Fan engagement has always been the lifeblood of sports. Regardless of what sports, fan engagement shapes the whole atmosphere surrounding the game, inspiring future athletes and contributing to the sport’s financial landscape. Although still relatively new compared to traditional sports, esports have been changing a lot of things in general sports.
Current sports fans are used to digital life and are more educated in navigating the digital world. If you’re a bettor, you’d probably do extensive research on which bookmaker is best for you. For example, you’ll try to understand if BetOnline is right for you. You might also have searched for more digital ways to engage with your favourite esports team and events.
So, how far have esports influenced sports fans’ engagement? Let’s dive deeper into new features that have slowly become a big part of sports.
Esports Tourism
Although the world has turned digital and sports fans can always stream their favourite sports match, many still prefer to watch in person. There’s something about the atmosphere of a live sports match that you can’t feel through the screen. However, an esports live match is on another level.
Many esports supporters still prefer to watch tournaments in person. They’re willing to spend the costs needed to travel to the venue and engage with the event directly. That’s why there’s an esports tourism happening worldwide. Destinations started innovating, focusing on providing cutting-edge innovations and esports-centric travel packages.
One of the examples is Esports Stadium Arlington. It has invested in high-quality audiovisual equipment to improve fans’ viewing experience. There’s also Singapore’s Suntec Mall, which has hosted many high-profile events, such as the very first Olympic Esports week.
Some countries went further than just providing more equipment to their esports venues. Saudi Arabia and South Korea have come up with esports-themed tour programs as they’re among the top esports destinations in the world. These projects motivate fans to support esports in person and not just online.
Online Connection and Social Media Engagement
Esports fans are mostly younger generations who are used to digital life and regularly find updates online. Esports communities are highly active online, especially when there are no events to attend in person.
Fans often crowd Twitter, Reddit, Twitch, Instagram and Discord. These are the places where interactions happen. Not only can users interact with one another, but players and game developers often participate in hyping up esports events. They’ll respond to fan comments and boost fanmade content, such as cosplay and fan art.
Organisers and developers started to be more innovative in driving fan engagement. They’ll host virtual events, such as charity gaming streams and tournament watch parties.
This is beneficial for many parties, including venues. Platforms become the best place to promote events. They can hype up fans when the D-day is nearing and give the community acknowledgement. In addition, fans often share content, helping events or developers’ exposure without effort.
Gamification
Gamification is when a non-game platform uses gaming mechanisms in its features and layout to drive more engagement. Esports fans are very used to gaming mechanisms, so using gamification to drive engagement can be highly effective.
Esports platforms will use mechanisms like:
- Points, Badges and Leaderboards: When users do certain actions, they’ll get something in return. They’ll get badges as a marker of status, and their username will be on the leaderboard when entering a top ranking. The aim is to retain users’ attention and build a loyal user base.
- Quests, Levels and Achievement Systems: Encourage fans to keep engaging by giving them simple tasks like watching a live stream or complex tasks like managing a fantasy team. This mechanism encourages participation and cultivates excitement among users.
- Rewards and Incentives: Give users rewards, like in-game items or physical merchandise. Rewards give users a reason to participate and can build lasting loyalty in the long term.
Interactive Streaming
Live streaming might not deliver the same experience as watching an event directly in the venue. However, many esports fans, especially those who can’t physically travel to the venue, still stream for the experience. Streaming platforms like Twitch ensure anyone can participate in the excitement. As they’re highly accessible, live streaming also invites new fans to join the community.
Esports organisations know that live streaming is a great way to reach a wider audience and increase fan engagement. That was the reason why the idea of making live streaming more interactive came from.
Anders Drachen, a gaming technology innovator, turned Twitch into an interactive streaming platform by making a Twitch extension for Dota 2 in 2024. This extension allowed fans to see live statistics, highlight reels, and merge match analyses while watching the tournament.
