“(Esports is) a rapidly growing job market, and there is a place for people with myriad backgrounds and specializations,” Lucy Chow writes at the beginning of her new compilation, titled Changing the Game: Discover How Esports and Gaming are Redefining Business, Careers, Education, and the Future. “There is even a bar association specifically made up of lawyers practicing in the field of esports! So, now you can still become a lawyer and focus on your passion.

Artists, musicians, and designers are all collaborating with game developers. The entrepreneurial opportunities in this ecosystem are vast…The opportunities in this field are global. I alluded earlier to the fact that countries are focused on ways not only to grow their esports infrastructure but also to encourage investment in competitive gaming. Schools are developing curricula that may eventually encourage more entrepreneurs in this space…I am neither a gamer nor am I deeply embedded in the gaming business. I am an investor, a parent, an entrepreneur, and a school board trustee.

I care about the future of work and ensuring our kids are equipped to contribute to a rapidly changing world. My curation and perspective is not from someone inside the industry but as a friend to the new. I have been open to discovering what I can about this industry, and I want to provide the same opportunity to others with this book. I wish to point out that some of the data is no longer accurate, as most chapters were written in 2021. However, this underscores just how rapidly this industry is evolving.”

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Game-Discover-Redefining-Education/dp/1632995247

It’s this kind of thoughtfulness, as well as sense of topic removal that makes Chow able to present each of the compiled essays in a manner feeling fully fleshed out, and presentationally satisfying. There’s a sense of deliberation with the placement of each essay, not just catching you up to the headier parts of the concepts at hand, but simultaneously getting you more and more acquainted with the continuity of the topic as a whole. Take for instance, the first essay focusing on the economic growth Esports will have by a wide margin. “Esports and competitive gaming will grow to a $1.1 billion market in 2021. Global viewership for esports in 2021 is also expected to reach 474 million people.

Esports demand is even beginning to give traditional sports a run for its money. The 2018 League of Legends World Championship had higher viewership than the 2018 Super Bowl. In fact, by the end of 2021, esports viewership in the U.S. is projected to exceed that for all other sports leagues except the NFL.9 And that was all before social distancing,” Lisa Hanson writes in the first essay, titled From Stigma to Global Industry. “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which practically brought the entire traditional sports industry to a standstill, esports has thrived. There’s now more attention on esports than ever before, and as cliché as it sounds, there’s never been a better time to start a career in this space.”

Garth Thomas