Video Gamers May Soon Be Paid More than Top Pro Athletes

Megalith

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Due to the growing economic outlook for video gaming sports, which continues to attract both fans and increasing advertisers, eSport stars may be getting rewarded just as handsomely as pro athletes in traditional sports. According to one trend report, eSports could reach revenues as high as US$2.4 billion by 2020.

This popularity also opens up more opportunities to compete on the professional level and earn huge endorsements, prize money and salaries just like LeBron James, Serena Williams, Danica Patrick or Sidney Crosby. In fact, higher education eSports programs are already launching across the country and college scholarships are now commonplace, further acknowledging the economic viability and social acceptability of this phenomenon.
 
Well gamers as a whole sure... I don't see any single gamer making more than $30M a year.

But good for them, they provide a service (entertainment), another company profits off their service, they get a piece of the pie.

That said, why people will pay money to others to watch them play video games just so they can comment on their chat menus is beyond me. But hey spend your money as you wish.
 
I still have no idea who looks at videogames as sports. And even watching someone else play.

Sure I may watch a few minutes of a let's play, but not for the sake of it, but to find out if the game is worth getting or not.
 
technically.. yes, i can see this happening eventually...

but i'm talking about pro lacrosse players or other fringe sports. But to compare it to the highest end of a major sports league is just absurd imho. I could see the lower end leagues of the major sports leagues could be similar as well though.
 
Not that 2.4 billion is peanuts but the NFL makes about 5 times that amount and the NBA close to double I think. I just can't imagine e-sports generating the revenue pro sports does to the level players are being paid literally $100,000,000+.
 
Not that 2.4 billion is peanuts but the NFL makes about 5 times that amount and the NBA close to double I think. I just can't imagine e-sports generating the revenue pro sports does to the level players are being paid literally $100,000,000+.

I can see the profits from e-sports becoming much higher than traditional sports from the standpoint of flexible venues, since you don't need a pitch, diamond, or rink to put the show together. and televising that shit costs peanuts in comparison to the expense of football or handegg. But the pay for the players...

...I think Ronaldo makes something like US$24million a year (after taxes). There's a long way to go before the best e-sporties see that kind of cheese.
 
I still have no idea who looks at videogames as sports. And even watching someone else play.
I view it more like a "game show" in the same way I would not call Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, or even something a little more physical like Double Dare (for the kids!) or American Ninja Warrior (for the adults) as a "sport", they all require some level of skill to do but at the end of the day, sport?

And before anyone asks couldn't "sports" also be classified as game shows. For me sport involves, 1) physical effort, 2) an opponent who can directly influence your play or score, and 3) a set of rules. So things like golf I don't consider a sport, it's a game that people compare scores against (#2 is missing), I don't consider auto racing a sport either while I won't deny there is some physical strain on the body it's the car that's doing the work (ditto with horse racing). But hey they put the "e" in front of sport, so by all means define it as you will.
 
I view it more like a "game show" in the same way I would not call Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, or even something a little more physical like Double Dare (for the kids!) or American Ninja Warrior (for the adults) as a "sport", they all require some level of skill to do but at the end of the day, sport?

And before anyone asks couldn't "sports" also be classified as game shows. For me sport involves, 1) physical effort, 2) an opponent who can directly influence your play or score, and 3) a set of rules. So things like golf I don't consider a sport, it's a game that people compare scores against (#2 is missing), I don't consider auto racing a sport either while I won't deny there is some physical strain on the body it's the car that's doing the work (ditto with horse racing). But hey they put the "e" in front of sport, so by all means define it as you will.
Well technically they only compare scores in athletics as well, so that's not a sport then? By your description then only contact sports should be considered sports. You might want to rethink that system.

I make it simple, if it needs arduous physical preparation to get to a decent level in it then it's a sport. So to me horse riding is not a sport, but vaulting is.
 
Eh, Just as valid a spectator sport as football as far as I am concerned.

