The rise of E-Sports and potential for Post-COVID continued growth

TLDR

E‑sports, a professional gaming competition, has grown rapidly but scholarly research and systematic destination comparisons remain nascent. The paper reviews the e‑sports industry and identifies key success indicators. The authors conduct a review of the e‑sports industry, evaluating multiple success indicators. The study finds that e‑sports generate significant economic impact for destinations and recommends government strategic planning and investment, especially post‑COVID.

Abstract

E-sports is an event involving professional game competitions. Despite a significant growth of e-sports industry, research findings and literature, including systematic evaluation and comparison of destinations are still in infant stage. Thus, the current paper attempts to review e-sports industry and address the multiple indicators for success. The results of this study show that the economic impact by esports is significant for a destination. In particular, government strategic plans and investment should be considered for strategic development of e-sports particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.