Leveling Up Esports: Why Variety Is the Missing Ingredient

The esports industry is growing steadily, but there are already signs that a large section of players and fans could be alienated from it in the future. There’s arguably too much focus on first person shooters and multiplayer online battle arena titles, and the competitive gaming scene could do with broadening its scope.

Video games now span countless genres, with developers having found a way to make content for almost anyone. But this diversity isn’t yet represented in esports. The esports industry should follow in the footsteps of other areas of gaming and level up through integrating content that appeals to a bigger crowd.

Esports Doesn’t Yet Reflect the Full Spectrum of Gaming Culture

The current esports market is full of fast-paced, high skill games that emphasize reflexes and high-stakes action. It’s incredible how adept the greatest esports athletes and teams have become, with the top-level players able to perform feats that regular gamers can only dream of.

The sector is dominated by games that allow players to show off these attributes, with options like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Dota 2 long having dominated the space. These titles are wonderful, and they’ve done a lot for the industry. However, they don’t represent the full spectrum of gaming culture. Some highly influential titles have no esports representation, with Braid, The Sims, and Limbo all being prime examples of popular titles that haven’t broken into the industry, likely because of their comparatively slow-paced nature. But then, golf, for example, is an incredibly popular sport, despite not being as obviously high-energy as most other sports, so why couldn't these video games have a similar shot in the competitive limelight?

Lessons From the Online Casino and Mobile Gaming Markets

The esports industry is projected to expand greatly over the next few years, but there’s an argument that it could exceed expectations if it put more effort into diversification. The mobile gaming and online casino markets have highlighted how offering a broader range of content can fuel massive growth.

In iGaming, for instance, there are titles to suit players of many demographics. Games like Sweet Bonanza appeal to bubblier crowds who enjoy seeing bright colors and fruity combinations. Then, there are online casino titles more serious in tone, like Book of Dead and Razor Ways, which put more focus on adventure and excitement.

In the mobile market, the same thing can be seen. There are relaxing games designed to give players plenty of quick and easy wins, more graphically complex and adventurous titles, as well as releases that harken back more to the pre-digital era, such as the award-winning NYT Games app. As the technology has improved, more advanced titles have been allowed to flourish on the portable device, giving more conventionally intensive players an entry into the world of mobile gaming.

Esports could take some inspiration from these offshoots of gaming and introduce a subgenre of more cozy or creative games that don’t necessarily rely on the same levels of skill as traditional esports. There should also be different divisions for the games, which would allow organizers to lower the entry barrier and open competitive gaming to a greater number of players.

The esports industry is growing in stature, and has the potential to be a behemoth in the future. However, for it to reach its full potential and attract a broader audience, it may need to spread into more diverse offerings.