The era of esports is now, it is ongoing. Perhaps it has had a slow start in some parts of the world, but sports fans and gamers alike are exploring it more each year. Both journalists and analysts at Nostrabet agreed that 2020 would be an important year for the esports industry. This was even before the COVID-19 pandemic, so they were more right than they originally anticipated. The YouGov analysis of the global video games and esports landscape “Gaming and Esports: The Next Generation” shows that four in ten gamers have been playing more during the pandemic in comparison to the previous year.
Where Does Esports Stand On A Global Scale?
In 2021, esports is a multi-million dollar industry. It has sponsors, leagues and competitions. Even traditional sports merged with esports in certain aspects. For instance, English soccer teams have signed professional FIFA players to represent them in international competitions. Meanwhile, the NBA has built its own league (NBA2K). There is no doubt that esports has grown in the past years, but as it turns out, it is still an unfamiliar territory in specific markets. YouGov investigated consumer attitudes towards esports across 24 different markets (minimum sample size of 1,000) and delivered exciting results regarding familiarity with the industry.
The greatest familiarity with esports is recorded in East Asia. Respondents in China (72%), Taiwan (71%) and Hong Kong (70%) were the best to acknowledge what esports is. Underwhelming results came from Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where 31%, 26%, and 26% of the consumers, respectively, knew the correct definition of esports.
That’s merely familiarity; what about engagement? In typical statistics, higher awareness usually corresponds to higher engagement. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. The top-performing European countries in terms of esports familiarity are Sweden and Denmark. Nevertheless, the industry seems to have penetrated a small part of the potential audience in Scandinavia since these countries engage in esports in bottom percentages (8% Sweden; 10% Denmark).
Esports Fandom in the UK
YouGov discovered that UK esports fans tend to be younger men with a highlighted interest in sports overall. The fandom is a small one, showing that one in seven Brits is an esports enthusiast. No more than 7% of the respondents play video games competitively. Similarly, one in 14 people are viewers of these competitions. Those who claim that they coach esports make up 2% of the sample group, whereas 1% claims to bet on esports.
Looking at those who either watch esports or play/participate, most are younger men aged 18 to 44. This amounts to 70% of the consumers involved in the YouGov Profiles data. The research also shows that esports fans generally enjoy sports more than the average person does. As much as 20% of all Brits would call themselves mad about sports. Two-thirds of esports fans would do so, as well. They admit they keep up with sports regularly and they also feel heavily targeted by advertising.
On the other hand, 50% of them would say that ads help them choose products, proving they are more receptive to ads than the average bloke. A comprehensive study about average British consumers associates similar attitudes with only a third of the general population.
Oliver Melton, editor and eSports analyst at Nostrabet, commented:
“There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the esports industry presents many opportunities. While the crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak forced multiple industries to indefinitely suspend operations, video gaming and esports are on a firm footing. The study that took place in late 2020 demonstrates that esports and its audience vary notably from region to region and market to market. Brands relevant to esports gaming and esports betting should understand that they hope to make the most out of these opportunities.”
