This is the 5th installment of eSports Group’s eSports Marketing Playbook. See part 4, here.
The notion of video game play as spectator activity has grown from diehard roots to mainstream force du jour. However, there are still widespread misconceptions about the nature of competitive gaming as both activity and vehicle for marketing. Most of these stem from assuming full equivalence with traditional sports. In reality, eSports integrates a number of properties from sport, entertainment and media; making it more of a participatory activity, with spectator qualities. At its core, eSports is an entirely new form of participatory entertainment that encapsulates more than just top-level professional play. Brands must grasp this reality, in order to unlock the full potential of marketing initiatives.
Entertainment and Participation
When compared to traditional sports, competitive gaming is unique in that all participants, regardless of skill level, play the same exact game; a fact that blurs the line between spectator and player. Meaning, for a given eSport title, there is a strong correlation between those who play the game on their own time and those who view it played. Along those lines, two facts are salient:
- The vast majority of viewers are gamers, see figure 1 below.
- Viewing participation for the general player base varies across eSport title.
Figure 1 – Courtesy of The Nielsen eSports Report
The same artifacts (teams, tournaments, broadcasts, etc.) that mark the top layer of professional eSports also exist at the “amateur” level. Similar to how the traditional sports industry includes participation at all levels (recreational, collegiate, semi-pro), eSports is inclusive of more than just a spectator element. As such, eSport enthusiasts must not be pigeonholed as simply spectators but also considered participants with varying levels of skill, when appropriate. This dual role, of fan and competitive player, is at the heart of the worldwide eSports phenomenon.
“Millennials are putting video games at the center of their entertainment preferences, but it is a new kind of gaming that is more social, interactive and engaging.”
— Neil Howe, president of LifeCourse Associates
Video game play, alone, is not a new phenomenon. In fact, video games have fast become a leading flavor of entertainment for the under 30 demographic. According to “The 2015 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry” released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), 54% of the most frequent gamers play a multiplayer mode at least once weekly. Coupled with the explosion of eSports, there are now a multitude of online platforms that enable players to organize and form competitive, social communities. One such example is the tournament platform, FACEIT, which provides skill-based competitive match making for four eSport game titles. Fit with 2.5 million unique users, FACEIT is built for amateur play but scalable enough to host its own professional league. This notion is impossible in traditional sports where separate infrastructure for amateur and professional is a requirement.
The emergence of these online tournament and competitive match-making tools provide marketers with a unique opportunity to address gamers as more than just fans. This is a significant shift from the past where, aside from in-game advertisements, it was unmanageable to connect with the video game play experience. Additionally, since these platforms don’t change or impede upon the user experience, they are ripe for innovative approaches to harnessing the eSports participation paradigm.
Marketing realities
As the number of eSport enthusiasts continues to grow, expect overall participation in competitive gaming to do the same. The appetite for viewing video game competitions is directly related to the appetite to compete in video games across a number of social contexts. This includes:
- Collegiate level: organized competition across college campuses
- Semi-professional: competitive play for varying monetary wages or prizes
- Youth: age grouped participation involving parental authorization
- Recreational: structured but, potentially, less competitive participation
Nonetheless, the participation angle of eSports isn’t as well-defined as its spectator cousin; where metrics like average number of viewers and hours watched are more easily understood by audiences with a background in traditional media platforms, e.g. television. However, active participation offers the advantage of better connecting to a key source of interest in eSports: passion for gaming. Accordingly, eSports marketing strategy must shift from attempting to view competitive gaming through the lens of traditional sports, towards a fundamentally sound understanding of its dynamics.
eSports Group’s eSports Marketing Playbook continues with part 6, here.
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Alex Fletcher is founder & president at eSports Group, where he helps customers meet their eSports advisory & consulting needs. When Alex isn’t glued to a screen, he spends time with his wife, their two dogs, and pretends to learn Polish. Feel free to stalk him on Twitter – @FletchUnleashed