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eSports: how the industry can capture the fanbase
During the pandemic, the sporting world ground to a halt. Global events such as the Olympics, Formula 1 racing, the UEFA Champions League and American basketball were all postponed.
Formula 1 launched a virtual grand Prix series featuring professional F1 drivers as an alternative. Similarly, Leyton Orient football club organised an online FIFA tournament.
This competitive online video gaming is known collectively as eSports and brings excitement and competition at a time when traditional sporting events are unable to. The explosion in popularity during COVID-19 meant the global virtual audience of eSports exceeded 700m fans in 2021.
At the same time, the hospitality sector experienced the opposite fate. Continual lockdowns led to a sharp decline and the almost complete shutdown of tourism activity for many months.
Therefore, most matches and events were played behind closed doors when professional sport resumed. Mass global events, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, received little income, with no fans or tourists attending the games.
Mega sporting events normally lead to spending on food, drink, hotels, parking, concessions and merchandise. However, online viewership only meant cancelled travel plans and bookings to host cities.
So, with a fast-growing eSports industry and a tourism sector just beginning to recover from lockdown, shouldn’t the hospitality industry actively attract eSport fans?
In our research, we wanted to look at how the industry can capture the eSport fanbase and convert them into active tourists. We surveyed 549 fans of the competitive eSports video game League of Legends alongside a 12-month observational study of active World of Warcraft players.
eSports, fans, and live events
At its peak, the League of Legends’ 2021 world championship had over 4m online viewers. Yet, despite substantial online audiences, even pre-pandemic, only a tiny fraction of eSports revenue came from ticket sales, meaning few fans are willing to travel to live events.
Some arenas have generated large crowds, such as Korea’s Sangam Stadium. The experience for these spectators can be truly captivating. Giant immersive screens are set up to show the competitive gameplay between teams, amplifying the excitement and tension in the crowd.
However, the tourism and hospitality industry risks alienating a growing global fanbase by not actively seeking eSports viewers. This means the opportunities offered by the attractive and potentially lucrative market may be lost.
There is an opportunity here for host cities to offer activities and events specifically for those attending competitive eSports events. It is worth considering, for example, special team-specific fan zones and social spaces to capitalise on the loyalty of passionate followers. They bring passion and excitement to a sporting event, making them unmissable events for those who consider themselves diehard fans.
Building enthusiasm for events
eSport is experienced online as a social community. Yet, for the most part, it is consumed without proximity to other spectators.
This means a potential spectator is more likely to be travelling alone or hoping to meet up with online friends in person for the first time. This makes buying tickets and travelling to an event a daunting prospect for many.
However, local event providers could do more by offering forums and discussion channels that could build enthusiasm and anticipation in the run-up to the event. These online spaces would also give fans a chance to seek advice and support on where to stay and what to do, making the online and offline transition much less daunting.
The eSports calendar is dominated by prestigious world championship competitions such as League of Legends, StarCraft II, and Crossfire. Much less enthusiasm is generated for smaller qualifying or regional competitions. They usually take place exclusively online.
Travelling internationally to competitions can be less appealing to many fans. The cost of attending significant sporting events is high, particularly for eSports, predominantly younger audiences.
Local events could offer an entry point to first-time live event spectators — building a passion for experiencing eSports competition in person.
