Am I technically an esports athlete?
It seems like it’s every day that we hear about a new incentive program like Discovery Vitality, but why is that? Well, they’re leveraging a simple trick from the fastest-growing entertainment industry, gamification. These companies have turned otherwise mundane tasks like walking and eating into a little game where in exchange for completing achievements to keep you healthy, you get some shiny new epic loot! But wait, if I’m playing a game by running a marathon, does that mean I’m technically an esports athlete? Not exactly. There is actually a substantial difference between esports, gaming, and gamification that may not seem so obvious to the typical person. Let’s break it all down.
Understanding Gamification
What on earth does gamification even mean? Gamification is the application of elements and practices typically found within gameplay to other areas of activity, usually to promote engagement with a product or service. Discovery Vitality is an excellent example of gamification! The program promotes behaviors that contribute towards healthier lifestyle choices by incentivising you with rewards such as a new Apple Watch (the shiny epic loot). Does this concept sound familiar? It should! This reward cycle is functionally the same as a quest in RPG games such as World of Warcraft. The benefits of gamifying exercise and dieting reach far into the inner workings of a life insurance brand such as Discovery, through promoting your clientele’s overall health you are ensuring lesser risk when taking on those clients, alongside encouraging brand loyalty and higher user adoption rates through the “lifestyle” upgrades that come along with joining the Vitality programme.
Using elements typically borrowed by gamification such as a sense of progression or achievements and rewards, the success of gaming has been no accident. The immense rise of worldwide billion-dollar companies such as Valve and Alienware are testament to that. With gaming being one of the highest-grossing and fastest-growing entertainment industries in the world, the US market alone reached an eye-watering figure of $56.6B spent on video games in 2022, contextualized by the global Box Office’s $26B in the same year. Combined this with the fact that gaming titles such as Fortnite reach an average of 70 million unique active users each month, and you’ve got an industry that hasn’t just gained notoriety through happenstance, it’s become a cultural identity for many, much like traditional sports and entertainment have! It’s not uncommon these days to see figures such as Neymar Jr, the Brazilian football sensation, streaming his CS:GO gameplay to an audience of thousands in his off time. Gone are the days of gaming being a “nerdy” attribute, gaming has become a staple of pop culture and a hobby enjoyed by billions across the world.
Whilst you may not have been scoring goals alongside Neymar Jr in Qatar, you may still be someone who actively plays and enjoys playing football! This comparison is exactly what esports is to gaming. Esports is the professional competitive industry within the world of gaming, which is what we at Bravado specialize in. Professional competitive gaming. Past players of ours and local esports legends such as Johnny “JT” Theodosiou and Tiaan “Dr.Tc” Coertzen have been competing internationally for years, currently under Complexity. But competing at the highest standard possible for any game is not easy.
Training for CS:GO or any other esports title is not just playing the game for hours on hours. You need to also make time for planning, studying opponents as well as dedicated hours to discussing and speaking about game-plan and strategy. Even then, to make sure you improve at a good rate you need to live a balanced lifestyle.
- Johnny Theodosiou: Previous professional player for Bravado Gaming, currently playing for Complexity.
Throughout the many tiers of competitive gameplay available, this professional attitude and approach toward the game can be found. From a group of friends practicing together in the hopes of winning a school tournament, to a clan of like-minded gamers, all the way to the highest caliber of professional players, it is this competitive nature that defines esports as a separately established industry within the gaming ecosystem.
Conclusion
Whether you are competing in a game and trying to turn it into your profession, if you’re enjoying a Friday night with your friends over some Fortnite, or if you are grinding out your Vitality points at the gym; esports, gaming, and gamification are all intertwined together. Games are without a doubt becoming ever more prevalent in our world, which we at Bravado can’t wait to see how it shapes our world in the near and distant future!
About Bravado Gaming
Bravado Gaming is a Middle East & African premier esports organisation and gaming lifestyle brand serving home to some of the best competitive gamers throughout select countries in divisions such as CS2 and Rocket League. Working with world-leading brands Alienware, Intel, and Dell Technologies, Bravado continues to grow from strength to strength as they work on continuously telling inspiring stories and developing all ecosystems of the gaming industry. You can learn more about Bravado at our about page.
