E-sport venues and entertainers also winning

With communications company Comcast investing US$50 million into a gaming arena in Philadelphia and commentators becoming fan favourites, it is not just players who benefit from the growth of e-sports. 

 Stephen Chowtee, 25, EZY Mode E-sports Lounge co-owner, along with co-owners Dean Hayes and Matt Deleersnyder, plans to use this growth and spoke about what inspired the launch of EZY Mode .

“The conversation came from ‘What’s going in Windsor in terms of gaming?’. We’re seeing everyone else blowing up in gaming. Why isn’t this happening in Windsor?” said Chowtee.

EZY Mode’s opening is an example of a more gaming-centric approach by businesses worldwide, with sports entertainment franchise Topgolf announcing in December 2018 six of their locations would open e-sports lounges.

Overall, Chowtee said making e-sports accessible for young people is key to growing.

“We’ve actually seen teams of kids playing because they want to be involved and do tournaments. It’s just creating those spaces for kids to play,” said Chowtee.

Commentators are a staple of the e-sports business as well. Zachary McGinnis, 25, is a commentator and player for St. Clair College’s e-sports team. 

McGinnis said his start came from Trieu Lai, present St. Clair e-sports associate director.

“He reached out to me with the opportunity to commentate last-minute with him one night, he just needed somebody to hop on and do some analysis,” said McGinnis.

According to the British E-sports Association, successful commentators or “casters” often travel to cover various tournaments. Commentator workweeks can vary from 30 to 80 hours depending on the tournament, game and location.

“You have to be a positive representative of the league and sponsors. If you’re that, more leagues are going to be willing to come to you,” said McGinnis. With sponsorships taking up approximately 41 per cent of the $1.1 billion industry, the necessity of a good image is clear.

The e-sports industry also offers careers and relationships for gamers like St. Clair e-sports player Amy Honey. 

“The relationships we have built as a team is definitely what sticks out to me the most. I am extremely excited to be a member of a St. Clair Varsity e-sports team and even more excited to move forward in my life having a career in e-sports,” said Honey.

E-sports venues and commentators are also winning big with an estimated $59 million in ticket sales made by major e-sports events in 2017 alone and commentators earning $700 to $1000 per game.

Overall, the e-sports industry has many facets to it. Local commentators, venues and businesses are looking to seize the opportunities found in this developing industry as much as players.