Conventional wisdom has a lot to say about video games.
Well,au contraire.
According to data from theEntertainment Software Association, the video game industry and its players are flourishing.
Photo courtesy Blizzard Entertainment
A 2020 survey by ESA found that 64% of all Americans play video games every day.
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(The Super Bowl that year had an audience of 103 million.)
Across the industry, demand is spiking for announcers, scouts, coaches, marketers and broadcasters.
Video game companies supply a good chunk of those jobs.
Greeley drew many comparisons to the sports entertainment industry, calling it a blueprint for how esports jobs work.
But not all video game companies have the resources to run such wide-ranging operations.
There are 100-plus esports organizations that, on a day-to-day basis, are looking for help, Greeley said.
I think theres a really healthy mix of both in-house and outsourced job opportunities.
Some companies are building hubs in Atlanta, Austin, Texas, and Dallas.
But the vast majority of esports jobs are in California.
Several pay quick money.
But other options, especially competitive tournaments, provide pathways to the big bucks.
The Penny Hoarder interviewed Christian Lomenzo, who won $45,000 in esports competitions held by Madden NFL.
As a resultesports earnings are skyrocketing.
Outside of the sporadic earnings of large-scale esports events, professional gamers can make healthy salaries.
Minimum for our pro level is $75 grand.
I mean, thats not a bad salary when youre 18.
The vast majority of gamers dont play competitively, however.
Even if they did, they wouldnt qualify for selective tournaments or cushy pro-gamer jobs at Riot.
For the majority of video game jobs, a healthy dose of passion and knowledge will suffice.
The latest BLS figures are from 2019.
Video game sales and industry revenue growth in 2020 suggest the pandemic is surging the trend.
Entire career fields are budding in efforts to monetize those changing habits.
How does a video game monetize the hours you spend playing it?
A rough comparison is how social media websites like Facebook make money.
The video game industry is beginning to toy with similar metrics.
That all has to start with the data, Greeley said.
Think: $1 for a new shiny sword that other players dont have.
Or $5 for new quests or story lines that unpaid players dont get access to.
Over time, a small percentage of users spend thousands of dollars on microtransactions.
Those players are referred to as whales.
Lots of resources go into keeping whales engaged in the game and spending money.
They both cost money, and they both increase your player population.
But what Castronova expects to see will go far beyond that.
In the future, he argues, its not just the pros getting all the money.
Casual gamers will cash in, too.
Those [casual gamers] are the people who will have viable low-wage jobs from video games.
Adam Hardy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Read his latest articles here, or say hi on Twitter@hardyjournalism.
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