This is a paid guest post.
It is hard to deny that esports has gained a huge legitimacy boost already in 2020. This includes being covered by ESPN as they would a traditional sport, to seeing an increase in those watching and playing the various games. But there may still be some barriers to new players becoming involved in esports, especially for those who are fans of other kinds of gaming. How can esports attract more players and spectators from other forms of gaming?
Console Gaming: Focus on Game Selection
One of the biggest draws for console gaming – as evidenced by the excitement generated by the PlayStation 5 reveal – is the vast range of gaming content available. From Grand Theft Auto 5 to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Sackboy: A Big Adventure to Spider-Man: Miles Morales, each game offers something completely different and appeals to a slightly different class of gamer. Esports also benefits from a wide range of gaming types – from League of Legends to Dota 2 and FIFA. Each one requires a different skillset and different kinds of players who do well.
But perhaps the misconception about esports to those who don’t know about it is that all the games are the same. In order to attract players who may be skilled at other console games, showcasing the vast range of games that professional esports players are able to play in tournaments could help encourage those skilled at soccer games or first-person shooters that they are primed to excel in esports.
Online Casino: How to Attract Players
The online casino industry utilizes a welcome bonus and special offers in order to attract players. This works not just with those who already understand the games they offer, but on those who might migrate to online casino from other gaming avenues. The promotional offer means new players can almost experiment with the sites before selecting one and beginning play.
There are plenty of bonuses for you to choose from when it comes to playing online casino, with some specializing in free spins and others cashback and deposit bonuses. These bonuses allow players to see which site might suit them most, depending on what they want to play. Esports could utilize a similar approach to gaining new players. The prospect of becoming a pro esports player and being in with a chance of winning a $25 million prize pool could sway some people to properly look at esports as both a spectator and an eventual player.
PC Gaming: Amp Up Strategy Know-How
PC gaming is varied, but most players have one thing in common: they enjoy the strategic element of it. Esports is not dissimilar and in fact games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive rely heavily on strategy and teamwork for players to succeed. Esports and PC gaming are very similar, but many traditional PC gamers may consider the fact that esports is played to a wide audience and for money to mean that the games offered by esports are ‘dumbed down’ and lose some of the strategic components. By focusing on the skillset required for esports, many of those who enjoy this aspect of PC gaming could be convinced to try their hand at playing professionally.
Esports is doing well and is not desperate for new players. But eventually, in order to continue its upward growth trajectory, there will need to be some injection of fresh talent from elsewhere in gaming. By focusing on the aspects of each area of gaming and how they could feed into esports, the esports industry could begin attracting talent now for when it needs to further scale-up.