If esports fans are fairly evenly distributed by racial lines (at least in the United States, and assuming that the “other” category includes Asian-Americans), why are we still seeing such a disparity in who goes pro? (African-Americans are 13 percent of the U.S. African-Americans are 19 percent of those who identify as fans and 22 percent of those who identify as avid fans. (Pew Research Data, which is often cited, tends to blend video games into console, computer and mobile device and often looks at attitudes more than specific play practices.)Īn ESPN Fan survey of the esports landscape conducted in 2017 does provide a breakdown of both casual fans and avid fans by racial background. Nielsen is one of the few outlets publishing demographic data on esports fans, and a demographic breakdown was not made available in its 2017 market report. Especially if those dynamics have deeper racial implications.įrom what we know about race and esports, there should be a lot more diversity reflected in the pro ranks. As we create this new world, what exactly are we building? With the levels of investment pouring into esports and the rise of an entirely new field of play, it’s important to ask deeper questions about these dynamics before they codify. But the prevalence of the divide should give any fan of esports pause. This divide isn’t sacrosanct - clearly there are black and Latino players who have found their home in PC-based esports and white and Asian players who prefer joysticks to mouse clicks. As esports matures, one thing has become crystal clear: The PC/console divide has inadvertently become a racial divide, with white and Asian players featured most heavily on the PC side and African-American and Latino players on the other. But for console games such as Call of Duty, Super Smash Bros., Halo and Street Fighter, the communities grew but the same funding and opportunities didn’t materialize. Over time, spectators gathered, communities grew and funding started to flow. PC games, such as Dota, League of Legends, StarCraft and Counter-Strike, grew into their own ecosystems. The answer may lie in the foundations of esports - the actual video games many of us played growing up. There are high-profile players of color, such as Zaqueri “Aphromoo” Black and Dominique “SonicFox” McLean, but why are there so few other black players making it to the top of the various leagues? African-American representation on the major teams and in the highest-profile events is abysmal. Boasting a digital-first, broadly global audience, the esports marketplace raked in $696 million in 2017, with projected revenues to exceed $1 billion by 2020.īut within the esports juggernaut, there is a pronounced and growing racial gap in the player pools. Now esports is quickly rising to become the next iteration of big-stakes competitive play. The professionalization of sports changed the math for millions of young African-Americans, both male and female, providing careers, scholarships and a pathway to fame and further fortune.
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