Esports in 2019: a quarter of Dota 2, CS:GO and LoL fans don’t even play, but pay

To be a football fan, you don't have to play it. According to research from analytics company Newzoo,

The same principle works with video games.

What is known

The agency published a new report in whichlooked at the audience of esports disciplines such as League of Legends, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. We found out that a quarter of the fans of these games like to watch broadcasts of competitions and so on, but do not play themselves. Newzoo even came up with a term for such gamers - Popcorn Gamers.

According to statistics, they only play:

  • League of Legends - 26%
  • CS:GO - 23%
  • Dota 2 - 24%
  • Overwatch - 14%

Still, there are only more players:

  • League of Legends - 32%
  • CS:GO - 49%
  • Dota 2 - 50%
  • Overwatch - 54%

According to analysts, esports helpsretain gamers who have already stopped playing and attract new audiences. In addition, “the eSports fan base is so large that organizers can generate income using business models based on advertising and media.”

Analysts note that fans of the same gameoften they don’t even look towards other disciplines. For example, only 29% of gamers watch only LoL, 25% watch CS:GO, and 17% are exclusively into Overwatch. Moreover, only 6% of viewers watch all three games.


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Newzoo also notes that the main viewershipThe eSports base consists of adult boys and girls. For example, the average age of a League of Legends and Dota 2 viewer is 28 years old. In addition, they are mainly interested in board games and cars, and to a lesser extent in shopping or gardening.

Fanbase split:

  • League of Legends: 73% male and 27% female.
  • Dota 2 - 57% men and 43% women.

It is worth noting that researchers indicate the indicators of the Chinese market, since it is larger than others, therefore statistics in Europe and America may differ.


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