The rapid growth and popularity of esports attracting Canadians

Did you know that the Canadian government does not recognize esports as a competitive sport? This is a shame, but it certainly hasn’t stopped the Canadian esports scene from flourishing and growing at a rapid place.

 

This is a global trend that we are seeing everywhere and esports in general have never been as popular. In Canada, in particular, we are seeing a surge of esports teams, lots of amazing competitions with big prize pools and organizations that are supporting the development of the industry.

 

Esports is also making waves in the online gambling scene too, with platforms such as Time2play not only recommending the best online casino in Ontario, but rating sports betting sites that cover esports as well as traditional sports. Whatever aspect of esports you are into, Canada is where the action is at, and we take a look below at the factors contributing to this.

 

There are more esports tournaments and leagues available

 

Tournaments and leagues with big prize pools are what attract attention and money to the esports industry of a particular country. It’s what sponsors are drawn to and helps garner publicity for the nation’s teams and esports organizations.

 

In recent years, we have seen a range of fantastic esports tournaments either available for Canadians to enter, or hosted in our major cities, some examples include:

• Titans Showdown, Overwatch
• Overwatch League – Summer Showdown
• SiGMA Esports Cup Toronto
• BashFest
• Six Invitational

 

The SiGMA Esports Cup in Toronto in 2020 was a brilliant affair and had a huge prize pool that rose into the hundreds of thousands. If we continue to host tournaments and leagues like this, then it will only draw more talent to the country while giving Canadian esports teams something to strive towards.

 

You can easily find tournaments for the top esports games such as League of Legends, Overwatch, Counter Strike and NBA2K throughout the year, and there are many invitationals to world championships. Without the support and availability of events to enter, Canadian esports would not be as popular.

 

Canada has some fantastic esports teams

For a country to have a successful esports industry there needs to be a backbone of superstar teams that regularly perform well at the highest levels of competition and who are well-known worldwide. You may have heard of local teams such as the Lakeland Heat, but have you heard of some of these epic Canadian esports teams?

• Able Esports
• Chaos Esports Club
• Lazarus Esports
• Luminosity Gaming
• Mirage Esports
• SoaR gaming
• Raptors Uprising

 

These are just some of the most popular Canadian esports teams currently in operation, and they have represented the country at the top levels in various games. This is vital for the success of the industry in the country and the number of top-quality teams is a huge positive.

 

There are also an amazing number of iconic Canadian streamers too who play video games and stream on platforms such as Twitch. Some of these enter esports competitions, but their global audience and viewing numbers help to promote Canadian gaming too. Some of the best-known Canadian gaming streamers include:

• Gosu (Loeague of Legends)
• Chica (Fortnite)
• Kyedae (Valorant)
• DisguisedToast (Hearthstone, TFT)
• NickEh30 (Fortnite)
• Pokimane (Fortnite, LoL)
• Shroud (CS:GO, Apex Legends)
• xQc (Overwatch)

 

We’ve watched NickEh30 for years when we used to play Fortnite and it’s easy to see how these positive streamers can promote Canadian esports in the right way. These streamers all have millions of followers and views and are globally recognized.

 

There are organizations that support the development of esports in Canada

 

There is also a range of independent organizations that are supporting the development of esports in the country. This is much needed due to the Canadian government’s current unwillingness to recognize esports and provide backing.

 

Organizations such as Esport Canada do have federal recognition and are providing support and resources for students and the esports community. They allow young adults to get into streaming and esports from an early age and explore this as a potential career path.

 

Esports in Canada is here to stay and it should only flourish in the coming years

 

If the current surge of esports activity and growth in Canada is anything to go by, then we can expect big things for the future of the industry in the country. The future looks bright and the more competitive teams we have, the more money and competition will be attracted to the country. This is complemented by support from organizations such as Esport Canada, which ensures that students have a real way into the esports industry.