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{"meta":{"description":"4 Ways COVID Changed Esports (and What Changes Will Stay After It’s Gone)","keywords":"covid changed esports, ways covid changed esports, covid esports, covid gone"},"active":true,"show_in_home":true,"show_as_recent":false,"show_as_popular":false,"_id":"6014261be222744032e201f4","aid":"ways-covid-changed-esports","sid":"pc-gaming-esports-news","title":"4 Ways COVID Changed Esports (and What Changes Will Stay After It’s Gone)","sub_title":"The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on sports is one of the best-documented effects of COVID-19.","date":"01/21/2021","big_image_path":"ways-covid-changed-esports-big.jpg","mid_image_path":"ways-covid-changed-esports-mid.jpg","small_image_path":"ways-covid-changed-esports-small.jpg","elements":[{"id":"p1","sort_index":0,"type":"paragraph","content":"<p>The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on sports is one of the best-documented <a href='https://www.moneycrashers.com/covid-pandemic-change-society-economy/' data-mce-href='https://www.moneycrashers.com/covid-pandemic-change-society-economy/'>effects of COVID-19</a>. Articles and videos of canceled seasons, empty arenas, and stands with cardboard cutouts are powerful and dramatic. They’re some of the more visual and visceral signs of these strange and frightening times.</p><p><br></p><p>That said, COVID-19 has had an equal or more significant impact on the burgeoning world of esports. Unlike professional football and UFC, which rely on in-person contact during competition and large crowds gathered in stadiums or arenas, esports are socially distant for competitors and spectators. Like so many other industries this year, sports fandom is virtual, with powerful repercussions.</p><h2>4 Ways COVID Has Changed the Esports World</h2><h3>1. Increased Growth and Engagement</h3><p><br></p><p>With everybody stuck at home, sports took a significant hit. However, esports rebounded more quickly than traditional sports. As a result, Twitch gaming stream views jumped by a whopping 2 billion hours in the pandemic’s first quarter. A study by <a href='https://blog.the-esports-bar.com/society/future-of-esports-2020-the-impact-of-covid-19/' data-mce-href='https://blog.the-esports-bar.com/society/future-of-esports-2020-the-impact-of-covid-19/'>StreamElements and Arsenal.gg</a> found that total viewing hours on the four largest esports streaming platforms nearly doubled.</p><p><br></p><p>Rapid growth is nothing new to esports. This massive increase was due not only to COVID-19, but also to lockdowns and the accompanying logistical fallout. This is good news for the industry as vaccines roll out and the pandemic finally comes to an end. We do not expect growth to stop or reverse, merely to slow as it continues to rise from the heights it reached during lockdowns.</p><h3>2. Investments in Relevant Technologies</h3><p><br></p><p>Video conferencing platform <a href='https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/how-zoom-rose-to-the-top-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic.html' data-mce-href='https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/how-zoom-rose-to-the-top-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic.html'>Zoom saw a 3,000% increase</a> in new downloads when lockdowns began in March 2020. This necessitated immediate, massive investment in their infrastructure and a previously unknown level of diligence in improving their software’s efficiency and stability. Similarly, PC manufacturers have seen rapid growth in demand for computers as most companies have transitioned staff to work from home and multiple child families now have kids that need access to the PC at the same time. These added computers also have added to the growth of <a href='https://www.clxgaming.com/gaming-pc' data-mce-href='https://www.clxgaming.com/gaming-pc'>PC gaming</a> sales and activity as more of the population stays at home.</p><p><br></p><p>This is just one example of myriad instances where the coronavirus has demanded massive investment in improving technologies that drive live connection and video streaming online.</p><p><br></p><p>Those same technologies are vital components of long-term esports success. Without a live connection, competitions are harder to manage. Without streaming advancement, large-scale viewership becomes problematic. Although the industry won’t likely reap the lion’s share of the benefits from these developments and investments until after the pandemic has ended, they happened because of the hardships we experienced during lockdown.</p><h3>3. Partnerships With Physical Sports Leagues</h3><p><br></p><p>The initial COVID-19 shutdowns left physical sports leagues scrambling to adapt and networks with pro league contracts struggling to fill suddenly empty slots. This spurred an interest in televising esports on platforms where it hadn’t been broadcast before.</p><p><br></p><p>NASCAR jumped in with a series of virtual races in March and April 2020, which averaged <a href='https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2020/04/21/has-interest-indycars-iracing-peaked-latest-broadcast-takes-ratings-dive/2998137001/' data-mce-href='https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2020/04/21/has-interest-indycars-iracing-peaked-latest-broadcast-takes-ratings-dive/2998137001/'>more than 1.3 million viewers per race</a>. Football, basketball, and Formula 1 tried similar events, which also experienced strong interest and viewership.</p><p><br></p><p>Some of these were attempts at an esports version of their regular competition. Others mixed video games and professional physical sports with unique offerings that piqued curiosity and interest. In some cases, esports-only events like the Rockel League world championship were televised on their own to fill holes left by the absence of physical sports competitions.</p><p><br></p><p>It remains to be seen if this increased television time will remain once physical sports return in full, or whether the opportunities will vanish. NASCAR’s late-2020 numbers seem to indicate the latter, but time will tell.</p><h3>4. Increased Wagering</h3><p><br></p><p>As with presidential elections, one of the most reliable ways to gauge how an uncertain event will play out is to watch what’s happening in Vegas. Oddsmakers are experts at analyzing wide varieties of data to arrive at not just the most likely conclusion but exactly how likely it is.</p><p><br></p><p>Similarly, esports wagering has seen massive growth in popularity during COVID-19. It’s likely some of this is happening for the same reasons esports have ended up on broadcast television: With physical sports off for a while, people bet on the next best thing. But with this increase comes broader awareness of esports in general. Some people who started betting during COVID-19 will continue betting on esports events after other sports come back online.</p><p><br></p><p>How much of the <a href='https://www.compare.bet/data/esports-betting-stats' data-mce-href='https://www.compare.bet/data/esports-betting-stats'>$12.9 billion wagered on major esports titles</a> this year will stay for 2021 and beyond is uncertain, but the numbers are unlikely to fall to pre-COVID-19 levels.</p><p><br></p><h2>Final Thought: Not All Silver Lining</h2><p><br></p><p>Esports haven’t been entirely unscathed during the pandemic. Although the changes above have been mainly positive, a <a href='https://blog.the-esports-bar.com/society/future-of-esports-2020-the-impact-of-covid-19/' data-mce-href='https://blog.the-esports-bar.com/society/future-of-esports-2020-the-impact-of-covid-19/'>few key revenue streams took hits</a> from the lockdowns and accompanying economic downturn:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>Events held in live viewing venues were closed just like those for other professional sports, reducing ticket and merchandise sales by $15 million.</li><li>Media rights sales for event broadcasts dropped as a result, with a $9 million loss industry-wide.</li><li>With advertising spends dropping worldwide, esports sponsorship deals lost a total of $22 million.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>However, as we explained above, esports had had success. If the esports industry continues to maintain momentum, it may be poised to enjoy a renaissance in its profits and social relevance.</p><p><br></p><p><em>Charles Tanner is a longtime sportswriter for numerous online publications.</em></p>"}]}
