Photo by Lucie Liz
Esports has seen an exponential growth ever since the developmental days of the internet and its integration with a select few games.
The existence of 5G internet speeds, the popularity of streaming services, and even improved mobile technology have significantly helped esports bloom into the industry that its audience knows today.
Without all of these developments converging together, esports wouldn’t be the global presence that it is in modern entertainment.
In fact, its influence is enough for most fans to fly over to different countries to be a part of history! The biggest massive multiplayer online games today also have the biggest leagues attached to their brands, and right now, some of the prominent personalities involved in creating this industry have become celebrities in their own right.
Combined with the spectacle of the competition conducted during their matches and especially the special premier bouts, such as the Tekken World Cup or the Electronic Sports World Cup, attract thousands of fans, ready to support their favorite teams and cheer them on. Because of these competitions, esports have developed an affinity to the travel industry as well.
Competition across the globe
Matches are often held in stadiums around the world to accommodate the droves of fans that watch these games. However, it also brings a certain prestige to the industry, since some arenas in the world like in Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Singapore, or Berlin, are constructed specifically to hold esports league matches.
In competitions such as League of Legends Worlds or The Dota 2 International, several mainstream artists also lend their talents to this grand event to further elevate the prestige and attention it has.
It is actually quite impressive to find industry giants like Sting, Imagine Dragons, NewJeans, and Illit grace and perform on the stage under the same event, proving just how much of a bridge the esports industry has become.
Competing in esports also technically involves players crossing international borders, even casual players. However, while casual players only connect to other players at a surface level, to move to the professional scene, they will have to actually fly to some areas.
The most popular teams come from cities like Seoul, Shanghai, or Los Angeles, just to name a few. They will have to prove their mettle and coordination with other professional players, as well as challenge their flaws under one roof to ensure that team synergy is always at an optimal level.
Some of these teams also employ the services of professional coaches to shape their competitive spirit into something more concrete, similar to the ideas explored in what would happen if Klopp managed an esports team, where leadership and strategy play just as big a role as skill.
Stepping across nations
Mobile technology is at the heart of this flourishing industry and this seamlessness serves as an unofficial passport for players. So long as players have their laptops, or even popular portable computers like the Steam Deck or the Xbox Ally X, they can move on from gaming scene to gaming scene in just a few presses of a button.
In fact, it would be in a streamer’s best interest to invest in smart devices like these since it can serve as their main workplace. Their “office” is wherever their laptop and internet connection can go, allowing them to embed themselves in different gaming scenes from Manila to Cologne to São Paulo, and broadcast that experience to millions
Celebrating with a global community
Perhaps the best part of the travel culture attached to esports viewership is the opportunity to celebrate the event with fans across the globe. Competition is a universal language and when it can reach out with a presentation like it does when esports events spring up, it is bound to attract attention from everywhere.
Since the logistics to make it possible consists of only a few mouse clicks or button inputs, accessing footage of these games is relatively easy. This is essential to its growth, since the convenience of watching footage can attract newer viewers, which can then potentially turn into players.
Since it transcends language, it is not impossible to see a fan from Europe might bond with a fan from Brazil over a shared appreciation for a particular player’s skill, despite the teams being from North America and Korea. This convergence of gaming and travel has developed a strong melting pot of cultures where national identities are both fiercely defended and joyfully transcended.
Naturally, there are challenges to this kind of culture. Questions of sustainability often arise whenever traveling is involved and it will only prove to be more of an issue if there are more people required in the venues. This includes teams and fans and officials needed to make the event possible.
The cost of logistics in terms of flying teams across the globe is an environmental concern. Apart from that, players and managers that consistently fly from an event to a training session and to another event can result in burnouts.
But the gravest issue that esports personnel could come across are related to travel visas, especially for players from less privileged nations. This happens very frequently and could result in forfeits which will seem unfair, especially for fans that only watch digitally.
Esports has proven to be an overall boon for the gaming industry. It has shattered stereotypes of sheltered couch gamers and today, the image has resulted into a more sociable activity for younger people.
Now that esports shares a space with traveling, the culture spreads to a much wider audience than ever, creating perfect conditions for further growth