It’s been roughly two decades since South African universities started investing in high-speed internet connections for good, wholesome scholarly pursuits. Of course, students wasted no time putting the infrastructure to use for recreational purposes – notably a then-new pastime called online gaming.
It would ultimately spawn the multi-billion-dollar eSport economy, but at the time, online gaming was anything but cool. Gamers were often stereotyped as jobless social recluses and parents worried about their children’s prospects. A lot has changed.
eSport Is A Spectator Sport
Advancements in technology have not only improved the quality of games, they’ve allowed them to become more social. Players can chat to each other through headsets in real time, creating the social equivalent of getting together with friends for a game of Five-a-Side or action cricket.
Streaming platforms like Twitch have made it possible for fans to watch their favourite players in action just like tuning in to watch rugby. And the big eSport tournaments are held in packed-out arenas where thousands of fans gather to watch the games play out on big screens.
This year’s eSportS World Cup in Saudi Arabia (running from 4 July to 24 August 2024) has a record-breaking prize pool of more than US$ 60 million (that’s over a billion Rand).
South Africa’s University eSport Leagues
Closer to home, eSport is growing in popularity on university campuses around South Africa. Since it became a recognised sport by University Sport South Africa in 2019 at least 17 local universities have introduced an eSport programme.
These include prominent tertiary institutions like the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), the University of Pretoria, Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town (UCT). Classified as a mind sport, eSport is affiliated to Mind Sports South Africa, a federation that also represents board games, card games, robotics and wargames.
eSport Opportunities in South Africa
eSport is more than a social club. Students can compete in intervarsity tournaments, such as the USSA eSports Championships, set to take place in Durban in August. ACGL organises tournaments, events and scrims (practise runs that help players perfect their strategy ahead of tournaments) all year round.
Other big tournaments in South Africa include ComicCon, which takes place in Joburg in September and Cape Town in 2025, and Rage Expo, coming up in November. Players can also qualify to compete provincially and even represent South Africa.
What Gamers Are Playing
At the USSA level, the most popular eSport games include the strategy game Clash Royale, FIFA – based on the IRL sport, and Rocket League, which combines soccer with cars.
Other popular tournament games include shooter and battle arena games like Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, the Call of Duty franchise, Fortnite, League of Legends, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and Dota 2.
Career Prospects in eSport
There are lucrative career prospects in eSport. Top players who go pro can be signed to prominent teams, land endorsement deals, or become content creators and influencers in their personal capacity – and that’s in addition to the prize money up for grabs at tournaments.
Outside of playing, many tertiary institutions have started offering gaming design and development courses – including Wits, UCT and UNISA. Africa Games Week offers discounted tickets for students.
With faster internet connections and better technology making eSport more accessible, and universities getting in on the action, the future of eSport in South Africa looks exciting. For your own reliable connection to game online get one of these Vodacom Fibre deals.
