Why should we care about eSports, you say?
In recent years, eSports has grown hugely, also in Norway. Statistics from the Norwegian Media Authority in 2020 show that 86 per cent of Norwegian youth in the age group 9-18 years play computer games. A total of 96 per cent of the boys and 76 per cent of the girls. One of the things that make the children and young people the most drawn to the activity is the large variety of games they can choose from to compete in.
eSports provide skills for the future.
Perhaps you remember the tough fight Victor Sotberg fought against Henrik Elvestad on the reality TV show 71 grader nord (71 degrees North). Sotberg did an absolutely terrific job at navigating. This was mainly because of all the hours he had spent in front of the computer screen. He had learned to navigate and understand maps from gaming and eSports.
– eSports gives us the opportunity to create skillsets for jobs that we do not know about today, but that we will need in just a few years, says the chairperson of the organisation for eSports in the region, Nordic Esports.
eSports events knock out most football fields
Today, professional tournaments are watched by millions of people all around the world. Several countries broadcast eSports on their national televisions, including Norway. In addition, these events have several thousands of in-person participants.Just imagine the ripple effect a large eSports event could create in our region.
