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Are eSports fans different from you and me?

2 min read
21

Differences

I have really tried to get into eSports, but I think it’s sort of like any sporting event – I only get into it when the stakes are absurdly high or it’s an international event filled with drama and heartbreak. I’ve loved watching the Rugby World Cup, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to pick a favourite local team and support them when this is all over. eSports is sort of the same for me; the only time I can bring myself to care is when the championships are large scale enough. That said, it could be because I’m not part of the typical eSports viewerships.

EEDAR did some research into the types of people who play and watch eSports and found that the populations are a bit different from the average gamers. Within that, they also found that fans of MOBA like Dota 2 and League of Legends are also different to those who are more interested in shooters.

EEDAR broke the results down both by game and by genre (MOBA, shooter, and fighting) to find trends. While PC gamers already skewed male at 64 percent of the audience, the report found that many eSports titles are even more predominantly populated by men. The audiences for Dota 2, Counter-Strike: GO, and Smite are all more than 75 percent male. However, EEDAR found that larger titles like League of Legends and Call of Duty have slightly more women (only 70 percent male), while fighting games like Street Fighter IV and Super Smash Bros. were closer to 66 percent male.

Genre also made a difference when it came to advertising opportunities. Zhao said that brands for drinks like Monster, Red Bull, and Coke resonated most highly with shooter players, while MOBA fans were more likely to have an affinity for peripheral producing companies like Logitech and Razer.

Zhao said some of the biggest takeaways involved how much more invested in their games eSports players were. They tended to be younger, played more, and paid more than their non eSports counterparts. They were also more actively social, Zhao said, reporting that they were more likely to hang out with friends or attend a sports gathering. They were also more likely than the average gamer to participate in fitness activities or work out.

Younger, social and tending to work out? No wonder Geoff and Gavin are utterly befuddled by the concept of eSports. But really, this is an interesting change of pace for gamers – young, athletic and interested in energy drinks? Geeks are the new jocks in the social order these days, but maybe it’s coming full circle and the gamer geeks are becoming jocks now or something.

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Last Updated: October 9, 2015

21 Comments

  1. oVg

    October 9, 2015 at 09:37

    Totally, gaming is my life, but I am a mere casual gamer when compared to the competitive nature of these dudes. They are the Hardcore.

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      October 9, 2015 at 09:39

      I’m perfectly happy not being a hardcore gamer.

      Reply

      • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

        October 9, 2015 at 09:42

        Yep! That, there is exactly how I feel!

        Reply

      • Weanerdog

        October 9, 2015 at 13:09

        You have like 1k hours on warframe, you may be more hardcore than you think

        Reply

    • Matthew Holliday

      October 9, 2015 at 11:50

      core gamer* you’re hardly a filthy casual.

      Reply

  2. HairyEwok

    October 9, 2015 at 09:52

    I have the talent to be hardcore, just not the time to be one XD

    Reply

  3. Ottokie "Yahtzee"

    October 9, 2015 at 09:55

    I am Hardcore therefore I play Hardcore…*heavy metal death growls

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      October 9, 2015 at 09:58

      I had the pleasure of having a hardcore Warframe pro joining a pub game I was in last night. It’s been so long I’d nearly forgotten they existed.

      Reply

      • Ottokie "Yahtzee"

        October 9, 2015 at 10:00

        My ingame voice is muted after this week because I almost had a heart attack (twice) when elitist speak with their crappy $5 walmart microphones.

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          October 9, 2015 at 10:06

          I never have voice enabled. It was text.

          I often join Earth interceptions because it’s a crappy mission for new players. So it was me, a brand new Mag, a newish Mag who clearly knew what they were doing and… Rhino Pro.

          Doesn’t actually defend any of the points it’s standing at. lol’s when a point gets taken over – usually its, Doesn’t try to retake them. Then right at the beginning of the 4th round it calls us all noobs, says bye bye & to have fun & quits. It’s like… um… we’re really not going to miss you, or struggle without you – you useless sack of dead weight.

          Reply

          • Ottokie "Yahtzee"

            October 9, 2015 at 10:08

            I have been pretty lucky with people not starting flame wars in chat, only seen it on the wiki page.

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 9, 2015 at 10:14

            Oh it’s pretty rare. I’m usually bemused by the pro’s who complain about the other players, particularly in pub games. I can solo any mission in the game, so if they’re such pros… why do they play so badly?

          • Dutch Matrix

            October 9, 2015 at 10:16

            Same difference as a $5.00 “Pro” and a $5000.00 “Pro”

        • Dutch Matrix

          October 9, 2015 at 10:15

          Now imagine some high as a kite dude from Switzerland all of a sudden yodeling into your ear as you play GTA V in the quiet of the night…

          Reply

        • Matthew Holliday

          October 9, 2015 at 11:45

          atleast you could hear him.
          people who use push to talk, with their R1500 headsets and high quality mics, then tap the button instead of holding it down while speaking are the worst.
          its like theyr not even human.

          Reply

        • HairyEwok

          October 9, 2015 at 11:53

          To be fair they are playing a free to play game so you can kinda think they’re prefs won’t be of the best XD

          Reply

  4. Dutch Matrix

    October 9, 2015 at 10:13

    We all know eSports fans are subhuman filth that needs to be eradicated from this planet with extreme prejudice and Prune Juice.

    Reply

  5. DragonSpirit009

    October 9, 2015 at 10:24

    I might not be hardcore but I like gaming. In my own little world I’m hardcore enough 🙂

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      October 9, 2015 at 11:31

      thats the, um, spirit, Dragon

      Reply

  6. Matthew Holliday

    October 9, 2015 at 11:41

    esports definitely has its share of jocks nowadays.
    and there is most definitely an “in” crowd.
    buts its mostly because the “in” crowd is a pretty big bunch of real world friends first. STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. they zerg rushed the social scene and got the monopoly.

    Reply

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