«The association between sport and eSport is a stretch. I guess it suits those who have economic interests in the short or medium term, but the video game industry does not look favorably on it ».
These are the words of Marco Saletta, president of Iidea, the association that gathers videogame developers, publishers and stakeholders of competitive gaming in Italy. Far from misunderstanding, what Saletta claims is a simple but not trivial fact: esports are video games, that is, commercial products based on intellectual property. To prevent their development from being regulated in an improper (and counterproductive) way, Saletta’s distinction underlines the need for specific regulations, capable of stimulating a sector in Italy that is arrembante but not completely mature.
The reflection of the president of Iidea echoes that of Thalita Malagò, general director of the association, who a few days ago underlined how too stringent regulations of our system, for example on the awarding of cash prizes, advised international operators to deviate its investments abroad.
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The numbers in Italy
A crucial fact at a time when it would be convenient to enhance the growth of exports, which in Italy is supported by the figures. This is confirmed by the dedicated report, which Iidea makes public today: in Italy 4.6 hours a week are dedicated to export by a fanbase of one million and 620 thousand people, of which at least 475 thousand can be considered “avid fans”, ie daily users. Hourly consumption, increased by 15% compared to the previous revelation, in July 2020, appears to be in line with other entertainment activities such as watching TV and videos online, or listening to music. 62% of the fanbase declares to devote two to seven hours a week to activities related to the world of competitive gaming, perhaps the most significant figure of the report, which also attests the growth of exports in the major European markets, even if with more modest rates than ours: 8% in Germany, 6% in the UK and 2% in France. The explosion in Italy, to which the forced enclosure of the pandemic certainly also contributed, denotes a positive nuance even if compared with the world of “traditional” sports, whose following records an average decline of 7% in the same reference period .
The Olympics and eSports
“Of course, we do not exclude the possibility of developing a profitable relationship with the world of non-digital sports – Saletta clarifies – we are in favor of and ready for any type of collaboration and I know that both CONI and IOC are evaluating synergies. However, after the first contacts with the president of Coni, Giovanni Malagò, and with Michele Barbone, number one of the E-Sports Italia promoting committee, we have not received any feedback. I imagine that the works were carried out without direct contact, at least in Italy, with publishers. I can only regret it ”.
Although Saletta’s words also betray his role in Sony Interactive Entertainment Italia – he is general manager – there is no doubt that the growing disaffection towards traditional sports should suggest greater attention to the qualitative connotations of the Italian export explosion: from the point of demographic view, in fact, its catchment area is mostly male (62%), has an average age of 27 (with a margin ranging from 21 to 40), an education level and an income above the national average . The presence of enthusiasts in the southern regions and islands is 39% and reaches 44% if only avid fans are considered.Moreover, competitive gaming enthusiasts declare that they follow on average almost three different disciplines (+ 15% compared to the previous survey) with a predilection for sports titles, shooters, battle royale like “Fortnite” and moba, ie games like “League of Legends” and “Dota”. To underline the exponential growth of the mobile genre, which recorded a + 58% compared to July 2020.It would be interesting a comparative study on the catchment areas of export and sports to understand how digital sport, increasingly popular, can constitute a driving force to revitalize the passion of the youngest towards traditional disciplines.