eSports — Soon bigger than real sports?

[IR_Kuoin]

Get gamer chick, problem solved?

[cmp]

Molly approved graph:
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[[ptx]]

How many people in this forum actually have family? 3? Maybe 6? The rest of us is probably at school/uni/game dev ()
And how many of those who have actual family still play this actively? 1?
There is a clear tendency that games are limited to a certain age frame and personal living situation. Whenever the personal time gets cut short, first thing to go is playing games cuz most people consider the other stuff more important.+

So wrong.

Also, getting a couple of hours of gaming in an evening takes less time than going out to play football or something.

Also, obvious case of "Well, it happens to my buddies, so it obviously applies to every demographic everywhere." 

[Grumbs]

Because they do it for easily over 10 years already and in Europe there is not even a tendency for it to happen any time soon...
Not to mention that real sports have a way higher social component that keeps a lot of people active even in older ages. That is simply not the case with games.
When you start working, building a house, marriage and children, you probably won't play any more alone in front of your PC but you might still go once a week to play with your friends on a football field and have 2-12 beers with them afterwards.
I know dozens of buddies who simply stopped playing games cuz "mature real life" and that is still the common thing to happen.

How many people in this forum actually have family? 3? Maybe 6? The rest of us is probably at school/uni/game dev ()
And how many of those who have actual family still play this actively? 1?
There is a clear tendency that games are limited to a certain age frame and personal living situation. Whenever the personal time gets cut short, first thing to go is playing games cuz most people consider the other stuff more important.+

Not to mention that Asia is completely different cultural circle that can't be applied to Europe as easily as "Look, they do it too! We gonna be doing the same!"

Besides, OP says "Soon bigger...". All I say is "Nope, not any time soon." I simply do not believe that it's going to happen in Europe.

Pretty sure average gamer age is in the 30-40 region and gaming for casual people is/has been exploding in recent years with smartphones/facebook. I don't think its necessarily something that can't be for the masses.

You can be very casual and plays game too, thats why most competitive styles games have become so casual friendly like CoD/LoL etc

People have been going less and less to pubs too, times change. Maybe in 10 years we go to VR get togethers

[Bulzur]

I do indeed prefer playing than watching, but there's thoses matches, where you can't really explain why you're glued to them, and don't see time fly.
So entertaining, so epic, so fun, that even if you're not playing it, you still have a good time. Commentators play a huge role in this, ofc.
They sometimes boost you, and you feel like playing the game again, and then... russians. You quit. And go back to watching streams.

[Molly]

Molly approved graph:
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2010 - Spain vs Netherlands - 329 million
2008 - 100m sprint - 178 million
1. Januar 2014 NHL Winter Classic - 105.5 million

500 million - The number of people around the world who managed to catch Manchester United's 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday. The record audience for a Premier League match stands at one billion for the clash between Arsenal and United in 2007. [Monday 17th October 2011]

Yea, Esports gonna reach those numbers in no time! 

[Teeth]

The record audience for a Premier League match stands at one billion for the clash between Arsenal and United in 2007.

Horse shit.

[Vibe]

Because they do it for easily over 10 years already and in Europe there is not even a tendency for it to happen any time soon...
Not to mention that real sports have a way higher social component that keeps a lot of people active even in older ages. That is simply not the case with games.
When you start working, building a house, marriage and children, you probably won't play any more alone in front of your PC but you might still go once a week to play with your friends on a football field and have 2-12 beers with them afterwards.
I know dozens of buddies who simply stopped playing games cuz "mature real life" and that is still the common thing to happen.

How many people in this forum actually have family? 3? Maybe 6? The rest of us is probably at school/uni/game dev ()
And how many of those who have actual family still play this actively? 1?
There is a clear tendency that games are limited to a certain age frame and personal living situation. Whenever the personal time gets cut short, first thing to go is playing games cuz most people consider the other stuff more important.+

Not to mention that Asia is completely different cultural circle that can't be applied to Europe as easily as "Look, they do it too! We gonna be doing the same!"

