????Riot Games公司總裁馬克?美林稱：“我們自己是PC游戲的忠實玩家，現(xiàn)在也在在線競技游戲方面也很活躍,。我們深信電子游戲也是真正的運動——而且也知道很多玩家都這么認為,。看了韓國充滿生機的電子競技生態(tài)系統(tǒng)后我們就希望,，電子競技在世界其他地方也能這么成功,。我們一直就夢想，將來有一天西方會有成千上萬的電子競技玩家涌進體育場觀戰(zhàn),，同時上百萬人在線觀看,。我們正在努力實現(xiàn)這個夢想，同時向世人展示電子競技的潛力,。目前所獲得的初步進展讓我們十分興奮,。”

????今年Riot Games為全球賽季發(fā)放了800萬美元的獎金,。共有140萬粉絲觀看了韓國玩家SK電信（SK Telecom）T1與中國玩家皇家俱樂部（Royal Club）之間的決賽,。新賽季將于明年1月開始。而Riot Games只是電子競技領域的一個玩家而已,。

????今年4月,，美國動視公司（Activision）和微軟公司（Microsoft）在洛杉磯為《使命召喚：黑色任務II》的玩家發(fā)放了100萬美元的現(xiàn)金獎金。2月,，維珍游戲公司（Virgin Gaming）在拉斯維加斯為藝電公司（EA）“運動挑戰(zhàn)系列賽”（Sports Challenge Series）中PS3的《藝電運動之FIFA足球13》（EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13）,，《全美冰球聯(lián)賽13》（NHL 13）和《瘋狂全美橄欖球聯(lián)盟13》（Madden NFL 13 ）的最佳選手發(fā)放了100美元的支票獎金。其他游戲公司為各種錦標賽發(fā)放的獎金則從36萬美元到180萬美元不等,。而8月份,，維爾福軟件公司（Valve Software）則在西雅圖舉辦的“第三屆魔獸爭霸國際邀請賽”上將電子競技史上最高的一筆獎金——280萬美元——發(fā)給了《魔獸爭霸2》的優(yōu)勝者。

????英雄聯(lián)盟戰(zhàn)隊隊長布萊登,、“邪惡圣人”（Saintvicious）迪馬克相信,，電子競技按照目前的軌道發(fā)展，最終會在10年內(nèi)成為主流運動,。電子競技已經(jīng)擁有的龐大追隨者大多數(shù)是13到35歲的男性,，他們同時也是廣告主們最青睞的人群,。但是玩家們能忽略電視，直接觀看PC,、移動設備或游戲機上的重大賽事這一點也讓絕大多數(shù)消費者不了解這個日益繁榮的現(xiàn)象,，至少在美國是如此。而韓國就有專門的電子競技電視頻道,，像《星際爭霸II》的職業(yè)玩家蔣星靈被大家視為真正的運動員,，接了大量代言和電視廣告。

????每個月觀看迪馬克戰(zhàn)隊比賽的平均流量為1500萬,。他說：“美國的電子競技會更多按照韓國的模式發(fā)展,，也就是大家能在電視上更多地看到我們比賽。大家會看到,，麥當勞（McDonalds）和塔可鐘（Taco Bell）這樣的品牌將贊助選手和參賽隊伍,。一旦大家能像看到美國橄欖球聯(lián)盟（NFL）或美職籃（NBA）選手那樣在電視和廣告上看到電子競技，它就會成為更為主流的運動了,。可能未來五年這還不太可能,，但未來十年一定會成為現(xiàn)實,。”

????每個賽季,，粉絲們在電子游戲直播平臺Twitch上觀看電子競技的平均時間已達到了100分鐘,。而由于流媒體應用及競爭的推動，在Youtube和Azubu.tv上,，這個記錄還在不斷增長,。流媒體使得職業(yè)選手能與粉絲們直接互動。職業(yè)選手在比賽時所需的手眼協(xié)調(diào)和大腦活動與現(xiàn)實的體育運動十分相似,。

????職業(yè)玩家克里斯?“虎克”?羅倫杰說：“我們有訓練營,，有各種訓練，還必須保持一定的體型,。真實的運動競技和電子競技其實在各方面都很相似,。《星際爭霸II》的玩家每天訓練的時間比傳統(tǒng)運動員還長,。只有大量刻苦練習,，才能達到更高水平。我們沒有生理極限,，只要能照顧好自己,，每天可以訓練12個小時。這是一種腦力游戲,，可以根據(jù)自己的意圖想練多久就練多久,。不過,，這也會讓人的腦力精疲力竭?！???????

????"As core PC gamers who actively play competitive online games, we believe games are a real sport -- and know that many gamers share these beliefs," said Marc Merrill, President of Riot Games. "We look at the thriving eSports ecosystem in Korea and are hopeful that eSports can be as successful elsewhere in the world. We grew up dreaming of a future where thousands of eSports fans would pack into stadiums in the West and millions would watch online. We're trying to realize that dream and demonstrate the possibilities of eSports, and we're really excited about the early progress that's been made."

????Riot Games handed out $8 million throughout its global season this year. Over 1.4 million fans tuned in to watch the Finals between South Korean gamers SK Telecom T1 and Chinese gamers Royal Club. A new season begins in January. And Riot Games is just part of the eSports field.

????Activision (ATVI) and Microsoft (MSFT) gave away $1 million in cash to the top Call of Duty: Black Ops II players in Los Angeles in April. Virgin Gaming awarded $1 million in checks to the best PlayStation 3 EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13, NHL 13, and Madden NFL 13 players in Las Vegas back in February for the EA Sports Challenge Series. Other game companies have awarded purses from $360,000 to $1.8 million in tournaments. Valve Software gave away the highest prize purse in eSports history -- $2.8 million -- to the top players of its DOTA 2 (Defense of the Ancients 2) game at The International 3 in Seattle in August.

????Team Curse League of Legends captain Brandon "Saintvicious" DiMarco believes the trajectory eSports is on will result in mainstream popularity within 10 years. ESports already has a huge following with advertising's favorite demographic, males 13 to 35, but the ability for fans to bypass television and tune into big events on PCs, mobile devices, or consoles has kept the majority of consumers in the dark about this growing phenomenon, at least in the U.S. In South Korea, there are eSports-dedicated TV channels, and pro gamers like StarCraft II pro Jang "MC" Min Chul are treated like real athletes, complete with huge endorsement deals and TV commercials.

????"ESports in the U.S. will go more the Korean path, where you'll see it more on TV," said DiMarco, who's Team Curse averages 15 million livestreams per month. "You'll see brands like McDonalds (MCD) and Taco Bell sponsoring players and teams. Once you see eSports on TV and in commercials like you see NFL or NBA players, it's going to become more mainstream. It might not happen in five years, but I can see it definitely happening in the next ten years."

????Fans are already averaging 100 minutes per session watching eSports content on Twitch. And Youtube (GOOG) and Azubu.tv are seeing record growth thanks to the livestreaming of practices and competitions. Livestreaming has opened up the ability for pros to connect directly with fans. The hand-eye coordination and mental processing that is required for pro gaming is similar to real sports.

????"We have training camps, we have practices, and you have to keep a level of physical shape," said pro gamer Chris "Huk" Loranger. "Sports and eSports are very similar in almost every way. StarCraft II players often have longer days than traditional athletes. You can only work out so much before you push yourself too far. We don't have that physical cap, we can play 12 hours a day as long as you're taking care of yourself. It's a mental game. You can train as long as you want to train. But at the same time, it's mentally exhausting."??????