Media thread (advertising, blogs, write ups etc), page-29

All seems quiet at Pentanet re the commercial launch of NVIDIA’s GEForce Now in Australia which, according to the Prospectus, is due on or before Monday, May 31.

Has anyone heard anything?

But a story in The West the other day talking up esports features comment from Stephen Cornish....

cheers

https://thewest.com.au/business/pus...position-in-global-esport-boom-ng-b881865452z

It’s long, so I put in in the spoiler..

Spoiler : See here

Push for Perth to take pole position in global eSport boom

Kate PurnellThe West Australian
Tue, 25 May 2021 2:00PM
Kate Purnell
The eSports phenomenon is taking the world by storm.

Global tournaments with multimillion-dollar cash prizes have raked in more viewers than the Super Bowl and international universities are offering professional gaming scholarships to train the next wave of elite players.

Local industry experts believed WA is in a unique position to tap the billion-dollar market as demand from Millennials and Gen Zs surge. But limited infrastructure and government support has held the State back from unlocking the full economic potential of eSports.


Perth-based internet provider Pentanet was one of the first to establish a professional eSports team in WA when the company bought a League of Legends — a common online video eSports game — squad in 2019.

Managing director Stephen Cornish said the industry was still in its infancy in WA but the commercial opportunities globally made it worth jumping in early.

Pentanet’s team play at international tournaments but to reach the level requires a major commitment. The squad trains full-time hours and has access to coaches, management and fitness and wellness staff.

“We are in a fortunate position because the team is self-funded through Pentanet,” Mr Cornish said.

“I’ve seen a lot of other local teams burn out quickly because they haven’t been able to find sponsorships.”

Sponsorship is the biggest revenue generator for eSports teams but brands have been weary about coming on board because of limited WA viewership.


Jenna Afarian is one of thousands of Australians who earns extra money by playing computer games. Credit: METHODE

After rapid growth during the pandemic, the global eSports market is next year expected to hit $US1.8 billion ($2.3b). However, the industry is growing at a more conservative pace in Australia. A recent PwC report suggested it could reach $10 million locally next year and almost $13m by 2024.

Beau Melia, chief executive of Ground Zero Gaming, said his company’s biggest hurdle was data and education.

The Perth-based eSports organisation has a professional Rocket League team that competes in international tournaments and undergoes a similar training regimen to Pentanet’s squad.

“We know the local sector is growing but it can be difficult for brands to understand that from a marketing perspective without having the data to show them,” Mr Melia said.

He plans to begin organising large-scale Australian tournaments, which would attract about 10,000 people, to demonstrate interest and hopes to see support for government.

Internationally, recognising the scope of the industry is much clearer.

The League of Legends world championship boasted more than 100 million viewers in 2019, exceeding the 98.2m who tuned in to the Super Bowl.

And as viewership figures for tournaments surge so do the cash prizes.

Dota 2, a multiplayer battle arena style game, is one of the most popular in eSports. In 2019, the prize-pool for the world championship was a recordbreaking $US34.3m.

The 2020 tournament was postponed due to COVID-19, but the potential winnings are expected to exceed $US40m this year.

Mr Cornish and Mr Melia were both confident of the sector’s future and expected global opportunities to grow exponentially.


Brad Coombs and Beau Melia at Escape Portal, which has about 100 PCs and consoles and 30,000 members. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper/The West Australian

But if Australia wanted to keep up it would need to introduce adequate infrastructure, such as first-class internet speed, and create pathways to recruit children earlier for a career in eSports.

Murdoch University is building an eSports hub at its CBD campus that will have the capacity to host large-scale tournaments to appeal to emerging talent.

Vice-chancellor Eeva Leinonen said eSports’ popularity was growing rapidly and the new hub would position Perth as a national leader in the sector.

“The collective expenditure on all aspects of interactive gaming and eSports is significant and expected to grow to more than $7b in Australia by 2023,” Professor Leinonen said.

“eSports is not just about playing games but the whole value chain from development to competition, which will lead to opportunities in a range of future careers.”

Murdoch PhD candidate Megan Pusey, who specialises in gaming, said the university was also hosting programs for school-aged children and teenagers to equip them with skills necessary for a career in eSports.

Ms Pusey said as the sector expands there would be opportunities for many more roles outside of the gamer, including journalists, broadcast specialists and technicians.

“It can be hard for the older generations to see how you could make a career out of eSports, but younger Western Australians are showing real interest,” she said.


eSports is not just about playing games but the whole value chain from development to competition, which will lead to opportunities in a range of future careers.

Eeva Leinonen
Unsurprisingly, the pandemic saw demand for eSports rocket as people were stuck and home and traditional sports could not be played. That drove huge amounts of traffic to streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming, the most common way for eSports fans to watch games.

Last year on Twitch, more than one trillion minutes — or 16-plus billion hours — were watched, and at any given time more than 2.5 million people were tuned in to the platform, exceeding 30 million daily viewers.

Brad Coombs, a co-owner of Perth gaming lounge Escape Portal, said WA’s interest in eSports had taken off in the past two years.

The gaming centre has about 100 PCs and consoles and its membership base has grown to more than 30,000.

Mr Coombs said there was a strong grassroots movement of young players in Perth that wanted to capitalise on the booming industry.

“I think we need more local events and some investment in the sector so we can foster talent in the State,” he said.

“eSports in WA has the potential to be huge.”