fans which is a huge drop in comparison to older generations who grew up as avid sports fanatics. With the online world providing more options, hobbies are becoming more varied, and a lot of younger people are favouring online games over outdoor games. The number of esports fans are much higher than any previous age group and as the world carries on in this direction, it implies that esports will only increase in popularity throughout upcoming generations. In fact, esports have grown to such an extent that its popularity within Generation Z has even started to rival long term sports leagues such as MLB, NHL and NASCAR.

At this moment in time, global revenue for esports is valued around $1 billion annually. Video game tournaments are reaching an audience of over 450 million people across the world and interest is rapidly growing in terms of investment and marketing. To adapt to the times, many sports and music stars are turning to the platforms in order to grow their bank balances, fanbase size and online profiles. Bronny James, son of LeBron James, arguably the most famous sports star on the planet, joined Faze Clan earlier this year and as money is not exactly an object, the main reason for his acquisition is the increase in profile amongst the esports community. We know that Generation Z are less interested in professional sport than previous generations so the marketing advice for the James family is to break into this market to maintain their position in the world.