Some people may have preconceived and outdated ideas about what it means to be a professional gamer. The old-school view is that people who spend their time gaming are social outcasts who spend their days in a dark basement, doing little, if anything, with their lives. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The video game industry is a $180 billion category that grew more than 20% in 2020. The platforms that people use are bringing more connectedness and scale than ever before. While there are plenty of people who play as a hobby, there are many who play professionally. They can earn millions from winnings, endorsements, and the content they create. As the gaming industry transforms, so should the opinion about the people who participate in them.
Video Games And Social Connectedness
First, let’s discuss the idea that people who play video games are less connected to the world than people who participate in other hobbies. The effort put into developing video gaming platforms is much more than we see in other hobby industries. Many people are using video game platforms similar to social media websites. People can communicate, strategize and forge relationships in a much more meaningful way. Some people develop lifelong friendships from video gaming platforms. Twitch has 15 million daily users, and Discord sees over 140 million monthly users. Think about the ability to connect and communicate with deeply engaged user bases of that size.
Video Games And Building A Bright Future
There’s this misconception that some people have that video games are a waste of time — if you play games, you aren’t really building a future. The truth is, people can actually get scholarships to major colleges based on how well they play video games. Now, 40 American colleges are offering esports scholarships. These institutions are taking this program seriously by ensuring that students are training, focusing on schoolwork, and being an active part of their college experience — just like we see with traditional sports. In a typical year, the NCAA sees about $1 billion in revenue. Thinking about gaming overall being a $180 billion business and esports being a $1.5 billion business, it is not a stretch to think that competitive college gaming could double the size of NCAA revenue in just a couple of years.
Impacts On The World
Video games are competitive, social and lead to amazing financial opportunities for people who can make it professionally. The fascinating thing about the industry itself is that it’s starting to have real impacts on other parts of the market, especially when it comes to retail. Even with platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon thriving, in many ways, they can’t keep up with major video games like Fortnite. People are drawn to so many things that we’ve always appreciated about video games — the fun, the excitement, the thrill of a new game. However, with the development of video game platforms, people can also connect in a way they have never before. Imagine a reach as large as Netflix or Disney, a communication scale as big as Facebook or TikTok, and engagement like the best console games. That is the promise of the Esports platforms.
The Future Of Gaming
It appears that the sky is the limit as far as the development of the gaming industry goes. Amazon has already mentioned its interest in developing an Amazon Games feature as a way to be part of this ever-expanding gaming industry, adding to its acquisition of Twitch several years ago. As the world starts to notice just how influential gaming is, it is just as critical to let go of those outdated beliefs that gamers are a forgotten group of people. They are the people who are bringing together gaming and social connectedness in a way that we’ve never seen before.
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