Looking to Up Your Esports Game?
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Esports competition continues to enjoy increased popularity and rapid adoption professionally and at both K-12 and collegiate levels. According to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, more than 260 U.S. colleges have launched esports programs at the varsity level and are offering an average of $16 million per year in scholarships.
Like traditional sports, esports fosters teamwork, communication, and problem solving. In education, schools and universities are incorporating gaming into their curriculum and extracurricular activities, enabling participants to develop important skills that can be applied in both personal and professional contexts.
The unique performance needs of esports facilities requires thoughtful design and a broad level of knowledge and expertise to ensure the AV system provides the best experience for players and spectators alike. A well-planned esports facility design considers player ergonomics, shoutcaster visibility, audience engagement, and seamless AV integration.
Even if you’re starting completely from scratch, don’t feel overwhelmed. With our proven expertise in AV system design and esports design, we ensure every detail is optimized—from layout to technology—to deliver a professional and engaging environment. We are esports experts, and we bring the right design approach to turn your vision into reality.
Gaming versus Esports – Experience
Recreational
Esports originates from gaming. The roots of gaming can be traced back many years to the earliest offering of video games. You are a “gamer” if you play single or multiplayer video games of any sort on devices such as phones, consoles, or computers. The act of playing is called “gaming”. The difference between gaming and esports is easy to understand; think recreational gaming versus competitive gaming for prizes and recognition. It is like playing sports with friends versus playing professionally—where thoughtful experience design is less critical than in esports arenas.
Esports
Some of the most popular gaming platforms have become part of the esports ecosystem. Esports is played at club levels with leagues. Tournaments and championships often involve monetary awards. These matches consist of individuals or teams playing against each other, directly in game or indirectly against times and scores. Popular tournaments around the world are played in large stadiums and arenas and are set up just like a basketball game or a large concert with local audience sizes up to 30,000 people.
Growth and Market Potential
Competitive video game events date back to the 1970’s. Esports went mainstream in 1980 with Atari’s Space Invaders Championship comprising of 10,000 participants. The esports industry has experienced exponential growth ever since. The global market reached $1.4B USD in 2022 and is projected to expand at a 24.4% CAGR through 2027. This growth amplifies the need for scalable facility design and resilient AV system design to support multipurpose arenas, rapid reconfiguration, and engaging broadcast paths.
Participants and Roles
The esports ecosystem is vast. As with any large industry, it is comprised of many supporting groups and disciplines. These include game developers with their own sales and marketing teams. Recruiters, agents, sponsors, and PR managers are also highly involved in daily management activities with continued industry growth in mind.
- Players: Compete in matches, travel globally, and engage with fans—benefiting from ergonomic stage design and low-latency setups.
- Coaches: Motivate players and develop strategies—supported by review rooms and analytics workflows.
- Analysts: Translate game data into performance insights—enabled by dashboards and data walls.
- Admins and Referees: Enforce rules and manage match integrity—requiring clear back-of-house planning.
- Shoutcasters: Commentate and energize live audiences—depend on booth acoustics and mic arrays.
- Hosts: Present tournaments and conduct interviews—supported by lighting and stagecraft.
- Observers: Control in-game cameras for streams—optimized by control room workflow design.
- Audience: Fans viewing in-person or online—improved by seating, sightlines, and display planning.
- Organizers and Support Staff: Manage and produce tournaments—rely on logistics and network planning for reliability.
Organizations and Affiliations
The esports industry lacks unified governing bodies at all levels, despite its size, popularity, and influence. It is somewhat fragmented with several organizations around the world vying for supremacy. The intellectual property aspect of the games themselves makes it difficult since these interested groups are not in control of the rules and gameplay. Despite this situation, there is common interest and activity by all to further advance the industry. Standardizing competition design and broadcast workflows will improve consistency as the market matures.
To date, the US Department of Education does not consider esports a “sport”, so it is less regulated than traditional sports. The USCIS recognizes qualified players as athletes and grants visas supporting tournament play and paid roles. Clearer policy frameworks can inform venue codes, accessibility, and inclusive programs, accelerating adoption—especially in education.
Primary associations, alliances, and affiliations: Individuals, pro teams, and educational institutions participate by establishing clubs and joining leagues. Platforms such as Battlefy, Toornament, and PlayVS support tournament formats and integrate match data for performance tracking.
Esports in Education
Esports requires critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity to achieve and sustain success. With easy access and a low cost to entry, esports reaches beyond traditional sports in education to create an all-inclusive environment that breaks barriers. Engaged students perform better in school. Esports can be the first time many students participate in a coached, athletic activity. Educators are realizing that, like traditional sports, esports fosters teamwork, communication, and problem solving—benefits amplified by intentional learning space design.
Esports Benefits for Students:
- Compliments SEL – Social and Emotional Learning
- Sense of Community and Leadership
- Character Development
- Promotes Positive Digital Citizenship
- Scholarship Opportunities
- Embodies ISTE Standards
- Increases Achievement and Accountability
Esports Systems
Esports is a booming global industry that has transformed video gaming into a spectator sport. Much like traditional sports, esports has an ecosystem of players, teams, commentators, event organizers, and fans. Esports tournaments are hosted at all levels, from casual online contests to sold-out arenas and broadcast events viewed by millions.
To support the needs of gamers, coaches, broadcasters, and spectators, well-designed esports venues rely on AV technology. These systems include high-performance video distribution, streaming, recording, sound reinforcement, and centralized control for seamless operation and a professional viewing experience.
Equipment and Requirements
Competitive gamers use powerful computers with fast graphics cards and high-resolution displays. Headsets with microphones provide clear communication with teammates, while specialized peripherals such as mechanical keyboards and gaming mice offer the performance and customization pros demand. Consoles may be used in some competitions, depending on the game.
Esports venues require robust AV systems to route multiple video sources, capture gameplay, send feeds to projectors and displays, and integrate with streaming platforms. Audio systems amplify commentary and sound effects, while control systems simplify operation for technical staff.
Design Considerations
System design for esports varies by venue type. Broadcast studios and arenas demand high-capacity AV routing, video wall processing, and redundant systems to ensure smooth operation. School and campus arenas often emphasize ease of use, flexibility, and scalability. Streaming facilities need integration with streaming PCs and platforms such as Twitch and YouTube.
In all environments, minimizing latency is crucial. Delays between player action and on-screen response can negatively affect performance and viewer experience. Esports AV systems must be optimized for speed and reliability.
Pro AV in Esports
AV technology plays a central role in delivering the energy and excitement of esports. Video switchers and scalers allow multiple game feeds to be displayed simultaneously. Signal processors enable smooth transitions between gameplay, player cams, and graphics overlays. Audio mixers combine in-game sound, commentary, and music for live and broadcast audiences.
Control systems tie everything together, allowing technical teams to manage complex setups with presets and touch panels. AV over IP solutions provide scalability and simplify signal routing over standard network infrastructure.
Extron and Esports
Extron provides powerful AV solutions for esports applications. Our systems deliver ultra-low latency video switching, scalable AV distribution, and intuitive control, enabling venues to meet the high expectations of gamers and spectators alike.
With decades of experience in education, entertainment, and broadcast environments, Extron supports the design and implementation of reliable, high-performance AV systems tailored to esports needs. Contact us to learn more about our esports solutions.
