During COVID, e-sports have been big business – By Fortune Editors (Fortune) / Feb 26 2021
When it comes to watching live events, COVID quarantine derailed things for fans of most professional sports. But not for the avid enthusiasts who follow competitive video games, also known as e-sports.
In pre-COVID times, an e-sports competition could draw millions of online spectators globally, along with face-painted fans that packed stadiums. The events were like a football game crossed with a pop concert. And the prize money for professional e-sports athletes? Millions.
Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe, hosts of Fortune Brainstorm, a podcast about how technology is changing our lives, went deep into the e-sports world by talking to one of its top athletes, Dillon “Attach” Price. (Most pro players have a gamertag or nickname, like Price’s Attach.) When he was 18, Price became the youngest player ever to win a Call of Duty World Championship.
Don’t dismiss the skill level it takes to make it to the world stage of e-sports. “It’s much more sophisticated when you get to this level,” Price says. “There’s a lot of skill involved in team chemistry and communication.”
