Bruce Dias 
Esports is a relatively new concept. While its full title is electronic sports – it has nothing to do with the traditional sports like soccer, football, and baseball we know and love. However, it draws parallels to mainstream sports in that it has a global presence and a global following.
South Korea is often touted as the birthplace of esports due to the country’s extra early start in the field. Believe it or not, they started licensing professional players back at the turn of the millennia, in 2000, and previously opened a variety of “PC bangs” in the mid-1990s. PC bangs are internet cafes dedicated to gaming, with a vibrant social culture complete with grub and 24-hour access. They laid the groundwork for the global scene, and other countries began to develop their own competitive gaming scenes.
What Is Esports?
Esports is essentially another term for competitive video gaming, where participants either compete on their own or in a team. Whether it’s an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), an FPS (first-person shooter), a sports simulation game, or even a party game, all sorts of game genres can have their own competitive scene.
As gaming evolved from a hobby to a passion and then into a pastime that could be monetized in numerous ways, it was only natural for competitive gaming to develop into a full-fledged industry. Although it might not always seem like it, gaming can be an incredibly social activity, with multiplayer modes and online communities working to form the experience. We saw local LAN parties in the early 2000s, and we’re now looking at a next-level social gaming revolution fostered by platforms like Discord and streaming platforms like Twitch and Kick.
What Does the Canadian Esports Landscape Look Like?
As of 2024, Canadian esports players have collectively won around US $45.4 million. Canada has built a strong reputation in the esports landscape over time thanks to their variety of competitive teams and individual players. It also boasts a number of major tournaments and leagues across the country and a national body called Esport Canada.
If the Canadian esports landscape could be described in two words, they would be “official” and “thriving.” That’s because it continuously grows and develops, one-upping itself year after year. Although the industry’s success is widely credited to its proximity to the United States, it stands tall with its own tournaments, teams, and organizations. The country boasts provincial commission agencies, a scholastic esports system, and plenty of internationally renowned players, which all testify to a flourishing landscape.
Comparing Esports in Canada to the Rest of the World
But is Canada successful enough to top other prime players in the industry? While Canada hasn’t made the number one or two spots on the list of largest commercial esports markets, it still has a firm hold on it. Despite South Korea being the pioneer, China now tops the list when it comes to the commercial market. In fact, we can’t say that China is new to the esports world at all, seeing as their government officially recognized it as a sport in the early 2000s.
Today, the Chinese esports market is so progressive and ever-changing that it’s almost impossible to ascertain its worth. After accumulating all the estimates, values range from US $1 billion to $20 billion, and this could be attributed to their many esports facilities that host major world championships. In Japan, growth has been slower, but their reputation in the gaming sphere and their love for fighting games like Super Smash Bros. has kept them front and center. If we turn our attention to Latin America, we’ll find Brazil, which has the fastest-growing esports market in the region.
Canada also bolsters its esports positionality with its progressive stance on online gambling, especially in the province of Ontario. Just a quick glance at casinos.com’s piece on $10 deposit casinos will showcase the many casinos offering accessible gaming experiences to Ontarians around the province. There’s an inherent relationship between esports and online gambling, with sportsbooks now frequently featuring esports matches and tournaments to wager on.
Major Esports Teams and Stars
Some of the world’s biggest esports teams and figures are from the Great White North and are making millions off their passion and talents. This includes famed Moroccan-Canadian social media star Pokimane, the most followed female streamer on the Twitch platform. Although she doesn’t participate in traditional esports, she’s made a name for herself, streaming gameplay of titles like Fortnite and League of Legends.
There’s also Arteezy, a Uzbekistan-born, Canadian-based gamer who turned pro at the young age of 17. He has accumulated a total of $2.6 million in winnings and has been part of a couple of esports teams, notably the SADBOYS coalition.
Meanwhile, in just the five years he’s competed in Fortnite tournaments, Elevate has achieved five tournament victories in first place and has won just under a million dollars in returns.
Exploring the Next Level of Esports
The global esports industry – and undoubtedly also Canada’s – will only continue on an upward trend from here. With the country’s liberal attitudes toward online gambling and many organizations supporting local talent, Canada is amply set up for success. And there’s plenty of growth to go around – the funds generated from esports initiatives could be used to support new events and infrastructure and fuel innovation and technology like never before. Will we see Canada climb up the list of top esports markets? We’ll have to wait and see.
