The Biggest and Most Exciting eSports Countries in the World

The world of competitive gaming is growing every year, and there are lots of exciting locations where this is being embraced. As well as already established eSports hubs, there are also lots of exciting areas with lots of potential to compete.

The multi-billion dollar gaming industry has the potential to create millionaires out of its top competitors, and there is a great variety of games for people to compete against one another in.

Thailand

Thailand is home to a strong online gaming and gambling community. This competitive nature has seen the country rocket up the eSports charts, and seen betting sites grow in popularity as consumers attempt to win money while playing games.

iGaming expert Narathip explains that the top gambling sites offer a variety of game types for their consumers, including eSports, sports, casino games, slots, lottery, and 3D Games. (Source: https://www.business2community.com/th-th/gambling/best-online-gambling-sites)

This gives all Thai consumers the opportunity to make money from games, but the country's top players have helped Thailand into 16th place in terms of overall earnings from eSports competitions.

Thailand's 2,188 professional eSports players have earned just under $30 million to date, with the most popular title being Arena of Valor which has a 24.66% share of the earnings.

Only Denmark, Ukraine, and Finland who are above Thailand have fewer pro-players, meaning that the new generation of Thai gamers could propel the country even further up the rankings.

Japan

Despite being recognized as one the the originators of gaming, Japan currently languishes in 12th place in overall eSports earnings, having made $37,730,642.94 from 3,638 players.

The top earning game for Japanese eSports players is PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds which has a 15.37% share of the earnings.

UK

The UK finds itself one place above the Japanese in 11th place, with its 5,245 players earning $45,480,561.15. Fortnite is the game of choice for British players, who have made $8,281,681.86 from it so far.

The British eSports Federation is the national body for competitive gaming and was created in 2016. This has resulted in some of the top eSports tournaments coming to the UK and there are teams set up around the UK as its infrastructure continues to improve.

While the majority of the money has been made by fortnight players, the country's love of soccer has seen players like Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt, Tom ‘Stokes’ Stokes, and Spencer ‘Gorilla’ Ealing make waves in FIFA competitions.

United States

The U.S. boasts the largest amount of eSports players, with 27,624 competitors earning $279,280,291.20. This puts the country in second place behind China, with Fortnite accounting for 17.51% of the country's winnings.

25 American eSports players have now earned over $1 million, with Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf making the most with earnings of $3,720,091.72. Saahil "UNiVeRsE" Arora and Peter "ppd" Dager are the only other American gamers to exceed earnings of over $3 million.

Giersdorf's achievements are all the more remarkable when you consider is just 21 with over $3 million of his earnings coming in Fortnite tournaments in 2019 when he was just 16.

China

China's record earnings of $303,559,238.82 have been earned by 8,923 players with Dota 2 being the most popular game, accounting for $85,378,116.07 (28.13%) of their total.

China's success is down to an impressive infrastructure that came despite early opposition from the Chinese government. Now, the country is home to dedicated arenas and their best performer has earnings of over $4 million.

Chunyu ‘Ame’ Wang's $4,205,904.27 was earned in 78 Dota 2 tournaments and he has been playing since 2015.

South Korea

South Korea has the third highest earnings and is the only country outside of the U.S. and China to exceed $100 million. Their 5,828 players have made $148,193,554.66, with just over a quarter of that coming from League of Legends.

South Korea is widely regarded as the forerunner of eSports, having invested in the industry for more than a decade. Its top players are regarded as top celebrities in the country, much like pop and movie stars.

Conclusion

The eSports industry has undoubtedly benefitted from technological developments that have allowed consumers to enjoy improved gaming experiences. The development of consoles and mobile gaming has helped boost the industry, and streaming platforms have also helped with its popularity.

The ability to make money from something people love to do was previously reserved to the top athletes, musicians, and movie stars. Now, dedicated gamers can earn money from streaming their own performances, through sponsorship deals, and by taking part in competitions.

Some countries are better placed to help the development of new gamers, but there is a lot of potential for players to break through in developing countries.