Is Simplicity the Way to go Within the Esports Industry?

Esports is in a state of confusion right now. The way to get out of that state of confusion is to make everything simpler for the general public to understand, at least that's what one expert in the industry believes. John George, a published author of the book "Understanding Esports: An Introduction to the Global Phenomenon," has done media work for Echo Fox, along with work in collegiate esports for Butler University.

George mentions that some networks are getting in on esports, such as ESPN, ABC, and even the Washington Post has a reporter that is very knowledgeable about esports. That is big for the industry, but more knowledgable journalists are needed. Every time there's a news story about esports, the reporter has to spend a lot of the allotted time explaining what esports are instead of being able to go in depth on the story.

The esports industry itself has also realized that the key is simplicity. Intel is hosting an olympics run-up esports event before the Tokyo 2020 games. Many experts in the industry were surprised to hear that the games selected for this tournament are Rocket League and Street Fighter V, but after looking at the facts, it seems more expected. The most popular esports are League of Legends, CS:GO, and Overwatch, but those games are very complex. Intel decided to go with two popular games that are very simple for the general public to understand.

Although people are still confused about esports, George does believe that people are starting to respect the industry; however they still will not sit down and watch an event and that's what the industry needs.

There have been some suggestions for an "EsportsCenter" which has received some backlash because the center would be geared mainly towards the casual fan rather than the hard core fans. George supports the idea of an EsportsCenter, noting that "being an esports fan is like a job." If you missed an event, you have to try and do research yourself to find out the results or cool plays from it since there's not an outlet to give fans updates, which pushes many away from esports since not everyone has time to watch an event all weekend.

In order to bridge the gap between the general public and the hard core fans, something more is needed. Whether that's more media coverage, time, or a different format, keeping it simple for everyone to understand is key.