The enjoyment of esports, where players compete in video games, has been diversifying -- ranging from playing games alone, to cheering for specific players and their teams with other spectators while watching at venues filled with feverish excitement.
At GG Shibuya Mobile Esports Cafe & Bar, which opened in Shibuya Parco, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, in November last year, replays of esports competitions are displayed on several large screens.
Replays of the world championship of fighting games were shown on Jan. 10, which showed games played by various characters, the serious looks of concentration on players' faces and enthusiastic spectators at the tournament venue.
Visitors include many children and their parents, as well as women who stop by the cafe thinking it's just a restaurant. One of them is a 26-year-old company employee from Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.
"I didn't really know how to enjoy playing games, but I was surprised to see the audience heat up as I watched the replays," she said. "I want to see games played at a live event in person."
An official of the cafe's operating company said, "We want to deliver the message that anyone can enjoy esports, even if they don't play themselves."
According to an online survey conducted in March last year by JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co., of 10,000 men and women aged 15 to 59, 259 of them had experienced watching games played live at an esports event.
About 70% were men, most of whom said they "like games overall" as a reason for watching -- the highest among the reasons. Many of the women had watched games because "they have become a topic of conversation" and "there are teams they support."
After watching games played live, about 80% of men and women surveyed felt "they were better than expected" and "they wanted to see them again."
Takuya Nakagawa, a research fellow at JTB Tourism Research & Consulting, said, "Esports tend to be considered as events that only attract game geeks, but some people become esports fans even if they are not interested in playing games."
Esports facilities, which can attract the attention of those who do not play games themselves, have been increasing in various places across the country.
An esports-specialized facility named "Redee," which is scheduled to open in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, on March 1, will have a permanent event hall equipped with a giant screen in addition to a space where games can be played. The facility's operator expects the hall to be used for meetings of game players' fans and other purposes.
Sofmap Co.'s Akihabara branch No. 2 shop in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, and its Namba branch in Osaka, sell specialty goods featuring esports players and teams. One team consists of up-and-coming young actors who like playing computer games, which is gaining popularity among young women who like idols.
Munehiko Harada, a professor of sports business at Waseda University, said, "If video game players become celebrities in the future, the number of people supporting esports, despite not playing themselves, may increase, like in the case of conventional sports."
"Men and women of all ages can try esports if they can play the games," he said, adding, "In preparation for an era where a 100-year-life span is possible, it is advisable to begin with watching video games and enjoy cheering."
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