This document discusses the growth of eSports and outlines some key points about the industry. It notes that eSports viewership for finals events has reached over 30 million unique viewers. Popular eSports genres include real-time strategy, first person shooters, and multiplayer online battle arenas. Professional eSports players can earn salaries and prize money from competitions and practice 8-10 hours per day. The eSports industry is generating significant revenue from sponsorships, advertising, signing professional players and teams, building eSports arenas, and investments from companies. ESports programs are now being offered at many universities around the world.

1. eSports
Selcen Öztürkcan, PhD
Selcen.Ozturkcan@comm.bau.edu.tr

2. finals
36M unique viewers 31M viewers
LA Staples Center: sold out <1hr

3. popular genres
• RTS
real Bme strategy
• FPS
first person shooters
• MOBA
mulBplayer online baIle arena

4. “All they do is sit in a chair and play a video game.
That’s not real a sport, they aren’t even moving their
body most of the Dme.”
During game
35-40 min complete focus per game
> 300 Dmes per min click
vocal callouts / high coordinaDon / team-based skirmish
Prac-ce
~ 8-10 hrs/day
Pay
salary + prize
internaDonal travel & stadium compeDDons

5. the modern gamer

6. growth

7. revenue streams

8. earnings: indirect vs. direct

9. trendwatch: Overwatch

10. sponsorship

11. ad campaign
hIps://youtu.be/hPSgWDJucek

12. signing players

13. brand ambassadors
Kieran Brown (aka Kez) - Manchester City

14. professional teams

15. physical arena
15k >2 eSports Arena in Las Vegas

16. virtual eSports stadium
hIps://youtu.be/cfXDNfPOX7k

17. investment
Zlatan Ibrahimović - Swedish professional footballer, plays as a forward for Manchester United
Challengermode - Swedish eSports company that lets players compete against each other for real money
part of a
$1.3 M
investment round

18. bets are off

19. coming to a university near you …
Official Australian University Games
34 + 70 univ teams

20. coming to a university near you …
eSports programs in 28
universiBes
University of California,
Irvine: 3,500 d2 eSports
arena
UC Berkeley: won
$42,000 in scholarships
on eSports tournament
University of Toronto:
1st to offer eSports
scholarship
NaBonal University
eSports League
of 120 universiBes

21. been there, done that
• Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Nissan, Intel,
Microsod, Sony, Red Bull à invest in
compeBBve gaming
• Intel, Red Bull, and Coca-Cola à strong loyalty
within compeBBve gaming via sponsorship

22. to conclude
millennial, (21-35) skewing young, (71%) male, (50% high-
income) plenty of disposable income—of upwards
of 148M people

23. to do
• take a slow-and-steady approach
• aim to gain widespread acceptance
• crad your message to reflect the real needs
and desires
• first impression is incredibly important
• authenBcity is praised
• pick up a controller or watch a tournament to
see what all the fuss is about.