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Research shows that eSports viewers spend way more cash than the average gamer

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11

DOLLA DOLLA

eSports as a whole has grown monumentally over the past few years. Thanks to companies like Valve for example, and their investment in large scale tournaments like The International (the implementation of the Compendium did wonders for the prize pool), interest in competitive gaming has shot through the roof. Apparently this bodes well for hardware companies as a whole, because according to research from EEDAR, those who follow eSports tend to spend more cash on their gear on average than those who don’t.

Just how big is eSports today though? Patrick Walker from EEDAR shares some insight (via Games Industry)

The number of eSports tournaments worldwide more than tripled from 430 in 2013 to 1,485 in 2014. These 1,485 tournaments were viewed by more than 100 million viewers worldwide.

That is a lot of viewers! Let’s take a look at how spending differs between them and those who don’t follow competitive gaming:

Gamasutra Article - MOBA 2016

$200 extra spending on a PC is nothing to scoff at. Take note of the peripheral spending habits too – an eSports viewer on average spends double that of a non-participant on a mouse, keyboard, and headset This is a big deal when you consider what percentage eSport viewers are in the bigger picture. Here’s a breakdown of PC alone:

Gamasutra Article - MOBA 2016

A large chunk of PC gamers follow eSports, 31% to be exact. PC isn’t the only gaming platform around however. What about spending habits on other platforms? Here’s a breakdown of a 12 month period:

Gamasutra Article - MOBA 2016

The numbers never lie Mason! It makes sense why sponsors are jumping onboard the eSports train. Their advertising and involvement goes straight to an audience who aren’t shy of spending those extra bucks.

eSport spectators no doubt wants to improve their own game, and are happy to spend extra money on premium hardware to achieve it. No wonder I am broke.

What do you think? Are your spending habits directly tied to your interest in competitive gaming, or do you splurge purely because you like having nice hardware?

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Last Updated: May 22, 2015

11 Comments

  1. RinceTheElfRoot

    May 22, 2015 at 14:32

  2. Captain JJ Hack&Slash&Dodge

    May 22, 2015 at 14:35

    This is actually very interesting. I know a guy who is rather loaded, to put it lightly, and he is SUPER into eSports. The hardware this guy has sometimes border a bit on: “Why would you even need that?”

    Reply

  3. Brendyn Zachary

    May 22, 2015 at 14:41

    TI5 Compendium costs R1000+ to level to 175. I think eSports fans just want to see the sport grow more, I know I do.

    Reply

    • Captain JJ Hack&Slash&Dodge

      May 22, 2015 at 14:45

      All the more power to them, absolutely.

      Reply

  4. Trevor Matrix

    May 22, 2015 at 15:02

    Matthew. Can you fuck off with all your graphs on a Friday afternoon? Seriously! What is this? Graphaholics Anonymous?

    Reply

    • hairyknees

      May 22, 2015 at 15:24

      Do I always do graphs on a Friday or something? O_O

      Reply

      • Trevor Matrix

        May 22, 2015 at 15:25

        No! But graphs and a Friday afternoon simply do not mix! Do not try this ever again! Otherwise…

        Reply

        • hairyknees

          May 22, 2015 at 15:26

          I AM SORRY SENPAI!

          Reply

          • Trevor Matrix

            May 22, 2015 at 15:27

            OK OK. Enough with the tears…

  5. 40 Insane Frogs

    May 22, 2015 at 15:03

    Mmmkay!? I suppose good for them. I’ve accepted that I’m not the target demographic of esports (and probably never will be). I’m just an old, cynical bastard, who’d rather play the games himself, rather than watch others play it.

    http://media.giphy.com/media/nfGoq80lzvkpa/giphy.gif

    Reply

  6. Matthew Holliday

    May 25, 2015 at 10:05

    “piracy on PC is ruining the gaming industry”

    “PC e-sports viewers spend way more money than other games, (insert snarky contrasting comment about how spending money is bad) “

    Reply

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