STACK #166 Aug 2018

GAMES

FEATURE

Esports by the numbers

The AFL and esports If you’re an Essendon Bombers or Adelaide Crows fan, you might already be across esports without even knowing it. These two teams were the first in the AFL to jump on esports and purchase teams of their own. The Crows bought an already existing team known as Legacy, and Essendon have their own team known simply as the Bombers. Some NBA teams in America have also done the same. It’s not uncommon, either, to see tech and peripheral companies like HyperX and Astro partnering with teams or organisations as ‘official sponsors’. It may be taking its time, but esports is slowly on the rise in our great country.

The Australian video game

industry is currently worth $2.96 billion and has grown 20% in the last 3 years. The global esports economy was worth $700 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2020. Over 360 million viewers watched the 2017 League of Legends Mid- Season Invitational, Bowl, NBA Finals andWorld Series combined. In Australia, over 4.5 million Australians watched an esports stream in 2017. 47% of 18-24-year- old Australian males either play or watch esports on a monthly basis. Since the first professional esports tournaments were organised in the early 2000s, there have been over 27,000 professional competitions held around the world with a total prize pool of $448 million . which is more than the Super

Dream team of esports – how far away is it?

You have your fantasy football teams and the like, but realistically how far away is a ‘dream team’ of esports? We’re betting not very far. Those who pay attention to their favourite games and favourite players have likely already put at least a little thought into who they would have fill in their ‘all-star’

team, and it’s only a matter of time before an agency capitalises on the practice, and monetises it. All Star games already exist in many leagues and tournaments, and this is just one step further. One thing’s for sure – Custa would be in our Overwatch League team permanently.

The Esports High Performance Centre While you may be aware that some pro gaming teams like to stick all their players in one building – a ‘gaming house’ – and have them live and play together, that’s not necessarily always where they do the bulk of their training. The new Esports High Performance Centre in Sydney is a great example of new establishments popping up to help players and teams improve. It’s now become the official home for the Dire Wolves, and offers training and analytics to both current and aspiring pros.

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