Besides, OP says "Soon bigger...". All I say is "Nope, not any time soon." I simply do not believe that it's going to happen in Europe.

Can you think with your own mind for a second or are you just stating stuff that the current (or already past) social norms dictate? What do you think will happen in 10, 20 years? The average gamer age is already increasing, due to now so many older gamers out there. I know a fuckload of people who enjoy playing games and only a bunch that play and watch football - of my age, that is. You really think that every gamer just drops gaming once they get a girlfriend, a job, a flat and a kid? I sure as fuck didn't (no kid tho) and neither did people I know.

Games are so popular nowadays nearly all kids play them, unless you're some filipino slave kid. They are growing up in a gamer world where gaming already isn't just some childish thing anymore. And with more gamers and gaming oriented youth (which is already now), e-sports will keep increasing. There's no denying that, just look at the fucking graphs man.

[Molly]

Horse shit.

http://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/premier-league/news/detail/item691758/
Fox, I know. Still a source. 

[Leshma]

Also, getting a couple of hours of gaming in an evening takes less time than going out to play football or something.

I would agree on this if people were like that. But no, people come for few hours of gaming and stay till the morning. When you're playing real sports, your whole body is under stress and you can't handle it for more than few hours. When your gaming only your mind and fingers are working hard and stress on your brain depends on type of game. cRPG is a game where you can play braindead, for example.

When and if games one day include full body stress, then we'll compare them to actual sports. Until then, sorry but no.

Yes there are sports like chess than don't involve full body movement but your mind gets tired quickly. I have yet to find competitive video game on that level.

[Christo]

And with more gamers and gaming oriented youth (which is already now), e-sports will keep increasing. There's no denying that, just look at the fucking graphs man.

This.

Just look at the difference 2011-2013. Now imagine that going upwards at a constant ratio. That's a big boom right there.

[Vibe]

graphs never lie

~BADPLAYER

[Leshma]

This.

Just look at the difference 2011-2013. Now imagine that going upwards at a constant ratio. That's a big boom right there.

Maybe you should watch that movie, Free 2 Play. It's about 3 teens who want to earn money by playing games. Neither have finished school. When I was 15, was spending most of my free time in local PC club playing CS. Was certain that I'll make a living from it. Dude who best in the club got a job. We were so envious.

Later I found out that club was a place where they sold drugs to kids and police shut it down. That kid who got a job is a now a junkie.

Just because millions are doing something doesn't make it good. And while purpose of video games is to provide entertainment, they evolved into something else, taking so much time from people and in many cases ruining their lives. Now they want to sell it to those people that they don't need to find a job, because they can play games and earn for a living.

What they forget to say is that only few will be able to do so and their lives aren't much different than professional athletes. They are enslaved by mobsters who control every aspect of their lives just like in real sports.

Hooker might look expensive and seem to be living high life, but she's just a hooker. Property of some pimp. Same goes for athletes. Bunch of uneducated children, married to already mentioned hookers, having no freedom to live their life as they want it.

When you put professional in front of a sport, it stops being sport. Doesn't matter if it's electronic sport or contact sport.

[Osiris]

although i find watching video games i don't play no fun and of little interest i have watched a couple of dota games etc.

Will it get much bigger? sure in the next few generations im sure e sport will get big. Will it ever get as big as major sporting events? i doubt it to be honest at least not in my lifetime.

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6758280/least-1-billion-saw-part-2010-world-cup-final

for world cup 2010 the average official rating was 188.4 million for each match.

Boxing events will also probably far surpass any esports events and if you go to esports leagues then the avg viewers is still pretty small.




Not saying it wont get much much bigger but it wont surpass popular sports for a long time if ever.

[Christo]

Just because millions are doing something doesn't make it good. And while purpose of video games is to provide entertainment, they evolved into something else, taking so much time from people and in many cases ruining their lives. Now they want to sell it to those people that they don't need to find a job, because they can play games and earn for a living.

While I agree with this part, I never claimed that e-sports are good. I only said that it's a bit weird to deny this rapid increase, when it's in front of people's eyes.