"They can be considered a sporting activity. Players prepare and train with an intensity comparable to that of athletes in traditional sports," stated the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in an official statement in 2019. And it is that just five years ago, if someone had said that video games would come to be considered an Olympic discipline, laughter would have starred in a scene worthy of a humorous monologue.
Today, against all odds, they are closer than ever to being so. The celebration of the Olympic Virtual Series last June, a competition ---still without medals or official recognition--- promoted by the IOC in which a cycling and a motor racing event were held weeks before the start of Tokyo 2020, represented a very important step in the process of international recognition. Even without official consideration, it is further proof that electronic sports are not just passing through, but have arrived with great force with the will to stay.
The Catalan capital has been among the most important cities on the continent for years in terms of video game development and publishing. Large international companies such as Ubisoft, Riot Games, King, or Social Point have offices in the city and, together with the rest, invoiced a total of 544 million euros in Catalonia in 2020 ---51% of the Spanish video game industry---, according to the White Paper of the Catalan Video Game Industry, and it is expected to exceed 771 million in 2023. In terms of employment, Catalonia already has 3,381 jobs directly related to the video game industry and 167 fully operational studios, 91% of which are located in Barcelona.
According to the latest report from the Spanish Video Game Association (AEVI), esports competitions generated 35 million euros in 2019 and this figure is expected to be slightly higher in 2020. Although it still represents less than 5% of the industry's total national turnover, this figure shows unprecedented growth and Barcelona's role has been transcendental from the very beginning. Without going any further, the Catalan capital was the birthplace of what is still the most important video game league in all of Spain: the Professional Video Game League (LVP), owned by Mediapro. The competition closed 2020 with more than 50 million accumulated viewers, which represents a 32% increase compared to the previous year and audience figures of enormous international relevance.
According to the latest report from the Spanish Video Game Association (AEVI), esports competitions generated 35 million euros in 2019 and this figure is expected to be slightly higher in 2020"Esports are the niche of a niche. Their success depends directly on the success of the video game industry," reflects Edgar Medina, country managerfor Iberia and Italy for Riot Games in Barcelona. Although we are still far from it, Medina explains that in the not too distant future it may happen that there are more esports fans than players. "Today it is difficult to find fans of competitions who do not consume or have consumed video games, but there is a high probability that it will end up happening, as happens with traditional sports," he concludes.
More than 300,000 spectators following the LOL Superliga final
The most anticipated competition of the year for the LVP is the final of the League of Legends Superliga summer tournament (popularly known as LOL), which brings together the best players in the national territory. It is probably the most popular video game in the world at a competitive level, as shown by the prizes distributed among the finalists of the world championships, which exceeded 2.25 million dollars in 2020. "It is certainly the most important moment at a competitive level. This year we have decided to celebrate it in Barcelona to highlight the importance of the city in the world of eSports," explains Jordi Soler, CEO of the LVP.
The final, which was held this Thursday, did so for the first time at the facilities of the Barcelona International Gaming Center (Big C), an eSports center that opened its doors last April in Poblenou and has a 400 square meter stadium where up to ten players can compete at once and host up to 150 spectators. Although it had an in-person format, this year's final did not have an audience due to restrictions and the current pandemic situation. "It is a pride to be able to host this final. Although it does not have the same economic impact as in previous editions, the in-person celebration of the final is very important to continue maintaining the competitive spirit," comments with a big smile Jean Sebastian Ventura, CEO and founder of Big C. The last LVP finals were held in Bilbao (2018) and Seville (2019), where more than 3,000 spectators gathered.
"Although it may not have the same economic impact as in previous editions, the in-person celebration of the final is very important to keep maintaining the competitive spirit," comments Jean Sebastian Ventura, CEO and founder of Big C.The Vodafone Giants, one of the best teams in the current scene, took the victory against UCAM Esports Club in a great final that gathered more than 300,000 unique viewers on Twitch and was also broadcast on television through the Ubeat channel.The figure represents a historical recordin comparison to the 27,755 users who watched the final in August 2020, and exceeded 259,000 hours of viewing for the entire Superliga, 168% more than last year.
Another reference venue in Europe is the BCN Fighters Dojo, a training and fighting video game competition center located at number 77 Pujades Street. Founded by Javier Sanabria, former Riot Games employee in Ireland and one of the first LVP commentators, it is one of the most relevant venues in relation to combat genre competitions. Having been open for only a few months, they already accumulate audiences of over 1,500 spectators and have already worked with brands such as Warner or Redbull. "Our audience is older than the average for eSports. We are dedicated to a genre where the youngest are not under 27 or 28 years old, so we also have a slightly different type of advertising agreements and investments than the rest," explains Sanabria with an energetic voice as he finishes preparing the interior of the venue for next weekend's competition.
The City Council sets its sights on eSports
Although the involvement of the Barcelona administration with electronic games is not yet defined, the announcement of the inauguration of the Barcelona Sports Tech Hub last April hinted at a clear intention to bet on this sector in the short term. "eSports are a very important part of the future and the high audiences among younger generations are an unequivocal sign of this," Xavier Dumont tells The New Barcelona Post, head of the entrepreneurship area of Barcelona Activa. Within the hub, a space dedicated to training and holding video game competitions is also planned.
In other cities, such as Malaga, the City Council began to bet on eSports as early as 2018, by signing a historic sponsorship agreement with Vodafone Giants. "Our city's administration is in a process of internal reflection and there is still a long way to go, but we are confident that the creation of the hub will give a strong boost to professional eSports competitions," concludes the director of the LVP.
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