Can the USA compete in eSports with Asia?

The eSports industry is growing rapidly worldwide, and this is a fact. Today, there are close to 500 million “eSports enthusiasts” who are engaged with eSports in some capacity, and so far as markets go, the United States and Asia are where most of the action is.

A quick look at the numbers may suggest that Asia has the majority of the fans, but this is not the whole story. While Asia has many gamers, the United States tends to do much better in other areas of the eSports experience.

Tournaments, career opportunities and a collegiate network of eSports has positioned the United States as the best place to be if you are looking to succeed in the eSports industry. On the other hand, Asia has struggled with regulation for a while.

Asia’s Shortcomings and Strengths

Asia is a bastion of eSports. With over 700 million active video gamers in the region, there is no shortage of opportunities for competitive gaming. Even though not all of these players are interested in competing against others, there is a sufficient player base that has allowed the formation of local ecosystems and helped create some of the most memorable franchises and leagues in the competitive video gaming industry.

Asian talent is often imported into western teams, attesting to the fact that Asian gamers are some of the world’s finest, so much that eSports organizations are willing to pay a tidy sum to pay for accommodation, visa complications and more just to have them competing on their rosters.

With this said, Asia does have some issues that it needs addressing. The most recent ban on gaming time in China will do an immeasurable blow to organizations there, which will have to migrate to other countries. This is not too bad as talented players are likely to migrate to Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea, all of which have a fairly well-established eSports tradition.

Japan did not allow salaried competitions on video games until recently, but this changed in 2018 when the government allowed players to take “eSports licenses”.

US Still the Best in eSports on Industry Level

So, does the United States truly fall behind in any way when it comes to eSports? Not necessarily. As things stand, the country has one of the best developed collegiate-level eSports. In fact, the United States is making it possible for video games to be taken seriously into the mainstream.

As laws about online games now open up and allow more people to participate and play online casinos, for example, so are laws changing to accommodate a thriving eSports industry. This begins on a high school and collegiate level as well. But things aren’t necessarily focused on the competitive aspect of it.

In fact, schools are now teaching eSports enthusiasts who work on every level of the industry, which includes production, casting, content creation, social media management, but also the legal and financial aspects of it.

The United States is seeing more sports executives quit their companies and make a hard shift for the eSports space, bringing their expertise to the table to allow such promising startups to thrive. eSports may have been taken as a form of a “meaningless pastime” 20 years ago, but it has become a billion-dollar business.

Things aren’t slowing down either as companies are just now figuring how to monetize fan engagement. After all, everything in eSports is free. You may need to pay hundreds of dollars to watch the NBA or NFL every year, but you can watch ALL your favorite eSports games and matches without paying a penny – unless you want to.

Does the US Need to Catch up?

So, is the US really behind Asia when it comes to eSports? Not really. Even though there are fewer eSports fans in the NA, they still spend the most and they still frequent events more so than their Asian peers.

The truth is that a lot of business talent and opportunity has focused on the United States and as such, the country is capable of creating fresh eSports ventures. Of course, as Asia matures as well, the market is seeing fresh opportunities which will inevitably shape the region’s future.

North America as a whole, including Canada, is also contributing to the state of eSports in this part of the globe. Asia is definitely a powerhouse, but so is the US, and it really isn’t a matter of “catching up.” More so, it has to do with playing to each region’s strengths and overcoming their innate weaknesses.