Bruce Dias 
The Scandinavian subregion made up of Denmark, Norway and Sweden has positioned itself at the forefront of global esports. Driven by fledgling companies, existing infrastructure and a deep-rooted passion for gaming.
Finland and Iceland have joined their Nordern neighbours and contribute toward innovation within the sector.
Scandinavia has been a breeding ground for technological advancement and digital entertainment. Computer game development, in particular, has been pushed through pioneering studios, gifted coders and graphic artists, and a tech-savvy client base. The region has kept up with digital evolution and finds itself ahead of many of its closest competitors.
Esports, or electronic sports, have seen a massive rise in popularity. Popular video game titles are used in a competitive setting. Events usually take place between teams, often representing a nation. They are held in arenas, with onlookers and a huge online following. Fans watch on streaming platforms, following live gaming and action.
The field of esports has made several participants into millionaire electronic athletes. With schools in the United States throwing parades for winning teams, similar to the reception a victorious football team would receive.
Online sportsbooks have capitalized on the popularity of the sport and tapped into the legion of fans, by offering betting. Bettors have begun placing wagers on a variety of esport events, using trusted sites such as ÍslandCasino.com as reference. These affiliate sites save users time by providing a list of sportsbooks and online casinos, specialized in esports.
Affiliate sites are different from online casinos, in that they do not take physical bets. They provide fans with ranked lists of the best sportsbooks and online casinos online. Grouping them by the bonuses offered and ranking them based on user reviews.
Read on to learn more about esports and how Scandinavia continues to lead development.
The Players
Countries within Scandinavia have produced more than just great development talent, they produce outstanding esports teams as well.
Teams partake in various sub-categories of play. They compete in first-person shooters (FPS), multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) and real-time strategy (RTS) genres.
Sweden achieved enormous esport community fame by winning the 2013 League of Legends World Championship. The success of team SK Telecom T1 in this event spurred on several other Scandinavian esport teams.
The Swedish teams of Fnatic and NiP (Ninjas in Pyjamas) continued SK Telecom T1’s success in the Counter-Strike (CS) arena.
Regional success and growing pride have spread to Denmark and Iceland. Esport is growing in Iceland and Danish teams like Astralis are leading the charge in their country. Astralis is known for its strategic play and has won multiple major tournaments in Counter-Strike, including the CS:GO Major Championships.
The game of CS has become so popular that items within the game are taking on real-world value. In game items, known as skins, can be upgraded. The rarity of certain skins has become so alluring to gamers, that they are traded and even used in place of real money.
Strong Regional Infrastructure Support
Esport within Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland rely heavily on computer hardware and the technology that connects them. The Scandinavian and Nordern regions boast some of the best internet connectivity and speed in the world.
Universities and colleges are further improving the regions esport dominance by offering courses and degrees in game design, game development and software management. This institutional focus helps to cultivate a new generation of talent, helping to create industry professionals and new gaming talent.
Backing from public and private partners includes team sponsorships, the development of training facilities, the funding of events and the nurturing of new esport athletes.
Growing Cultural Popularity
The increased attention from schools, colleges, universities, businesses and the region’s governments has given esports and its athletes an incredible amount of validity. This social acceptance has helped to increase viewership numbers and fostered interest from fans outside of the gaming world. Venues are hosting large-scale tournaments and gaming conventions draw huge crowds globally.
Esport events are drawing together individuals who have long been isolated participants. Allowing them to show off practiced computer game skills, share tips, learn from the pros and find community. Video game characters, apparel and phrases have found their way into broader culture.
Content creators and streamers contribute to the spread of the sport through regular posts on YouTube and Twitch. With play on popular titles such as Dota 2, Fortnite and Valorant garnering millions of views.
How Esport Might Develop
Cultural enthusiasm, a strong infrastructure, governmental support and a growing fan base contribute to the success in esport. Continued investment will see esports grow further.
As game developers and players join into larger teams and organizations within the Scandinavian region, they also begin to merge with international counterparts. This unification will have a profound impact on the type of games developed and the purse of many tournaments.
Immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) will have a real effect on esports. The level of realism brought by these devices will improve gameplay drastically. Teams will be able see and experience games in added detail. And fans might be able to enter game worlds as live spectators.
In Closing
The region’s impressive track record and continued investment will keep them moving forward in gaming and esport.
As more gamers meet in person and online, to discuss their favourite characters and games, communities begin to form. This allows for an enormous amount of technical and cultural exchange. Technology and Scandinavian innovation are helping gamers to reach real-world acclaim, income and camaraderie – for something that they love to do.
