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The popularity of eSports has seen a sharp increase over the years. With 17-year-old Jay ‘sinatraa’ Won taking home a six-figure salary for his work in the Overwatch league, it seems that pro eSports gamer is now a valid career ambition for any gaming lover. New research from eSports Bets has revealed the leagues with the most pro players, so you can either get practising to join their ranks now or start following your new favourite players.
Playing with the big boys
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may only be the third most lucrative game for players in the industry, but it does attract the most pro gamers. The league has a whopping 8,637 professional players, making it the biggest eSports league in the world – by volume of competitors anyway!
Surprisingly to absolutely no-one, League of Legends had the second most professional players, with over 5,000 League of Legends pros globally. As arguably the most beloved league of all time, it's no surprise that LoL attracts some big names into its fold - or continues to inspire a new generation of gamers.
The original Counter-Strike also came in in third place, with a further 2,630 players who made the big time and turned to full-time gaming. With other Counter-Strike leagues appearing everywhere on the top 20 report, Counter-Strike would seem like a great option for anyone looking to go pro. It's the third most lucrative eSport globally, meaning that it's a great bet for anyone looking to go pro.
While Overwatch leagues are changing the way eSports works, it's currently only in 5th position, with 2,071 pros according to the report. However, it looks set to bring more players onside over the next few years - with the youngest average age of professional players and whispered plans in the works to launch some new young faces of eSports.
Kid’s stuff
While there are definitely eSports games out there that can support their sportsmen, there are also a few that don’t yet have the popularity or funding to do so. Turbo Racing League has the fewest pro players in the world, with only 16 supporting themselves from the game.
The reasons for this are myriad - lack of monetisation leads to a lack of investment in the game itself from third parties and a lack of the promotion that's integral to getting a devoted fanbase practising to become the next big thing.
Other games simply all out of fashion, or are generally viewed as 'kid's stuff' by investors - Mario vs Capcom 3, for example, is one of the five most popular games in the world, but the league is under-invested as it's not seen as a serious competitive sport.
One thing's for sure - to continue competing with the big boys of traditional sports, eSports leagues will have to make sure they up their credibility and continue to draw fans in millions - something that Counter-Strike, LoL and Overwatch are particularly well placed to do.
