Many people outside of competitive gaming point to the conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic as crucial to the growth in the popularity of esports. It is true that with the more traditional sports cancelled indefinitely, their fans looked elsewhere for their enjoyment at that time and found the world of esports was able to provide the excitement they were missing.
Esports became a regular feature on all the best sportsbooks and became noticed by the mainstream media at that time. But it was the introduction of streaming by Twitch, YouTube, and others years earlier that really revolutionized competitive gaming. It was streaming that changed the way we consume and enjoy esports.
In this article, we will take a look at just how streaming has changed esports for the fans and gamers alike. We obviously spend most of our time thinking about how streaming can improve our lives, and there is no doubt that for competitive gamers, the introduction of streaming was a real game-changer.
Global Accessibility
Even older generations have now gotten used to being able to watch anything they want at any time, but for a long time that just wasn’t the case. Just as with TV broadcasting, competitive gaming without streaming was a closed shop for those who could access and/or afford the cable packages and TV channels.
With the introduction of streaming, those barriers came down immediately. Anyone with an internet connection – or access to one – could now watch esports events. This grew the community to unprecedented levels, eliminating cost and connectivity as reasons not to watch the best gamers in the world at any time.
Fan Interaction
One of the biggest tasks for any sports team or athlete, either traditional or esports, is growing a fan base and contunuing engagement to foster stronger bonds. In the modern online world, fans expect a certain level of interaction, and streaming allows there to be a two-way relationship, which was not the case in the past.
We are all so used to social media platforms, and businesses accepting community input and feedback, that esports athletes know that their fans will expect the same level of relationship from them. Streaming live chats and including fans on training regimes builds the communities that esports needs to survive, and can even attract additional financial support.
Greater Professionalism
In any sport, there are different levels and tiers of athletes, and that is exactly the same for competitive gaming. But the introduction of streaming has enabled even the lowest tiers to appear to be as professional as possible. Streaming brings higher production values that lead to greater professionalism across the board.
As well as providing access to athletes, streaming also produces further revenue streams for the entire community. Advertising, broadcasting, and sponsorship deals all have to be made when streaming is involved, and that just helps make the whole esports ecosystem more diversified and professional.
Discovering Talent
Streaming may have broken down the barriers for fans to watch their favorite esports athletes, but it has also helped identify the talent of tomorrow in a more democratic fashion. Those new fans who have become introduced to competitive gaming through streaming are then able to upload their own content into the wider world.
Esports scouts are able to find new athletes to train and sign up for teams because of the way they are able to stream even the smallest of events. This accessibility can also work for different and new titles that now have the ability to become more popular thanks to organic boosts in interest thanks to streaming.
Customization
Streaming may have completely changed the way we enjoy esports now, but it should be appreciated that it is also at the forefront of technology. That means that there is a lot of room for customization of streaming as the tech advances. We have already seen the introduction of comms, as well as co-streaming.
As with any new tech, co-streaming brings its own challenges, but these can also add to the ongoing evolution of streaming – and esports in general. Providing greater access to esports naturally means that there will be more people with the ability to stream in a way that makes sense for their own communities. If anything, customization of the way we stream esports events and competitive gaming may well be the next big step.
Streaming to the World
It is clear that the main way that streaming has revolutionized esports and competitive gaming is by bringing them to a wider audience. Esports used to be a niche, almost underground, pastime that received little or no mainstream attention. But, thanks to streaming, esports is now arguably a part of that mainstream – and growing its audience all the time.
Just as with any other sport that receives more viewership, esports has now grown to a point where the top athletes are just as well known and revered as football and soccer stars. Competitive gaming finds a place in the mainstream media and is better understood by the general public. Being able to stream esports has brought gaming this much wider audience, and continues to facilitate its growth.
There have been other factors that have helped make competitive gaming what it is today. But there is no doubt that widespread streaming has made esports more popular – and continues to help grow the community.