The only problem they will have is monetizing it. pay for view income is only a fraction of the profit in physical sports, and let's face it, that's about all you have to exploit for Esports. I doubt you will have tailgate parties outside massive Esport stadiums where people sit in bleachers watching giant screens of the gamers playing.

Merchandise for esports might be a thing eventually, I just don't think esports will catch on in the same way physical sports has. not in the US anyway.
 
Well technically they only compare scores in athletics as well, so that's not a sport then? By your description then only contact sports should be considered sports. You might want to rethink that system.

I make it simple, if it needs arduous physical preparation to get to a decent level in it then it's a sport. So to me horse riding is not a sport, but vaulting is.

I consider it a "sport" if it takes athletic ability and video games do not IMO.

Even racing is a sport to me. Yeah they're not running or jumping but it not only takes an extreme level of dexterity, hand/eye coordination and skill to race professionally, it also take extreme endurance as the inside of a NASCAR race car can get to 150 degrees and you gotta be in that car for 4 hours or longer.

If it doesn't require an athletic ability then it's just a competition and not a sport. Hell I competed in car audio competitions for 10 years and never considered that a sport.
 
I still have no idea who looks at videogames as sports. And even watching someone else play.

Sure I may watch a few minutes of a let's play, but not for the sake of it, but to find out if the game is worth getting or not.

I watch Markiplier and others for their reactions while playing. That and the fact that I am easily surprised so I wouldn't be able to handle playing the horror game that is FNAF, but I'm deeply interested in the lore and easter eggs. Plus I don't have the time to dedicate to get good enough to unlock all the secrets.
 
I consider it a "sport" if it takes athletic ability and video games do not IMO.

Even racing is a sport to me. Yeah they're not running or jumping but it not only takes an extreme level of dexterity, hand/eye coordination and skill to race professionally, it also take extreme endurance as the inside of a NASCAR race car can get to 150 degrees and you gotta be in that car for 4 hours or longer.

If it doesn't require an athletic ability then it's just a competition and not a sport. Hell I competed in car audio competitions for 10 years and never considered that a sport.
Some people have more athletic fingers than others :D
 
I consider it a "sport" if it takes athletic ability and video games do not IMO.

Even racing is a sport to me. Yeah they're not running or jumping but it not only takes an extreme level of dexterity, hand/eye coordination and skill to race professionally, it also take extreme endurance as the inside of a NASCAR race car can get to 150 degrees and you gotta be in that car for 4 hours or longer.

If it doesn't require an athletic ability then it's just a competition and not a sport. Hell I competed in car audio competitions for 10 years and never considered that a sport.

While I get where you are coming from but saying video games don't require dexterity hand/eye coordination and skill... is sorta silly. Cause those are pretty much the core of what is needed to compete in video games.


My question... does it really matter? Seems like most people arguing the definition of "sports" are either just extremely particular and anal about said topic/definition or trying to elevate traditionally known sports as somehow better then newer forms for entertainment (arggg neckbeard nerds not real men blah blah blah).

At the end of the day whether its sports or esports both are forms of entertainment. It baffles me how someone can just plainly say "I don't understand why someone would watch X" It is such a small minded comment and the answer is so simple it shows their critical thinking skills.
 
While I get where you are coming from but saying video games don't require dexterity hand/eye coordination and skill... is sorta silly. Cause those are pretty much the core of what is needed to compete in video games.

I didn't say video games don't require skill as they obviously do, they just don't require an athletic ability. It took skill for me to be competitive and win at car audio competitions. That didn't make me an athlete.
 
I remember watching a Quake competition at Norwescon. It was in the late rounds, I think they were down to the final 6 teams, the group of guys I knew had already been eliminated. $20,000 in prize money, which was a big deal at the time.

And on one of the teams there was this fat guy. Not just obese, but freakishly fat, so fat he had to bring his own chair. And next to his keyboard he had a vase like you'd buy for flowers, but instead of flowers it was full of red licorice. And as he played he would lean over, keeping his eyes on the screen, and lower his face to the vase of licorice and he'd snatch one in his teeth. And while he was playing he would use his (very red) lips to pull the licorice into his mouth, never taking his hands off the keyboard or mouse, never taking his eyes off the action. Just grazing and fragging.

