esports by the Numbers: It’s Big and Growing in Cincinnati

If you are interested in a complimentary session titled, “esports for Executives hosted by Jackie Reau,” contact Jackie at jreau@gamedaypr.com.

By: Jackie Reau

If there is a silver lining to the pandemic, it’s the growth of the esports industry and the amount of spending in the video game business. According to data collected by the NPD Group, video game spending rose 22 percent from 2019, totaling above $50 billion at the close of 2020, a record for U.S. video game sales. 

While these numbers are big, it’s the major shift in how the youth culture is embracing video gaming as their new communications channel—their new social media to engage with fellow gamers, along with friends and family.  

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and our new President Joe Biden used esports to engage young voters with live streaming on Twitch. The rapper Travis Scott had more than 12 million viewers for a virtual concert on Fortnite last year, which is nearly double the audience of the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.

Brands and marketers need to add esports to their tool kit and create a new communications channel to reach gamers in an authentic and engaging way, not just a marketing push. It’s the next generation marketing tool. Companies who are succeeding in esports are bringing something to the game: Fun and entertaining content, perks and freebies along with access to entertainment, among a few ideas.

Cincinnati and esports by the Numbers:

Several Cincinnati organizations are engaging in esports initiatives to engage the community and to create new opportunities for gamers.  

Colleges and universities

Active college and university programs with Miami University leading the way followed by Mt. Saint Joseph University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Cincinnati and Xavier University are offering scholarships, varsity and club competition opportunities and tournament play. Curriculum highlighting esports business, video game development and health studies are being added to course offerings. It’s a brilliant way to engage students in a curriculum where they have a passion while showing mom and dad how they will make a profession from the industry.

FC Cincinnati leads the way in esports among the pro teams

FC Cincinnati boasts the only local professional esports athlete who competes in eMLS on behalf of the club. In 2019, FC Cincinnati signed Cincinnati-native Gordon “Fiddle” Thornsberry  in FIFA, a soccer video game created by EA Sports, to compete on their behalf as part of the eMLS. @FiddleGT has crushed it over the last year: He won the eMLS League Series One and League Series Two champion during the 2020 eMLS season and won the EA Sports FIFA 20 Summer Cup Series North America, earning him the title of the best FIFA player in North America.

Kings Hammer kicks into high gear with their esports efforts

Kings Hammer Soccer Club has launched an esports program for their 5,000+ families in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky with live streaming competitions on Twitch.com, monthly tournaments featuring Rocket League and FIFA and a steady stream of esports content on their social media platforms.

YWCA engages young voters with Twitch.com

To mark a very special occasion for women in America, YWCA Greater Cincinnati partnered with three female gamers on August 18 (the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote) to live stream and discuss the importance of registering to vote. Links to encourage viewers to register to vote were shared in the chat and the gamers shared their personal stories on the importance of voting.

Convening the esports Community in Cincinnati

Game Day, a media and marketing agency based in Cincinnati, is convening the esports community locally. To date, the firm has more than 50 gamers working as content creators/streamers, competitive players and/or event hosts.

Additionally, they have identified 200+ local players and have engaged them to better understand their interest in endorsements and competitive gaming.

With Nielsen, Game Day commissioned the largest study of the esports community in Cincinnati and their intention to buy products, both endemic and non-endemic to gaming.