The news of esports making its debut into Asian Games is all around the corner. With esports all set to create history, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has revealed eight game titles that will be competed at the 2022 Asian Games esports. 27 National Olympic Committees (NOC) have entered players in esports categories for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.
Two phases of the entries of esports have already been done and the third and final stage is underway going to begin from March.
The burgeoning demand of esports has made the esports industry a million dollar industry. Gone are the days when esports tournaments were hosted locally, today a single tournament can be worth tens of millions of dollars. Not just the players, the industry has seen a massive growth in the number of streamers/influencers making esports a legitimate form of entertainment just like the movies and tv series.
Released on January 17, 2019, Netflix’s letter to its shareholders, the company named Fortnite as a major competitor to its business. This itself shows how disruptive the esports industry is and how it is impacting other industries too
2022 Asian Games esports will be held in Hangzhou, China with the official medallion lineup for the eight titles which will be Gold, Silver and Bronze. A total of 24 medals can be won for esports which is a remarkable achievement for the esports community.
Here is a list eight games that are creating a buzz by making entry to Asian Games:
- Arena of Valor
- Dota 2
- Dream of Three Kingdoms 2
- EA SPORTS FIFA
- Hearthstone
- League of Legends
- PUBG Mobile
- Street Fighter V
However, two other games will be played as demonstration events at the 2022 Asian Games viz.
- AESF Robot Masters
- AESF VR Sports
Earlier in 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Esports was a demonstration event in which the medals won in esports were not counted to the final medal tally.
Future of Esports: Unveiled
We have seen a monumental shift from traditional sports to technology driven esports that have created rage among the noobs and professional gamers. Esports has existed for more than a decade but it has gained popularity in recent years. The inclusion of esports in the Asian games has already highlighted the potential of esports and accepting it as medal sports itself is a first step towards changing the lookout of esports from a different perspective.
Esports market is growing at an unprecedented rate and the change in the market size from 2020 to 2025 can be seen by the image below:
Image source: Statista
On the same lines as Asian games, esports will be included as a pilot event in the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham, thus giving enough hints to the esports lovers that esports is getting huger than ever.
When coupled with the latest technologies, esports can be seen as the game changer when coming to betting. Just like sports betting, bookmakers are trying to explore esports betting as an option to win more rewards.
Big brands are not behind in the race. Louis Vuitton, Puma, Nike, Sony, BMW and many others have already made huge investments pertaining to the numerous possibilities esports has to offer them and to their customers.
According to Statista, by 2024, there are expected to be almost 286 million eSports enthusiasts worldwide, a vast increase from the 197 million in 2019. Additionally, some 291.6 million people are forecast to be occasional viewers of esports by 2024.
Esports in India has already created a buzz among the esports players as after the Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of the “Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) task force” as part of the 2022-23 budget. In India, there are over 1,50,000 Esports players, an increase from 80,000 in 2020. The number is expected to grow to 15,00,000 by 2025 as reported by Statista.
Conclusion
Esports has seen immense growth in the past five years. Easily accessible mobile phones, plethora of gaming consoles, advancement in technology and cheap data rates are some of the factors that fueled growth. And there are series of leagues and tournaments including VCC (Valorant Conquerors Championship) that are capturing people’s attention.
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