Of all my opinions, this is the one I want people to shove in my face if I’m wrong.
It’s so easy to call something the next big trend when it’s already happening. eSports is already here. It’s been growing in popularity for a while now and only recently have those outside the space felt comfortable publicly staking their claim. Cowards. It’s officially safe to say how big eSports is going to be and that’s why I’m ready to come out and talk about how this is a big ole’ fad. Fidget spinners. Pop sockets. eSports.
So this weekend was the Fortnite World Cup. They sold out Auther Ashe stadium for the event. Millions streamed it live. I even tuned in for a second. I’m not going to sit here and say it wasn’t a bit fun. All I’m saying is that it doesn’t have staying power. Here’s why:
They are going to have a hard time creating superstars based on the nature of how people watch. There is a disconnect between those who are the most entertaining when they play and those that are the best at the game. For reference, the most mainstream streamer, Ninja, didn’t qualify in the Top 200 for the Fortnite World Cup. Yeah I did a bit of research! The winner of the whole competition was a 16 year old kid who is nasty at the game. Now tons of people do want to watch someone who is dirty at the game but eventually they also need someone who is fun to watch on live stream. If there aren’t enough people who do both then the sport can’t sustain. My personal belief is that these two skills don’t go hand in hand. Someone who is super focused on being the best is most likely boring to watch because they are completely zoned in while someone who is super entertaining is probably not working on their game as much.
Also, Ninja became a mainstream star over a year ago and yet there still haven’t been any other Twitch streamers to make it into the public eye. That’s weird, no? I get that many other streamers have become popular online but if the sport is going to become America’s new pastime then they are going to need more stars that regular people can recognize.
The second reason why I think eSports is a fad is the same reason why you eventually get tired of watching your friend play video games. Growing up it was common to go over to a friends house and take turns playing a video game. But if your friend was way better than you then you end up doing more watching then playing. It can be fun at first but eventually you just want to play yourself even if you’re not that good. Watching people can be exciting but it isn’t ever going to be as fun as playing yourself. Eventually, people will spend less and less time watching their favorite streamers.
Like i said, please please please shove this article in my face when I’m wrong. I want to be on the record about this. I welcome being wrong about this when everyone else is on the eSports train. But you better believe that I’m reposting this in five years when eSports was nothing more than a fun fad that filled time on ESPN between basketball and football season.
