eSports Venues: A New Sport Business Opportunity

TLDR

eSports, a global competitive video‑gaming phenomenon, has grown in popularity and is hosted worldwide, yet most venues are repurposed from other sports or entertainment, and these facilities must attract lucrative events to survive, making eSports events a promising fit. The paper outlines eSports development and examines current spectator consumption trends. The authors describe current and future eSports venues, detailing licensing, equipment, and personnel needs, and apply open systems theory to explain how facilities must adapt to the evolving environment. Subscribe to JASM.

Abstract

Typically played via the Internet, eSports (organized competitive video gaming) is becoming a global phenomenon. The popularity of video games and the desire to spectate online and in-person gaming has amplified as Internet-based gaming has improved. eSports competitions are hosted all around the world, but particularly in the United States, Europe, and Asia. While eSports-specific venues are increasingly being built, many venues that host eSports competitions were constructed primarily for other professional sports or entertainment. These entertainment facilities must attract popular financially beneficial events in order to survive. eSports events have great potential to fit this mold. This paper briefly describes the development of eSports as well as discusses the current trends in eSports spectator consumption. Moreover, current and future eSports venues are described, highlighting potential licensing, equipment, and personnel requirements needed for hosting eSports events. Open systems theory is utilized to capture and explain the draw of hosting eSports events and how facilities must adapt to their changing environment. Subscribe to JASM