I spent a little bit of time yesterday reading through Snoopeh’s AMA (a great read, btw). There was a lot of great commentary and some good dialogue that got me thinking about the subject of player representation within eSports. Snoopeh’s aim is to create an entity, not unlike a sports agency, that provides advice, advocacy and decision making support for players. I’m +1 for this venture and wish Snoopeh nothing but success in his endeavors.
The timing for such a venture is spot on, with unionization not currently feasible for eSports and most contracts are hardly well-formed. This leaves most players in a precarious position somewhere between “happy to be doing what I love for a living” and outright exploitation. Still the task of alleviating these pains will require full-time attention and work. Meaning Snoopeh or anyone will need to be compensated; and therein lies the rub. There needs to be a stable revenue flow for ventures like this to exist.
It’s going to require new, creative models to drive these new ventures. And here’s where attempting to ape traditional sports hurts the eSports domain: The unions, agencies and business vehicles used in other professional sporting domains won’t work outright with eSports. Things aren’t apples to apples, especially when it comes down to generating revenue.
The hard work, dedication and time needed to solve key issues within the eSports domain will require business models specifically suited to the task(s) at hand. Without the economic viability behind ideas like Snoopeh’s, the solutions we seek can’t take hold. Right now, I see the eSports pot being a tad bit small to sustain fully independent, autonomous enterprises. Player salaries aren’t widely shared but we know the ceiling is in the low six figures. Streaming/online ad revenue offers a nice, and sometimes lucrative, source of income for players; and ultimately the money must come from somewhere.
Alex Fletcher finds and recruits top talent in the eSports world – by working with and nurturing the next generation of rising stars. Visit Entiva Group for more info. When he isn’t glued to a screen, he spends time with his wife, their two dogs, and pretends to learn Polish.
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