In recent days, a clip has been resonating throughout social circles showing Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok arriving at an airport and promptly being swamped by hundreds of fans. He was landing in China to take part in the Asian Games, flexing his indomitable League of Legends talent on what is becoming one of the most prolific stages in esports. As he stepped onto the concourse, hundreds of cameras were pushed into his face and his security had to carve him a path through the crowds.
It’s not the first time Faker has had to deal with such an immense turnout, but it is probably the most recently documented example of that happening. In the last few years, the esports industry has been surging upward in popularity, and some of the scene’s top competitors are, without any doubt, becoming literal superstars, turning heads everywhere they go. It has only taken a few years for ‘people playing games for money’ to go from average geeks to monumental rockstars of their industry.
Nobody Does It Like Faker
Image Credit: The Korea Herald
Faker is exceptional, let’s not forget that. He’s widely considered to be the greatest League of Legends player to ever exist, and many have dubbed him the ‘Michael Jordan of esports’. He’s one of the most popular esports competitors by numbers first and foremost, boasting a collective following of more than six million users across Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter. He has seen and done it all, and he’s a three-time World Champion to boot.
It therefore comes as no surprise that scenes like this take place when people know he’s coming:
This isn’t unique to Faker, either – there are quite a few esports professionals out there who draw in a crowd if the timing is right. That’s a concept that extends outwards, too – if you look at sister verticals – such as streaming and content creation – there’s a similar trend. For instance, if Dr Disrespect attends a ball game, the cameras turn to show him in costume and the entire stadium cheers for him and his instantly recognisable presence.
If we look at CSGO, we could point to Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, and if we highlight Call of Duty, we could highlight Seth ‘Scump’ Abner. How about Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein for the Dota 2 scene, or Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel, widely considered to be the first ‘celebrity’ esports competitor?
Related: How to Become a Pro Esports Player
Are Esports Athletes Becoming Bigger Than Sports Athletes?
Scump (retired) boasts a following of almost 7 million users online (Image Credit: OpTic Texas)
There’s a way to go before esports athletes, as they’re known, can become quite as big as sports personalities, but it’s not impossible. In some ways, these young competitors are becoming household names, and they’re picking up sponsorships and endorsement deals just as readily as an NBA star or an English Premier League player would. It’s an ever-developing world, and the power of the esports pro is growing all the time.
It’s no big secret that the esports industry is struggling with profitability and economic sustainability at present, but viewership remains strong. There are organisations seeking to alter the paradigm, making esports more accessible and visible across the world, and projections for the future remain positive.
Related: How Does a Team Become World Champions?
With the face of the industry standing on the shoulders of impressive personalities like Faker, it’s becoming more ‘legitimised’ with each passing day. Once upon a time, parents laughed in the face of the children who wanted to take their gaming skills to the next level – they’re now nurturing those talents. There are university courses geared towards becoming an esports expert and everything from grassroots events to multi-million-dollar tournaments is becoming much more prolific and celebrated.
In this increasingly digital world, is it a matter of time before esports athletes become more popular than traditional sports athletes?
