Gaming and esports are one of the most popular forms of entertainment these days. Some suggest that it may completely eliminate the TV culture. Here is our take on how esports became so popular.

How Popular Is Esports And Gaming?

Let’s talk about some stats on how big esports is. Firstly, the size of the global esports market was around 0.97 billion US dollars in 2020. In 2025 this number is expected to grow up to 2.89 billion.

In 2021, a total of 360.1 million US dollars in revenue was generated just in China through the esports industry. In the United States, this number was around 243 million, and 205.8 million for Western Europe. 

The biggest esports event in terms of the prize pool was The International 2016, with a prize pool of 20.77 million US dollars. For The International 2021, this number has grown to 40.02 million US dollars. 

In terms of the viewership numbers, the Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore reached a peak viewership count of 5.41 million viewers. All in all, esports is quite huge, and there are no signs of it slowing down its growth anytime soon.

Esports Is Popular Because It Is Just Like Any Other Sport

Just like any other conventional sport, esports promotes competition. We, humans, love to compete with each other. As you play a competitive match with some of your best friends on your team, the feeling that you get after winning because of your teamwork is amazing. 

As more and more competitive people enter the world of gaming, the skill cap gets even larger. Insanely good players start to emerge, which results in large-scale tournaments. It is almost as exhilarating to play a video game as it is to watch some of the best players compete with each other in a large-scale event.

Multiple large-scale esports events are happening globally for tons of different video games. There are also tons of professional teams. For gamers, it is easy to find a video game and professional team they like and become die-hard fans. 

Along with all that, esports and gaming is also a social activity. With gaming, we get to hang out with some of our closest friends, no matter which part of the world they are. 

As esports fans attend esports events and cheer for the same team that thousands of other gamers are cheering for, they feel as if they are a part of a much bigger community.

So the main reason that esports is so popular is the same as why any other conventional sport is popular. Esports, just like any other sport, is competitive and social.

Twitch Live Streaming – An Explosion In Popularity Of Esports And Gaming

We all know how massive the football scene is around the world. However, before football became a popular spectator sport, football players used to work in coal mines. What changed all this? The emergence of the ability to present a football match live was a game-changer, with the number of viewers growing by millions.

In the same way, as Twitch emerged as a live streaming platform for gaming and esports events, esports practically blew up in popularity. Suddenly esports went from something that only gamers know about to the point that nearly the whole world started talking about it.

What Sets Esports Apart From Conventional Sports

With everything that we have mentioned above, all those things apply to conventional sports as well. There is no shortage of large-scale evens for conventional sports. Football has UEFA, and basketball has the NBA. 

Including all that, popular sports have tons of fans. But esports managed to grow at a much faster rate than regular sports. Here are the major reasons that contributed to this.

Gaming is super accessible. Almost everyone these days has access to a decent internet connection and a device that they can play video games on. Esports has even trickled its way into mobile phones, which has allowed mobile phone users to be a part of the gaming scene as well. 

Imagine trying to play a match of basketball with your friends. You will first have to meet up with your friends and then make your way into a basketball court. Even then, you won’t be playing with random people, which is essential for improvement.

On the other hand, if you want to compete in a match of competitive online video games, all you have to do is turn on your computer or video game console and start a ranked match. 

The best part about online video games is that the matches will consist of random opponents, which induces unpredictability. It will also be a professional match with proper rules and a level playing field. 

Another thing that makes gaming soo different from conventional sports is that it has become popular culture. At first, gaming was considered something that only computer fanatics would take part in. With the advertisement techniques used by video game developers, gaming has now become something that is super cool and hip. 

There is no child in this world that wouldn’t consider playing video games. Esports and gaming are trending and there are no signs of them becoming out of trend any time soon.

In short, accessibility and its cultural aspect are what make esports soo different from regular sports and made it soo popular. Almost anyone can be a part of the gaming and esports culture. It is also one of the most popular cultures to be a part of.

Summary

In conclusion, while it is true that esports gained tons of popularity because of its competitiveness and how social it is, these are features that conventional sports also possess. 

What makes esports different from other sports is that it is super accessible. Almost anyone can become a gamer these days. Another unique feature of esports and gaming is that it has now become popular culture.