Esports

Competitive video gaming is growing. This form of digital competition—known as esports— presents a major opportunity to create new jobs, spur economic growth and encourage tourism.

Over the past 20 years, esports has grown from a small, underground hobby to a massive, billion-dollar ecosystem. This high-growth industry sector is revolutionizing how consumers watch, follow and engage in the video game ecosystem.

Esports generate significant public engagement with worldwide viewership in the hundreds of millions, often exceeding the viewership of traditional sports. Professional teams and leagues in the U.S. and throughout the world offer sponsorship and endorsement opportunities, as well as exclusive programming deals with traditional mainstream media and online streaming platforms. The esports sector presents a major opportunity to create new jobs, spur economic growth and encourage tourism.

Esports is made possible by compelling video games. The Entertainment Software Association’s member publishers are the intellectual property owners of some of the world’s most popular esports games. Video game publishers combine storytelling, design, graphics, music and sound to attract players and viewers from all over the world to watch elite esports athletes compete at the highest levels.

In 2019, ESA and its international counterparts released guiding principles for esports as part of the industry’s ongoing efforts to promote a safe, fair and welcoming esports environment.