{"id":9491,"date":"2020-12-09T13:36:55","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T19:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/?p=9491"},"modified":"2025-10-29T11:11:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T21:11:20","slug":"rightsizing-esports-solutions-from-schools-to-stadia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pro.harman.com\/insights\/amplification-pa-systems\/rightsizing-esports-solutions-from-schools-to-stadia\/","title":{"rendered":"Rightsizing Esports: Solutions from Schools to Stadia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Esports<\/a>, a form of entertainment, featuring organized multiplayer video game competitions, is a quickly growing industry that\u2019s only getting more popular each year. In 2020 alone, more than 443 million viewers tuned in to watch their favorite gamers go for the glory. Although Asia currently boasts the largest esports market\u2014the 2018 League of Legends Professional League (LPL) Finals in Shanghai attracted more viewers than that year\u2019s Super Bowl and popularity is growing in Europe and North America.<\/p>\n

While international finals are often mega-productions held in arenas of more than 60,000 attendees, esports events can range in size from high school-level matches and university competitions to the theatrical spectacles described above. Esports events come with their own set of unique requirements and challenges to consider when designing an appropriate AV system in order to support the action and deliver a dynamic fan experience. In this blog, we will examine the basic technical structure of esports applications and how to use that framework to build AV systems for small-scale local events, regional finals, university-level galas, and international championships.<\/p>\n

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Photo used with permission by Techsound (Shanghai).<\/p><\/div>\n

Why Do We Watch Esports?
\n<\/strong>To understand why people watch esports, we must first ask why people watch football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer and other \u201ctraditional\u201d sports. We watch these games because it\u2019s inspiring to witness the best athletes in the world perform at the highest level. A lot of people play these same sports with their friends or on local teams, and so we also hope to learn something that might help us improve.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much the same in esports; fans are usually gamers themselves, and they want to see their favorite games played at the highest competitive level because it\u2019s exciting and inspiring. And, just like other sports fans, gamers also hope to learn something that might take their own performance to a higher level. There\u2019s an entire industry built up around video games and tons of revenue associated with esports, so there are plenty of financial opportunities for players to become professionals if they practice enough.<\/p>\n

Computers, Consoles and Mobile Devices
\n<\/strong>In the early days of competitive gaming, personal computers were the most common device used by esports gamers. Today, however, athletes perform on consoles and mobile devices in addition to PCs. Computers are the easiest platform to interface with an AV system, because they have a variety of outputs and offer granular control over system settings. Consoles feature standard outputs like HDMI, making them simpler to set up but yielding less control over the settings. Gaming on mobile devices is relatively new and we have less experience and limited technology for interfacing, but 60% of all new gamers are playing exclusively on mobile devices. AV professionals need to be prepared to deal with any or all of the above types of devices.<\/p>\n

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Sports simulators include games that simulate real-life sports like soccer, football, basketball, etc.<\/p><\/div>\n

Types of Esports
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s important to consider what type of game is being played at each event, as each genre has its own set of technical requirements. There are four main types of esports games, which pose increasing degrees of complexity when it comes to preparing the AV system:<\/p>\n