No basketball. No baseball. No hockey. The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced sports to shut down until further notice, leaving many fans looking for an answer to cure their boredom. There is only one source of sports entertainment that can adapt and conquer during this crisis. It’s something that we desperately need—esports.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the esports business has become a popular revenue stream for major brands like Nike, KIA Motors, T-Mobile, and many others who have made partnerships with esports teams. It has become a billion-dollar business. That’s right: Playing video games competitively can make you rich. It has been so successful that even celebrities from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to Drake have invested in on esports teams.
The popularity and commercialism of esports rivals that of any mainstream sport in the world. This gives it a legitimate case for being considered a real sport like the rest of them. The strategy video game, League of Legends, hold annual tournaments that get more views than the Super Bowl during the finals. Various competitions would be held in packed stadiums and arenas, but with the concerns of the coronavirus, all live events have been canceled like the other sports.
But one significant difference with esports is that it doesn’t need to be held in any venue. It can be all done online in the comfort of the players’ own homes. The slight adjustments from live to virtual sets esports apart from the rest. Video game streaming services like Twitch and YouTube can still conduct live tournaments and allow audiences to tune into the events. The absence of a live audience didn’t stop the annual competition for the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in early March, which set a new viewership record and became the most-watched non-major tournament of all time.
According to TwitchTracker.com and SullyGnome.com, people are streaming and watching streams more than ever. Twitch by itself, set all-time highs in March with 22.7 million active users and 65,000 streamers.
Advertisers are taking advantage of the ever-rising viewership thanks to the “stay at home” restrictions that the U.S. has implemented. Some newcomers are taking notice of it due to its popularity, and some are taking note because they have no choice. The money-making machine esports has turned into has many rushing to bank in, especially now when the economy has suffered tremendously.
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Esports are built for the quarantine culture we’re forced to live in for the time being. Sports fans that have not watched esports competitions should take the time to give it a try as they look for a substitute for their beloved sports. It’s one of few ways they can still connect to the competitive atmosphere they have been missing during this pandemic. This is their chance to take advantage of the extra time that they have at home. Video games have always helped people through times of laziness and boredom since its creation.