Statistically speaking, the world’s fastest growing sport is, in fact, video gaming.
On October 4th, 2013, the Staples Center in Los Angeles was filled to maximum capacity. The event, however, was not for the usual Lakers game but rather for the League of Legends Season Three World Championship. The Korean team, SKT T1, and the China team, Royal Club, faced off competing for the chance to win one million dollars. The event sold out (18,118 seats available) in under an hour, crashing the Staples website, where tickets were being sold.*
League of Legends is currently the fastest growing video game in the competitive gaming scene, known as Esports. In fact, the Season Three World Championship (5.4 million viewers) pulled in more viewers than the season finale of Breaking Bad (4.7 million) , the NBA Finals (1.2 million), and the Super Bowl (930k). One of the events closest in comparison to the League of Legends World Championship’s viewing number was another Esport: the DoTA 2 International Championship (4 million).*
But those already unbelievable numbers just keep growing.
The 2014 Season 4 League of Legends Championship included 15 game days which had been cast in 19 different languages from 40 broadcast partners which lead to 288 MILLION cumulative daily unique impressions (the sum of every unique viewer; viewers of multiple days are counted each day). Fans watched over 179 million hours (this is the approximate length of watching the extended cut of the Lord of the Rings trilogy 16 million times) which is over double last year's viewing time. At its peak, there were 11.2 million concurrent viewers, with a total unique viewer count of 27 million.*
But how can anyone consider video games a sport? Well, Esports involves two teams competing against each other to try and accomplish a goal. It takes reflexes, communication, teamwork, and a lot of practice. Many professional gamers report that they clock at least 60 hours a week practicing and competing in tournaments. With the sales of video games dwarfing the sales numbers of the music and movie industry, it is no surprise that competitive gaming is growing so quickly.
Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, in an effort to turn gaming into the next sustainable professional sport has created the League Champion Series, otherwise called the LCS. The LCS is a league just like any other sports league, with teams facing off week to week with the ultimate goal of reaching the World Championship. LCS runs on a consistent schedule complete with play-by-play casting, analysts, and live video of the players. Hundreds of thousands of viewers tune in every week to watch their favorite teams face off in heated matchups. Many of the professional gamers on these teams are from other countries including Canada, Korea, and China and have been issued American Athletic Visas, just like professional athletes in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, or any other professional sports organization in the United States.
But League of Legends isn’t the only Esport that is gaining momentum. The ever popular Call of Duty series has tournaments that are streamed live online. Thousands of viewers tune in to watch two teams compete for thousands of dollars in prize money.The casting studio for a Call of Duty tournament resembles that of any type of sportscasting studio. Complete with casters who give play-by-play commentary, analysis of big moments, and insight into the strategies each team is using. A Call of Duty stream is no different than watching any football or basketball game.
The Major League Gaming organization is an industry dedicated to spreading Esports around the country. MLG hosts conferences throughout the year in cities like Columbus, Dallas, and Anaheim. At MLG conferences, fans of many different video games can come together to cheer for their favorite team, or meet their favorite players and get some autographs. MLG events pull tens of thousands of gamers from their homes and pack entire convention centers with those eager to watch the best of the best at gaming.
ESPN 2 broadcasted the popular game 'DoTA 2' tournament called 'the International' and was so pleased with the numbers that they are looking to "double down" their efforts and dive even deeper into Esports. Other countries have already experienced this Esports revolution. In South Korea, many cable television channels are dedicated to Esports networks. Professional gaming is not just for viewing online, but also on the T.V. screen. HBO Realsports has done multiple stories dedicated to League of Legends and Esports. Some colleges have even began offering scholarships to students who boast high rankings in League of Legends in order to create their own competitive teams for the North American Collegiate Championship.
Many people doubt the ability of E-sports to grow as an industry, but if current projections are correct, a normal League Championship Series match will be pulling about four times as many viewers as the average NHL game. For those doubting the legitimacy of gaming as a career path, here is a link to the top 100 highest paid video gamers (spoiler alert: the highest is over $1.2 million) and these earnings are even calculated before taking into account ad revenue from streaming their matches live online, or sponsorship deals. E-sports is still a developing industry, but with the continuing success of video game sales, and the ever increasing amount of viewers during professional events, it is not too far-fetched to say that E-sports will soon be viewed with the same regard as any other sport.
(*statistics courtesy of Riot Games)
