eSports: On a Rapid Rise in Australia

Featured article by Dan Walters, Independent Technology Author

On the 13^th of August 2016, the Brisbane Arena welcomed 2,000 people with another 10,000 tuned in online to watch a video game competition.

The competitive video game that pulled in such figures was League of Legends (LoL) and the competition was the Oceania Pro League Finals. The winner won the opportunity to represent Australia at the World Championship Qualifier in Brazil.

The Chiefs and Legacy were the two competitors in the final. The teams, made up of five individuals, fought for control of the map with the Chiefs cleaning out 3-0 on the day.

To get to this stage, the team members put in a lot of work. The teams have separate gaming houses in Sydney where the team members lived and trained together for 12 hours a day with their coaches. To further underline how serious things are in the eSports arena, Legacy hired a sports psychologist to try and give the team an additional edge.

Before now, bingo games were the closest to eSports entertainment gatherings. Players cut up cards or played online on some of the best bingo sites, especially during parties, whilst the audience cheered. bingosweets.com still has some of these sites for bingo lovers that still enjoy the action and some play on mobile apps but video game based eSports is gradually gaining a foothold in Australia.

Rise of eSports in Australia

Riot Games the makers of League of Legends made close to $100,000. The Victoria Bridge in Brisbane was lit up in LoL colours and the live broadcast mirrored what is seen from the AFL or NRL. This included a HD broadcast truck parked just outside the Arena.

However, whilst organisers were happy to sell out the 2,000 seat Southbank Piazza, they still noted that they were still short of covering bills with emphasis for now, being placed on bringing people into the arenas instead of profits. The organisers however believe that with the genuine interest on display on the night and in previous competitions, it won’t take long for eSports to be as profitable as the grass sports options in Australia.

Critics still unconvinced

In one corner, critics of eSports say that the niche will never become mainstream anytime soon. They say it is just people playing video games in stadiums. However, eSport lovers are not allowing such claims dampen their spirits. The sector is huge in other parts of the world and it is only a matter of time before Australia meets up.

Other grass sports are reliant on skill, talent and coaching to get positive results. eSports is the same even though the level of physicality is at opposite spectrums. The competitive nature is the same for both categories and it is why people are watching in their thousands and genuinely excited. The excitement levels will only rise from here and with it, eSports popularity in Australia.

Comparison to the rest of the world

The OPL final pulled in a surprising crowd but Australia is still behind when compared to global figures for eSports. The World Championship for Dota 2 pulled in 100 million viewers and there was a $20 million prize pool. The OPL final numbers pales significantly in comparison but there is no denying the fact that the niche is on the rise in Australia.