Esports Data Analytics and Research

Esports, or organized competitive gaming, is a rapidly emerging entertainment industry. In 2025, the global esports audience is expected to grow to 640 million people, with the US market alone valued at $1 billion dollars.* The popularity of esports is largely driven by young people, who engage in these skill-based games as both player and spectator. Indeed, anyone with a computer can download one of dozens of popular esports titles, learn the controls, and group up with friends to play. Few of these players gain enough skill to compete for the multimillion-dollar prize pools in tournaments broadcast across the world, but an increasing number of young people aspire to it.

As with any new industry, the explosive growth of esports has raised important questions about regulation, safety, and sustainability. Unlike traditional sports, each esport title is owned by an individual company, and these companies are in constant struggle to maintain profitability in the face of new game releases and a fickle fanbase. As a result, many esports developers have turned to “dark patterns” or game design elements that maximize profit at the expense of the player. For example, in several notable esports titles, players can spend real currency to gamble on random assortments of in-game items, such as the loot boxes of Overwatch, League of Legends, FIFA, and Counterstrike, or the card packs of Hearthstone and Pokémon TCG: Pocket. Given the young audience of esports, many policymakers are concerned that these games may act as a covert introduction to gambling. Globally, these in-game gambling elements have been handled differently: Belgium and the Netherlands have wholly banned games with loot boxes, China has limited these features, while Japan requires full disclosure of odds to players. In the US, we have not passed any regulations on these activities, despite the fact that we host the largest number of AAA, major gaming companies in the world.

At the Center for Data Analytics & Sports Gaming Research, we research the motivations for esports engagement, including social, emotional, and skill-based factors. Who is playing esports, and why? When they do play, who engages in unhealthy patterns of play or overspends on gambling-like activities, and why? What differentiates highly motivated esports athletes from problem gamers? By identifying risk factors for gaming harms, we can design interventions to mitigate harm, increase player awareness, and advocate for legislation that protects players.