And they had headsets. And occasionally he would bark a command to his teammates, and little flecks of red licorice would eject from his mouth and onto the screen or onto the keyboard. Several times the licorice fell out of his mouth and onto the keyboard, and he would casually flick it toward the base of the monitor, where a small wood pile of half-chopped licorice was growing.

And I thought, "That guy ... That guy is an athlete."
 
I still have no idea who looks at videogames as sports. And even watching someone else play.

Sure I may watch a few minutes of a let's play, but not for the sake of it, but to find out if the game is worth getting or not.

I do, because I enjoy it and because pro gaming is completely different from lets plays or low skill streamers. Video games are my "viewer sport". I don't enjoy football or anything of that like because it bores me. People that try to equate playing a video game to playing them professionally are extremely misinformed. That comparison is no different than trying to compare someone playing basketball in their driveway to the NBA. The ball and the hoop might be the same but that is about it.
 
Never happen. The NFL is a powerhouse machine and no gamer will ever make as much as an elite QB. And that's with a salary cap... if there wasn't one 8O
 
Never happen. The NFL is a powerhouse machine and no gamer will ever make as much as an elite QB. And that's with a salary cap... if there wasn't one 8O

Baseball was replaced... Football could be replaced... Not saying it will be gaming but "never" is loaded word.

And that could lead to a gamer getting more money than a football QB... probably will be at least a few generations but it can happen.
 
Well ok, true... but not for quite some time from today.

With concussions and that ctl or whatever, who knows, eventually
 
Adults, the ones that actually have money to pay for shit, could honestly give two pisses less about eSports.
 
Adults, the ones that actually have money to pay for shit, could honestly give two pisses less about eSports.

Assumptions make you look stupid. I'm turning 40 this year, wife, 2 kids, own a house and quite a bit of property. So I'm pretty sure I qualify as "An Adult that actually has money to pay for shit". I'm also sure that the owners of eSports teams who are pretty much all worth millions also qualify. There is quite a large group of "Adults with money" who in fact do "Give two pisses" about eSports.
 
Alexander Rodriquez made about 441 million dollars in his baseball career (give or take 40 million)
 
I do, because I enjoy it and because pro gaming is completely different from lets plays or low skill streamers. Video games are my "viewer sport". I don't enjoy football or anything of that like because it bores me. People that try to equate playing a video game to playing them professionally are extremely misinformed. That comparison is no different than trying to compare someone playing basketball in their driveway to the NBA. The ball and the hoop might be the same but that is about it.
To be honest I can't watch those sports either. So NBA, NFL, NHL, or Esports all equally unwatchable to me.
There are about three things I watch: Snooker, Cycling, and maybe actual Football, what you call soccer. But only in small doses. I'd never watch a full 33 frame snooker match. Or a 200km level road cycling stage in it's entirety.
 
Merchandise for esports might be a thing eventually, I just don't think esports will catch on in the same way physical sports has. not in the US anyway.

I wouldn't count on it. Year-to-year data for a lot of physical sports shows a downward trend when it comes to viewership numbers. The NFL saw a 9.7% decline between 2016 and 2017.
 
I wouldn't count on it. Year-to-year data for a lot of physical sports shows a downward trend when it comes to viewership numbers. The NFL saw a 9.7% decline between 2016 and 2017.

That doesn't mean those viewers went from the NFL to watching E-sports, have to look at the field as a whole, why did they stop watching? and where did they go? For example, Fox sports had an increase of 37% in 2016 for viewers of Major league Soccer per game, a drop in the bucket compared to the numbers of viewers of NFL games but a remarkable increase regardless. a more likely reason is viewer disgust at the players politicizing the games.
 
That doesn't mean those viewers went from the NFL to watching E-sports, have to look at the field as a whole, why did they stop watching? and where did they go? For example, Fox sports had an increase of 37% in 2016 for viewers of Major league Soccer per game, a drop in the bucket compared to the numbers of viewers of NFL games but a remarkable increase regardless. a more likely reason is viewer disgust at the players politicizing the games.

