eSports: Taiwan's Newest Forte

To date, eSports have never been bigger, and this statement will likely remain true well into the future. In 2016, eSports pulled in global revenues of US$493 million. This year, total revenues are projected to grow to US$696 million, and to reach higher still to US$1.5 billion in 2020. The Olympic Council of Asia even ruled that eSports would be included among the 2022 Asian Games.

Around 1999, eSports began taking shape in the form of niche competitions populated primarily by hardcore gamers. Once live streaming took wing, however, eSports soared to the level of a full-fledged spectator sport. Software, hardware, ticket and broadcasting rights sales as well as marketing and sponsorship have all contributed to the rising market value of eSports. In addition, eSports companies now allocate resources to support live streaming content creators and their legions of loyal viewers, who totaled around 200 million in 2016.

Taiwan is the world's leading supplier of eSports peripheral products, and both China and America rank among important areas in the eSports global supply chain. The U.S. excels in upstream software and hardware R & D, creating products like games and graphics processing units, while China is the major market for live-streamed eSports events. Brazil is also steadily becoming a hotspot for live streaming, and Korea's institutional support of eSports continues to solidify its competitive eminence internationally.


台灣電競新未來

到目前為止，電競從未如此壯大，且此一說法可能在未來也會是真的。在 2016 年，電競賺進的全球收益達 4.93 億美元。今年，總收益預計成長至 6.96 億美元，並在 2020 年持續增加至 15 億美元。亞洲奧林匹克理事會甚至決議將電競列入 2022 年亞運的比賽項目中。
電競約莫於 1999 年開始發展成形，以主要集結重度玩家的利基競賽為形式。然而，隨著直播興起，電競躍升至成熟的觀賞類運動此一境界。軟硬體、門票收入和轉播權利金，以及行銷和贊助皆對電競市值的增長有所貢獻。此外，電競業者現在也分配資源去資助直播主和其廣大的忠實觀眾，這些觀眾的總人數在 2016 年即高達兩億人。
台灣是全世界電競周邊產品的領導供應商，而中國和美國是全球電競供應鏈分佈的重要區域。美國專精於上游軟硬體的研發，創造出遊戲及圖像處理元件等產品，而中國則是電競賽事直播的主要市場。巴西亦穩步躋身為直播熱點。韓國在制度上對電競的支持，則持續鞏固其具競爭力的世界電競強國威名。