Melanie Bracewell has a hidden talent.
asserted
Bracewell → have → talent
At work, she’s a celebrated host and hilarious stand-up comic.
asserted
she → ’ → work
At home, she’s a decorated gamer.
asserted
she → ’ → home
“I really got into this game called TFT [Teamfight Tactics].
asserted
I → get → game
At the beginning of this year, I reached Challenger, which means I’m top 100 in Oceania,” the Cheap Seats host says.
asserted
host → reach → Oceania
“I go to PAX in Melbourne every year where they run casual competitions, but I don’t take it very casually …
asserted
I → go → it
We’ve got a whole stash of medals now.”
asserted
We → get → medals
She’s levelling up this year, having been invited to one of the world’s biggest TFT tournaments in Las Vegas.
asserted
She → level → Vegas
“I’m so excited.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
It’s this massive tournament that sells out in seconds, so it’s surreal that I’m going.
asserted
I → ’ → seconds
I’ve never been to Vegas before, and it’s to go play video games.
asserted
it → ’ → games
Bracewell loves video games, but they’re ultimately still just a hobby.
asserted
they → love → games
For other Australians, though, gaming has become a full-time job – and a lucrative one at that.
asserted
gaming → become → that
Anathan “ana” Pham, a Melburnian professional Dota 2 player, won $4.62 million in a 2019 Shanghai tournament, making him the fourth-highest earner on the Esports earnings leaderboard.
asserted
him → win → leaderboard
After about six years of competitive playing, Pham had reportedly made roughly $8.33 million and retired by 2021.
uncertain
Pham → make → 2021
These wild trajectories aren’t surprising, says founding president of Esports Australia Darren Kwan.
asserted
Kwan → say → Australia
As the competitive arm of video games, it’s on par with physical sports such as the FIFA World Cup.
asserted
it → ’ → Cup
“Like other sports, there are referees, rules, a code of conduct,” Kwan says.
asserted
Kwan → be → conduct
“That’s why we call it the sport of playing video games because there’s the recreation side and then there’s the sports structure.
asserted
we → ’ → games
Today, Kwan says there are about 300 million people worldwide with an interest in Esports, from collegiate gameplay to professional tournaments.
asserted
Kwan → say → tournaments
The number of fans who tune into tournaments rivals that of major traditional sports.
asserted
who → tune → sports
For example, The League of Legends 2023 World Championship peaked at more than 6.4 million viewers.
asserted
Championship → peak → viewers
Last year’s AFL grand final, by comparison, attracted a total national TV audience of 4.08 million.
asserted
final → attract → million
Esports tournaments have gained significant lucrative backing, too.
asserted
tournaments → gain → backing
They’re sponsored by an array of brands, from Red Bull and Coca-Cola to Louis Vuitton and Mercedes-Benz.
asserted
They → sponsor → Vuitton
At this year’s Esports World Cup, prize pools ranged from $US500,000 to $US3 million.
asserted
pools → range → million
Meanwhile, the prize pool at the Valorant Champions, set for Shanghai this month, is $US2.25 million.
asserted
pool → set → Shanghai
So, how is it that playing video games – long considered a mere pastime – has transformed into such a popular and lucrative sport?
asserted
transformed → play → sport
Given the current size of the video game industry, a competitive branch was inevitable.
asserted
branch → give → industry
Kwan says that 98 per cent of Australian households contain some kind of gaming device.
asserted
cent → say → device
Further, digital games development in Australia over the past decade increased by an average annual growth rate of 13.1 per cent.
asserted
development → increase → cent
“Interest in gaming begins in the schoolyard …
asserted
Interest → begin → schoolyard
But as generation after generation keep absorbing and getting involved in that culture, it’ll keep developing and will stand alongside those world sports,” Kwan says.
asserted
Kwan → keep → sports
Esports is largely community-driven, with many games connecting players who share similar interests in leagues of various levels.
asserted
who → drive → levels
“It’s very inclusive, and that inclusivity isn’t just about physical ability,” Kwan says.
asserted
Kwan → ’ → ability
“It’s also economic participation – there’s less travel involved.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
The power of the internet being so accessible for everyone, it puts people on a level global playing field.
asserted
it → put → field
“It’s also super accessible when you think of geography, like people in Melbourne and Sydney can be playing together every night.
asserted
people → ’ → Melbourne
So, you’re really interconnecting communities who otherwise, if in other sports, might not have been able to.”
uncertain
who → interconnect → sports
Australian Counter-Strike 2 player Vivienne Quach, known online as BiBiAhn, met most of her friends through Esports, including her partner, who she now lives with in Chicago.
asserted
she → know → Chicago
…and 43 more, not listed.
The Aporia
