Esports: The next big thing or media hype?

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The Pulse by DB8
June 24, 2023

Welcome to our very first Community Pulse! The “Community Pulse” is a topic that the group chose, using arguments that you submitted.

Today’s Community Pulse is all about the world of Esports. Hate it or love it, there is no denying that there is some serious hype around it. Professional video gaming has been on the rise for years, but if you still weren’t completely sold yet…

Popular gamer “xQc” just inked a bigger contract than LeBron-freaking-James… and that’s a pretty big deal. Literally.

The Pulse Results (24 Votes) 📈

Side A 79.17% - This deal solidifies the fact that Esports is on its way to becoming the biggest sport in the world

Side B 20.83% - xQc’s deal is just media hype feeding into the Esports bubble

Poll closed: June 26, 2023

Published on: June 17, 2023
Published by: Forbes

Esports and streaming go hand in hand, and when it comes to this space, streaming giant Twitch has remained the one major player sitting on top. That is of course until recently, when streaming company “Kick” (founded by Co-Founder of Stake, Ed Craven) secured a pretty badass $100 million deal with popular gamer xQc, a deal that some say has Twitch shook.

Supporters argue that the $100 million contract solidifies Esports' rise as the next global sporting phenomenon, drawing comparisons to the mega-deals signed by basketball superstar LeBron James, who was paid $97.1 million for his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Skeptics dismiss the deal as “media hype”, contributing to the alleged Esports bubble. They believe that the comparison to LeBron James' contract highlights the potential for distorted valuations and unrealistic expectations within the Esports industry.

As the debate rages on, the future trajectory of Esports remains unknown.

So, what do you think? Will Esports live up to the hype? Or is it a short-lived fad that’s sure to power down eventually?

The Debate Showdown

Side A: This deal solidifies the fact that Esports is on its way to becoming the biggest sport in the world

  • Esports has been growing for years, people have just been ignoring it. By 2024, Newzoo predicts that the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for Esports fans from 2019 to 2024 will be approximately 7.7%, making the total audience 577.2 million. To put that into perspective, the NFL averaged 283.9 million views in 2021 and the NBA averages 116.2 million views a season, for a combined total of around 400 million views….The total views of these mainstream leagues don’t even come close to the amount of individual people watching Esports 🤯

  • Esports has no barriers to entry. Anybody in the world can participate with no geographical barriers. People from all over the world have the same access to the same games against each other, which is pretty cool.

  • It’s only been a few years and we’re already seeing xQc's $100 million deal with Kick, eclipse LeBron James who is one of the most iconic athletes of our generation… if that doesn’t get you to pay attention, then we don’t know what will.

  • The significant investment in xQc demonstrates the financial backing and recognition that Esports is receiving from major platforms and big-shot investors.

Side B: xQc's deal is just media hype feeding into the Esports bubble

  • The comparison between xQc and LeBron James is all part of media hype and exaggerated valuations that contribute to an inflated perception of the Esports industry.

  • Considering the fact that Twitch has yet to reach profitability, what makes anybody think that Kick’s deal is anything more than them flashing big numbers in the media? Who’s to say they can even fulfill the contract? Unless we start seeing more of these mega deals coming from Kick, it is likely that this will be a one-off. Kick probably used their entire marketing budget on this one deal. Yikes.

  • Believing that video gaming can have the same fan engagement, excitement, or longevity as traditional sports like soccer, basketball or football is silly. There’s a difference between watching professional athletes who are at the peak of human physicality battle it out, compared to virtual game characters flying through the air and casting magical spells at one another… the hype will die down eventually.

Previous Debate

OceanGate: Assumed risk or pure negligence?

With search and rescue crews from all over the world joining the mission in a race against the clock… quite literally. This Pulse is all about the breaking news surrounding OceanGate’s ‘The Titan’.

debates.db8.com/p/oceangates-titan-assumed-risk-pure-negligence

The Pulse Results (109 Votes) 📈

Side A 44.04% - As with any extreme event or expedition, the passengers assumed the risks when they signed up

Side B 55.96% - OceanGate was negligent hosting this expedition and should be held accountable

Poll closed: June 23, 2023

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