The forecasts are for sustainable growth, also with regard to the creation of new jobs. The implementation of 5G will also be key in the expansion of a sector that can contribute to the economic recovery and development of Spain.

When we refer to eSports we refer to what are popularly known as 'video game competitions', structured through players, teams, leagues, publishers, organizers, broadcasters, sponsors and viewers. The implementation of eSports can be both at an amateur or professional level, and can be played in person or online. Other common names for eSports are competitive gaming, organized gaming, electronic gaming, or professional gaming. We are facing a discipline that has been able to successfully unite the world of video games with competitions between rival teams at a professional or amateur level.

eSports competitions are based on the following principles: user safety and well-being, integrity and fair play, respect for rules and opponents, diversity, positive and enriching development of personal skills, such as teamwork, decision making, spirit of sacrifice and leadership skills. In addition, eSports is a show that has a significant level of social penetration and has experienced great economic growth in recent years.

The eSports sector in Spain, a benchmark for Europe

Spain is already a benchmark at European level and has great potential to be so at a global level. Specifically, the eSports scene in our country is one of the most developed in Europe and in the world. Video game consumption per inhabitant in Spain is higher than other comparable countries, and is in the top 9 in terms of income. Specifically, the eSports industry in Spain had a turnover of 27 million euros in 2020.

In terms of audiences, it is estimated that there are 2.9 million eSports enthusiasts in our country, which positions it as one of the most prominent countries in the world ranking in terms of volume of followers: number 15 at the global, despite being number 30 in population. Moreover, Spain has the highest density of enthusiasts of the main European markets (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain).

This ecosystem continues to expand, mature and professionalize. eSports are already considered a profession in Spain. Thanks to this constant professionalization, we find a sector that generates more and more employment with a total of approximately 600 workers and about 250 professional players.

Not in vain, eSports professionals are not only professional players, as this sector is creating new jobs and is also providing development opportunities to many qualified professionals from different areas: physical trainers, psychologists, administration staff, marketing, design, sales, event organizers, broadcasters, communications services, data analysis professionals, clothing designers or lawyers. The perspective is that employment in this sector will have sustained growth, offering job opportunities to more and more professionals.

Although the sector has the foundations of a world benchmark, the limited investment capacity is the biggest brake on its consolidation. Measures should be studied to facilitate investment or access to credit, as well as to attract foreign investment. In addition, it is still vital to invest in telecommunications infrastructure, ensuring the population's access to quality broadband and 5G connection. Likewise, dialogue and collaboration between administrations and industry is essential to locate other areas of intervention, as well as to promote recognition of the positive contribution of the video game and eSports industry to the economic recovery and development of Spain.

Growth as a consequence of self-regulation

eSports are regulated by the general regulations in force in Spain, just like any other legitimate economic activity. In this way, the activity of the sector is carried out in accordance with commercial, labor, intellectual property, competition, data protection, electronic commerce and consumer and user regulations, among others. This regulatory framework has been what has allowed the development of the sector to the point of being a world power.

Trying to force the existing eSports ecosystem into the wrong framework would push the industry several years behind and not be competitive with other countries. The changing landscape of eSports, with games that appear and disappear every few years, and technological advances that revolutionize the sector every so often, require a legal framework without territorial fragmentation and much more flexible than the one that can be provided, for example, by the sports legislation in countries like Spain.

Emergence of new genres

As video games are an ever-evolving creative medium, mixing and experimenting with different mechanics and genres has changed our understanding of genres and even led to the creation of entirely new ones. We have recently seen the appearance of two new genres that have become very popular in competitive video games, such as battle royale games (popularized around 2017) or auto battlers (2019). But this creative drive is not limited to new genres or games. Sometimes established games spawn new competitive formats beyond eSports that win over audiences. For example, Electronic Arts' veteran video game franchise 'The Sims' has adapted the television talent show format to video games with 'The Sims Spark'd', a reality television show featuring a diverse list of competitors.

eSports and its expansion on the Internet

Rapid technological progress is inherent in the eSports industry. The development of new titles, gaming platforms and technologies (such as live video transmission) help explain the successive evolutionary leaps that the sector has experienced. Among all the technological advances that have influenced its development, the availability and adoption of fast and reliable broadband internet is probably the most important of all: online gaming and broadcasting have fueled the growth of eSports, allowing the practice competition, the search for talent, the participation of the community of viewers and audiences or the creation and consumption of content. Latency or an unstable internet connection can have a significant adverse impact on competitive gaming, which can be especially problematic for local grassroots and amateur communities, who rely the most on online tournaments. It is no coincidence that the regions that enjoy the fastest internet connectivity are also the most eSports-friendly markets: East Asia, Northern Europe and North America. It is important that this technological evolution is accessible to all of society.

The arrival of 5G and its impact on eSports

The application of 5G is already a reality and has notably altered our routine, our way of communicating, entertaining and informing ourselves. This new discipline has impacted all sectors and, among them, the video game and the world of eSports.

The increase in speed, together with a latency of between 1 and 2 milliseconds (much less than previous generations), means a connection with performance similar to that found in homes with fiber optics in Spain. It also offers us greater signal stability, the ability to have more devices connected by antenna and better energy efficiency. That is, a lower energy consumption and, therefore, a greater autonomy of the different mobile devices that use 5G. At the same time, 5G allows 8K (high quality) videos, downloads in minutes, eliminating storage disks and, of course, streaming video games in real time.

All of this helps us understand why many video game companies are entering the streaming business model, since the form of video game consumption is growing more and more online and, in particular, in the mobile environment. The same thing happens in the field of eSports, a sector that has been growing exponentially in recent years and that 5G can also change, since the range of mobile video games with which it will be possible to compete is expanded.