While eSports is a huge industry, as there are a lot of people in government who don’t quite understand how it works, it has become a bit of a wild west, according to researchers at Keele University in the UK.
The researchers findings (via Esports News UK), revealed what they term as a “vulnerable financial structure, imbalance of power, and a lack of representation for stakeholders such as players and fans at the highest levels of the industry,” within UK eSports.
Currently, tournaments and teams “devise their own rules with no discernible standardisation between them,” which results in pretty much any brand being able to sponsor events, including the likes of fast-food, alcohol, and cryptocurrency brands.
Several publishers have restricted these terms, but as the researchers point out, it’s more up to the teams and organisations than it is the industry as a whole. “Esports sponsorships from unhealthy brands are rising, but banning them could harm the industry financially,” the paper reads. “We suggest a governance model that incorporates a multistakeholder approach, and with education on healthy and moderate consumption at the heart of it, to allow agency for individuals, rather than an outright ban of sponsors.”
What do you think of these proposed sponsorship changes?