When we talk about sports, we might think about all kinds of athletic programs. But now, there's the emergence of sports competitively played using gadgets with Internet connection -- and that's being termed now as e-sports. But what makes e-sports different from regular video or online games? CCTV's Jin Yingqiao is here with us for more.
Q: Yingqiao, tell us just how hot this industry is?
A: Well, E-sports is really growing at an explosive rate now as it's a lucrative market worth tens of billions of RMB. Think about playing basketball, football, or even car racing -- but done with handheld devices or computers! This industry roots back as early as 1998, but the user base, as well as hardware and equipment that time couldn't contribute a boom. But since 2013, with the further expansion of the Internet and recovering global economy, e-sports started to explode.
Pop star Jay Chou is LIVE, broadcasting an e-sports game.
Over 17 million people simultaneously watch it online! That's about the same number of viewers during the 2014 NBA Finals.
"I am a very devoted player myself. Some people say playing with music is something, but I think it's playing e-sport that's really something," Chou said.
China's e-sports team is one of the world's top performers. And its biggest competitor -- South Korea.
"I've played DOTA for many years. This game tests the brain and reaction, and most importantly, team work. This is the reason why I fell in love with e-sport. This is the spirit of e-sports."
E-sports are considered a contact sport... except that they're virtual. There are 1.4 billion global e-sports viewers (players), a number surpassing any sports.
And this has bred also a new occupation, for example, a e-sports host, just like a sports commentator, say in basketball or football.
Han Yiying is one. He was a former e-sports player.
"Because you have been a player before, you have an advantage, that is, when you are commentating, you know what viewers like to know," Han said.
Gaining ground now on the momentum. E-sports can now be played on smartphone where there's tremendously more market potential. This new sector is exploding.
"Cellphone games, their life span is around a few months to half a year. But when it turns to be e-sport, its life span is prolonged with competition added in.," General administration of Sports Gao Yifan said.
Champions in big comeptions can win cash awards like 5 million dollars, but to go pro, it takes much more than just a simple game on your cellphone.
