British Esports are projected to reach all-time high in popularity following a tournament win worth £7.4 million for British team Tundra.
Online gaming has always played second fiddle to physical sports, but thanks to continued growth and increased spectacle, that soon may not be the case.
Esports commentator and expert Lawrence Bowman believes that Gaming is close to breaking into mainstream sports.
“There’s definitely a lot more respect being put on gaming and e-sports” said Bowman “It’s already in the mainstream to some extent, we even had Esports at the Commonwealth Games which was a big step to taking them into contemporary times.”
Recent finance reports from UKIE show that the UK Esports sector is growing at a rate of 8.5% each year and supports over 1,200 jobs in the UK alone. By the year 2030, the global Esports markets is estimated to be worth in the region of $5.74 million.
“These big events are huge in legitimising the sport so that the professionalism in the industry is always growing.”
Bowman believes that the community has one key advantage to aid their growth.
“It’s so accessible (…) Pretty much everybody has an online connection and a PC, so in that sense, it’s a great way for lots of people to compete, there’s so many different games that there is something for everyone.”
The next major tournament starts November 4, with the 2022 Brawlhalla championship taking place in Atlanta, with a sizable prize pool of half a million dollars, Esports seem set to continue growing in the coming years.