Old age and losing interest? My dad mows on September Sundays and works on old motorcycles.
 
Strange strange thing.... There are some twitch streamers with elite private hacks costing $1000/month apparently according to some gossip I've heard on a couple of aimbot discords. At first I thought it was a bit insane for someone to pay $1000/month to cheat in a $60 video game, but apparently these streamers can earn $10,000 to $100,000 monthly from twitch subs, so it's worth it... Of course, there was no actual proof offered during the discussion, but it's just interesting to hear about this and I wonder how it'll affect the whole e-sports thing.
 
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That doesn't mean those viewers went from the NFL to watching E-sports, have to look at the field as a whole, why did they stop watching? and where did they go? For example, Fox sports had an increase of 37% in 2016 for viewers of Major league Soccer per game, a drop in the bucket compared to the numbers of viewers of NFL games but a remarkable increase regardless. a more likely reason is viewer disgust at the players politicizing the games.

True. Soccer is gaining a bit more steam in the US. Viewership for eSport is going up, by a lot, but the question is where will it end up.
 
But good for them, they provide a service (entertainment), another company profits off their service, they get a piece of the pie.

This is the key. Look at it as any other industry and it works. In the end, it's all about keeping money flowing in a circle, and the video game industry can certainly do this. I could see economics attached to gaming, virtual reality and computers in general becoming a major influencer on us in the future. It's different, for sure, but it still meets the basic requirements of a sustainable economy.

That being said, I did watch the documentary Free To Play, and I was not jealous of any of the competitors they followed. Nearly every back story they showed made it look like gaming was an escape from a <personal> shitty reality. It was more depressing to watch that movie, than uplifting.
 
technically.. yes, i can see this happening eventually...

but i'm talking about pro lacrosse players or other fringe sports. But to compare it to the highest end of a major sports league is just absurd imho. I could see the lower end leagues of the major sports leagues could be similar as well though.

I could see some eSports gamer's (I'm not calling them athletes) making more than the league minimums for several sports. For example, the NHL doesn't pay that much on the low end as I recall.
 
I could see some eSports gamer's (I'm not calling them athletes) making more than the league minimums for several sports. For example, the NHL doesn't pay that much on the low end as I recall.

It does make you question what you find intriguing about "athletes". Is it the physical strength, or is it the fast thinking and strategy? Does having physical strength give you a better chance at being a successful athlete, or does mental strength? Obviously, centered between the two is good. But are the really good athletes off center more towards the strength, or more towards the ingenuity? And what is stimulating the viewer.
 
watching others do something, what ever it is, is boring, to me at least.

I want to be a part of it.


what this thread needs is some cheese to go with all the whine it has..

LOL
 
Always getting hung up on the definition and use of a word. Words are always multi-definition. Watersports mean different things to different people for example. Maybe both groups are athletes?

For me it is just another form of entertainment and I try not to get too old and crotchety about change (even though sometimes i do) and just understand that even each of the 'sports' has changed a ton over its lifespan.

Everyone can have an opinion, but is it really so painful to accept that some people like different forms of entertainment? I myself can't stand to watch football or basketball. Baseball is fun in person but yea cant watch that on tv for the life of me. Hell some people watch the super bowl just for commercials!

Whenever I have tried to watch overwatch league I usually just have a siezure because they move so fast I dont even know what's going on.
 
It does make you question what you find intriguing about "athletes". Is it the physical strength, or is it the fast thinking and strategy? Does having physical strength give you a better chance at being a successful athlete, or does mental strength? Obviously, centered between the two is good. But are the really good athletes off center more towards the strength, or more towards the ingenuity? And what is stimulating the viewer.

Per Merriam Webster:

Definition of athlete
1 : a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.

Doesn't matter how hard you look, mouse skills or Cheetoh licking are not considered athleticism.

Being an Athlete by definition requires physical skills. Chess players are not athletes, nor are Quake players.
 
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