From 1972 to present day: How eSports became a $2 billion industry

A new infographic released from RightCasino.com maps the growth of eSports from the 1970s to a global $2 billion industry.

The infographic charts the phenomenon’s rise from the Space Invaders contests of the 1970s, through the console games boom of the 1980s and the early gaming leagues of the the 1990s.

“The history of eSports simply couldn’t be more compelling,” explained RightCasino.com editor Richard Luck. “To begin with, what was interesting were the personalities the phenomenon threw up; guys like Billy Mitchell, a hot sauce magnate with rock star hair who racked up six console game world record.

“Then, once South-East Asia woke up to eSports, it was almost overnight that something whose appeal seemed limited to nerds and shut-ins was recognised as having the potential to capture the imagination of the entire world.”

As the specially-commissioned infographic charts eSports’ illustrious past, Luck said so it also points the way towards a very exciting future: “Besides France and South Korea pushing for Olympic recognition. You have financial analysts suggesting that eSports revenues will be around $2 billion per annum by the end of the decade. It’s safe to say that eSports is yet further proof that the geek shall inherit the earth.”

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