Nawaal Nackerdien/Fourth Estate
Sitdown with Jordan Whitaker about the industry of Esports
BY CHRISTIAN SEGOVIA, SPORTS EDITOR
Editor’s Note: This article is part one of a two-part series.
Video games can be seen as a waste of time by those in the general population, but not Jordan Whitaker. “Competitive gaming is a lot more than just playing video games. It’s about community, it’s about interacting with people who have similar passions. It’s about expressing your skills and making it work toward your passions,” said Whitaker, Mason adjunct professor for Sports Recreation and Tourism Management.
Esports is centered around online gaming competitive play. Amateur and professional “gamers” can play individually or compete as teams. This is often through organized leagues, with prizes on the line. Mason Esports, under University Life, draws esports players together to compete at the collegiate level. Whitaker secures the program sponsors, partners and potential funding.
Esports leagues are created by video game companies such as Riot Games, Activision, Valve and many others. To draw attention to online games within their roster, these companies host tournaments for games. Many of these include first-person-shooters (FPS) such as Call of Duty, Valorant or Counter-Strike. These companies, also known as developers, then form teams consisting of both professionals and amateurs.
Gaming organizations (gaming orgs) research top players within a certain game, recruit them, evaluate players for their teams, select their players, then sign contracts . Teams compete to win money and trophies.
In order to enter an appropriate Esports league, a recruited team must purchase franchise slots. These slots allow the team access into the league and build an organization on top of it. However, Esports owners need to carefully choose the game they wish to get involved in. Factors to be considered include revenue share from content creation, sponsorship money, viewership and production.
“It gives a way for investors to come in, make sponsorships with things like Alienware or State Farm, you name it, Honda, for example,” Whitaker said. “Create a brand and … an identity. And I think that’s where Esports is kind of growing still.”
Gaming orgs owners also have to decide which city to base their team, locations such as New York, Texas or California. Franchise slots can be easier to manage in places like Korea, where cities are closer together. Teams don’t have to travel far to face each other in a tournament. This setup ensures that players can compete on local area networks, which helps maintain the highest level of competitive integrity.
In the United States, however, the logistics can be more challenging. For example, in the Overwatch League, the Washington Justice would travel to Boston to face the Boston Uprising. Teams must factor in flight cost and travel time, if they want the best gaming experience. While a team may play in their base cities, it won’t yield the best competitive experience.
“The infrastructure can be built for smaller areas,” said Whitaker. “Trying to do it in America is a little bit difficult because, you know, it’s a six-hour flight, seven-hour flight across the country”
Once teams are accepted into the franchise slots for games like Valorant, they can form a team of five players to compete on a stage representing their organization. These teams then use their players to build the organization through social media like Instagram, X, and TikTok. They create YouTube videos and live-stream their games on Twitch.
“One of the most important things every organization and every team has to be doing…is creating content,… developing a brand, developing who you are,” Whitaker said. “It’s all about creating a brand and showcasing yourself, because in a lot of ways, when you’re creating content, it’s like having a living resume go into the hands of the viewers.”
In recent years, developers such as Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends and Valorant, have laid off employees. On Jan. 22, 2024, a total of 530 employees were laid off, 11% of the workforce.
Gaming orgs such as 100 Thieves also cut 20% of their company’s employees. This particularly particularly affected workers in smaller companies, for instance, Juvee and its gaming studio. This decision was made in order for 100 Thieves to focus more on gaming content and brand. The layoffs sparked questions on whether Esports is sustainable in the far future.
This summer, the Esports World Cup will feature a variety of games such as Street Fighter 6, Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Chess and many more—with its own tournament structure. The goal of the Esports World Cup is to promote sustainable methods for gaming orgs to generate revenue by driving fans to watch the events.
“There’s global events now around Esports, like the Esports World Cup, that’s huge, and Olympics touching Esports,” Whitaker. “It’s going to lead to an increase in interest now, again, from the rest of the world, and then people are going to re-approach Esports in a way that makes it more sustainable.”
Esports is continuing to expand and spread its opportunities around the world to stay sustainable.