Esports popularity has grown rapidly worldwide and its gained both collegiate and professional recognition. Here are the countries where esports are most popular.
Esports popularity has grown rapidly worldwide and its gained both collegiate and professional recognition. Here are the countries where esports are most popular.
The idea of competitive gaming has been around since the inception of gaming itself. However, it wasn't until the 2000’s that esports truly exploded on the scene. Starting with the expansion of independent leagues, colleges, high schools, and even elementary schools began to notice and interest began to grow rapidly.
There’s many ways to gauge the prevalence of competitive gaming in different countries. From the number of active players to the financial boom provided by the esports industry. However, in the article below, we will take a look at the top seven countries where esports are the most popular.
South Korea will undoubtedly top any list for competitive gaming. Interest in the competitive gaming world actually began in the 1990’s in South Korea. Since then, with consistently top notch players, South Korea has become synonymous with the world of esports itself.
The country has hosted (and won) some of the biggest esports competitions in the world such as Riot Game’s League Of Legends world championship. The top players in South Korea are rockstars in their own right, with the country’s government being one of the first to recognize competitive gaming as a career.
South Korea dominates competitively in many games including League of Legends, Starcraft II, Overwatch, and more.
The United States is another country where esports popularity massively exploded. Video games have grown to be such a phenomenon that esports players have become full blown celebrities, massive events and concerts are attended in video games and conventional celebrities are even known to join in on the fun.
With gamers such as “Ninja” garnering world-wide fame, esports made its mark in the lives of every American. Where gaming was once just a hobby, competitive teams and players grew to have fan bases equal to sports and movie stars with fans settling down to watch their streams for hours.
US teams have launched to the top in games Counterstrike and Overwatch. Beyond the scope of the newfound celebrity fame of gaming, the US players have produced some of the best teams known globally as well as having the most esports players in the game.
China and gaming have maintained a long term love/hate relationship but with over 250 million active gamers, the popularity of esports is there to stay. Even with a number of controversies causing small bumps in the road causing tension between the government and the Chinese gaming community, the country still has recognized gaming as an official sport, career, and produced some of the world’s best players.
In fact, esports is expanding so rapidly in China that some even refer to the country as the most “esportsy nation in the world”. China also sports some of the biggest gaming companies such as Tencent who owns the renowned video game developer “Riot Games” which produced major hits such as League Of Legends and Valorant.
While a notably smaller country than others on this list, Denmark is another nation with a love for gaming. It can sometimes be overlooked but facts are that it is one of the most dominant esports nations in Europe with huge support from its government and incredibly popular players worldwide.
Denmark (and other Scandinavian nations) were formative in the gaming industry right out of the gate. In fact, recent statistics show that one in four citizens of Denmark game nearly every day, if not daily.
It must be mentioned that world-renowned game CounterStrike: Global Offensive was developed by Danish based company, Astralis, no doubt adding to the popularity and commercial success of gaming in the small Scandinavian country.
Another notable Scandanavian nation with an esports popularity boom is Sweden. While it’s one of the few countries that still doesn’t recognize gaming as a sport, that hasn't stopped the nation from producing some of the world’s best players and avid fans.
Sweden actually originated one of the world’s largest LAN party and computer festivals called DreamHack which now has events worldwide. The festival, which showcases games, cosplay, laser tag, and even music events, perfectly exemplifies the passion of Swede gamers. With the growth and passion for gaming, it’s quite a surprise that Sweden’s Sports Confederation voted against accepting competitive gaming as a sport but that is something that many hope will change soon.
While currently taken out of play, Russia had previously shown to be a powerhouse of passion in the esports industry. The Russian Federation sported some of the top Dota 2 and Counter Strike: Global Offensive players and popular teams that had huge followings worldwide.
Russia was on track to becoming an esports gaming powerhouse with thousands of fans. Due to recent actions and events, involvement with eRussian involvement with esports has been put on an indefinite hold but their previous spiking popularity and involvement in worldwide competitions still qualify them for the shortlist of the countries who love esports.
Gaming in the Philippines has grown rapidly, but especially in one particular area, mobile gaming. While other classic games such as Dota 2 are popular, Filipino players have absolutely dominated the mobile gaming sphere in games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and League of Legends: Wild Rift and popularity of these games has skyrocketed.
Majority of the gaming major tournaments held in the Philippines are centered around mobile gaming. Previously India and the Philippines were head to head with a passion for mobile gaming but a spate of bans in India’s gaming community pushed the Philippines in the top spot for mobile gaming.
Mobile gaming is so prevalent in the island nation that the Philippine government formally recognized esports as a sport back in 2017.
The worldwide esports community continues to grow and change with every new and passing game, developer, and individual player.
With more options available every year, it's easy to believe that soon there will be a game for everyone. From the passive games like Candy Crush to the intensive games battled out in front of thousands in arenas such as League of Legends, the popularity of esports continues to flourish across the globe with new countries emerging with teams every year.