Why e-Sports Will Rival Traditional Sports
Compelled to play because all the young boys his age were doing so, Jae-Yoon Ma soon became obsessed. That obsession manifested into countless hours of practice and dedication to the nuances of the game.
Eventually becoming one of the top practitioners of his craft, Jae-Yoon Ma became a professional with a six-figure salary (in US figures) and additional sponsorships from product endorsements. At the ripe age of 18, he could already be considered a celebrity; instantly recognizable from endless exposure on television.
While this barebone description may resonate as a hackneyed account of a rising sport star, most people would not consider what Jae-Yoon plays as a sport. At least not in the traditional sense.
The game in reference is not played over a grassy field but over a computer monitor. It is in fact a video game, specifically, Starcraft, a war-like strategy game released in 1998.
In many ways the rise in popularity of video game competitions as a spectator sport makes sense. Surrounded by video games from a young age, the recent generation is accustomed to viewing electronic sports, or e-Sports, as a form of entertainment.
To sport purists, the longevity of the e-Sport phenomenon comes into question. Yet, the numerous similarities between e-Sports and traditional sports have already supported the trend that e-Sport is here to stay and grow.
In fact, we’ve recently witnessed the evolution and growing pains of an infantile community into a serious business and industry. Recently this year, Jae-Yoon Ma was implicated in a match-fixing scandal along with several other pro-gamers and illegal betting websites.
Immensity of Talent
With 60% U.S. households having at least one console and over 80% having a game-capable PC, the ubiquity of games rivals that of any ball and stick for a child growing up.
Many kids have logged thousands of hours into their favorite games, developing a mastery of a game comparable to practicing for a traditional sport.
In Starcraft, the top pro-gamers are able to perform on average of 300 actions per minute with their mouse and keyboard. This rate of decision making is almost unheard of compared to any other sport.
Instead, the number of practice hours required to perform at the top level of these competitions are as strenuous and intense as Kobe Bryant’s well-chronicled practice regimen.
Take, for example, an interview with Jonathan Walsh, a 21 year old Swedish pro-gamer.
“I practiced every hour I didn’t eat, shower or slept during the GSL,” Walsh said. “One day could start at 2 pm and end at 7 am and when I played the most I only had was a few hours over to eat and for shorter breaks.”
One major advantage e-Sport athletes have over their more traditional counterparts is the immediate availability of top-level competition and progress feedback via technology.
These pro-gamers are not confined to local area competition that could inhibit their growth and development. Modern games have incorporated a highly sophisticated multi-player functionality, allowing anyone to play and practice with those of similar skill level at any time during the day.
For any sport, fans want to see the spectacular to be as far removed from the mundane as possible, and to be in awe of greatness or great plays. E-Sport has reached this level for audiences on a wide scale.
Attendance for e-Sporting events have sometimes rivaled that of traditional sport's.
In a relative short period, the gap between the top professional gamer and the recreational player is as large and wide as any other sporting field. As such, the accompanying appreciation and supporters is both warranted and flourishing.
Complexity of the Game
Critics will assert that the finite shelf lives of video games limits the impact any particular game will have on e-Sports. Time-tested traditional sports have endured mainly because of familiarity of the game and a steady cultivation of life-long fans.
Indeed, the inherent fleeting life-span of video games makes a similar trajectory an impossibility. In fact, after 10 years, the longest tenured e-Sport game, Starcraft, has already seen its recent successor, Starcraft II, challenge for mind-share amongst e-Sports fans.
Yet, it can be argued that the constant evolution of video games has helped prevent e-Sports from ever becoming stale or boring. The economics of video game development will always necessitate innovation. The Street Fighter series has already seen countless iterations, yet it’s popularity has seen its strongest growth this year with Street Fighter IV.
This new dynamic has allowed for increased creativity and competition. Strategies that were used to great effect, but perhaps too repetitively, in the past were no longer relevant. Only competitors who were flexible enough in their thinking and abilities are able to thrive in the new environment.
Adoption from a Forward-Looking Country
South Korea has been at the forefront of cutting-edge technology adoption Not only is the country one of the most hyper-connected society in the world – over 90% of the country has the most advanced broadband at home – it is also a major adopter and endorser of e-Sports.
For every commercial and professional aspect of traditional sports, and there will be an equivalent for Starcraft and other e-Sport games in Korea. Pro-gamers are signed into teams, of which there are 12 within the Korean league. Each team is sponsored by a Korean corporation, such as Samsung and SK Telecom.
Matches are broadcast over three different television channels dedicated to the professional gaming scene. Attendance for major events has sometimes reached over 100,000 people, a number usually reserved for Super Bowls and World Cup matches.
Over 100,00 People in Attendance – 2005 Starcraft Tournament
It is difficult to determine whether the popularity of e-Sports is unique to Korea or whether the ubiquity and ease of access to a PC has led to such a development.
However, Scandinavian countries, which all rank in the top 10 in Internet penetration rates, have seen a rise in e-Sports popularity and have produced a number of top-tier competitors.
The U.S. still lags behind in this regard, but South Korea and Europe can serve as any indicators, the sport entertainment pie will need to make room for a slice of e-Sports.
“Life is an ongoing process of choosing between safety (out of fear and a need for defense) and risk (for the sake of progress and growth). Make the growth choice a dozen times a day.” - A. Maslow