According to the American computer game company “Riot Games”, to the semi-final match of the eSports event “League of Legends Championship Series” 2017 tuned in more than 80 million viewers around the world. The prize money was about 5 million USD (= approx. 4384175,00 €). The idea of being successful with eSports themselves and earning money with it fascinates many young people. But what should you look out for as a parent if your child also wants to prove himself as an eSportsman?
The e of eSport stands for “electronic”. So the term means something like “electronic sport”. The game is played on the computer or on a game console, either alone or in teams against each other. In doing so, players earn important league points or advance one round. Real-time strategy games and first-person shooters are the most popular due to their complexity. Not least because of their entertainment character, because another feature of eSports is to play tournaments in front of a live audience – similar to a soccer match in a stadium. Compared to classic sports such as soccer or tennis, however, eSports do not involve physical exertion. But above all, important mental and motor skills are trained and further developed. These include, for example Tactics, a quick reaction time, perseverance and forward thinking. Your child’s organizational skills are also required, since, for example, training times must be arranged with the team and the players usually take care of the financing themselves.
Long before eSports was a topic in Germany, eSports players were already celebrated like pop stars in Asia. In some countries, eSports is even classified as a sport in its own right. This is not yet the case in Germany, but it could soon change, as interest in it is growing steadily. More and more people want to watch professional players play their sport. Why not? Because basically we don’t do it any differently with other major sports (soccer, Formula 1 or golf).
If you are an active eSports player yourself and play well, you can even turn it into a lucrative business. This is the dream of every eSports player, to become better and better (and more famous), in order to one day earn their own living with it and thus turn their hobby into a profession.
If your child is an eSports enthusiast or would like to become one, make sure you know the USK’s age ratings for the games in question. This is because these provide information on whether the game is harmless from the point of view of the protection of minors, i.e. whether it does not contain any content that is harmful to the respective age group. eSports can quickly tempt you to play for a very long time and spend money to fund it. You should therefore, on the one hand, work together with your child to establish clear rules such as, for example. The first is to define the playing times and duration, and the second is to define the general conditions, e.g., the number of players. financial nature clearly. Also, find out who your child communicates with about the game – most of the time it’s the same friends your child spends time with otherwise. Also, monitor your child’s play behavior to be able to respond if other activities, such as involvement with friends away from the computer or school, are neglected. Come into the exchange with your child and talk about why they would like to become an eSports athlete. Show interest, let them show you their favorite games and why not try them out for yourself! This way you can experience for yourself why your child enjoys the game so much as a competition. And maybe soon you and your child will play together.
