Esports Becoming a Legitimate Occupational Choice

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Tuesday, September 12th, 2017 | Written by Lucy Brown

eSports, or the world of competitive professional gaming, has risen to prominence over the past decade, and attracted an ever higher level of interest from gamers and corporate sponsors alike. In fact, the prestige associated with eSports has grown so much that one industry expert, Edward Castronova, Professor of Telecommunications and Game Design at Indiana University Bloomington, has predicted that a new “working class” will come about over the next two decades, with their income revolving around pro gaming and video games.

Moreover, Castronova has further predicted that playing games for money will soon be viewed as a good an legitimate job choice by those individuals who have skills that do not typically suit regular labor markets.There are some people that disagree with the time frame of this career choice, though, and believe that professional gaming is already a viable career choice right here and now.

Increasing Prize Pools

Even non-competitive games have the potential to earn talented players an income, such as the classic video game EVE Online, which offers its own economy and currency. Similarly, the video game called Dota 2 has allowed its top-earning player to amass $2.8 million in winnings so far. This is an especially large amount due to a popular tournament which is held each year, usually in the fall. This tournament holds the world record for the biggest prize in the history of professional gaming, and the best part about it is that the event is funded almost completely by the gaming community itself.

This is facilitated by the International Compendium, or self-updating, interactive statistics tracking booklets, that can be purchased and subsequently leveled up in order for gamers to earn more in-game benefits and rewards. In return its publisher, Valve, then puts more money towards the tournament, effectively creating an ecosystem in which the player base is responsible for rewarding and funding professional gamers. While other professional games may have their own different layouts and tournament structures, they all still come with their own foundation of pro eSports players able to make a viable living playing these video games.

Coming Closer to Reality

It is hard to say whether eSports will ever become so popular that it may eventually be considered a subsection of the working class, rather than its present position of just being seen as a niche job. Yes, there already exists platforms that allow gamers to grow and thrive, and make a living playing live games, but the catch is that just like with television, a player needs to be entertaining while he or she play in order to make money. However, some people are good at this while others are not, thus making it difficult to say whom this career is better suited for. Ultimately, though, a player will need to know themselves and their own limits in order to make such a determination..

Nevertheless, once upon a time the idea of playing video games for money, and making a career out of it was something that gamers of old once only ever dreamed of. Now, however, it is a reality, and anyone with the right level of skill and ability to entertain has the potential to make their dreams come true.

Casino eSports Conference

In the meantime, the Casino eSports Conference (CEC) took place in Las Vegas last week, but raised a few eyebrows after some of Sin City’s major casino operators failed to attend the conference. While casino firms based on The Strip failed to show any great interest in the proceeding, the same cannot be said for operators in the downtown area, who the conference organizer, Ben Fox, hailed for having “a tendency to make their decisions quicker and easier because they don’t have to answer to the hierarchy of the old school.”

Nevertheless, there are a number of reasons why major Las Vegas casino operators have been slow to find ways of integrating eSports with their casino floor offerings, not least because many video gamers fall into the under 21 category, making them too young to enter Vegas casinos. Furthermore, this age group hasn’t got the disposable income associated with an older demographic, making them less likely to make full use of a resort’s hotel accommodation, and fine dining options.