Demographic and Economic Analysis of Esports - Trends, Career Longevity, and Earnings Dynamics

Thomas Newham () and Tim R.L. Fry ()
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Thomas Newham: Nottingham Trent University
Tim R.L. Fry: Nottingham Trent University

No AWP-04-2025, ACEI Working Paper Series from Association for Cultural Economics International

Abstract: Esports has emerged as a significant facet of global culture and the creative economy, rivalling traditional sports in scale and economic impact. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the demographic and economic dimensions of competitive gaming, exploring its evolution as a cultural phenomenon. We investigate the role of cultural and geographic contexts in shaping the esports ecosystem, examining how regional preferences and socio-economic factors influence player representation and market dynamics. The global dispersion of esports players highlights the industry's ability to transcend traditional cultural boundaries, fostering diverse participation while reflecting unique regional characteristics. By analysing data from 846 players across sixty-five countries, the study uncovers patterns of cultural consumption and the economic impacts of esports in varying global contexts. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of esports as both a localised and globalised cultural phenomenon with significant economic implications. The study employs fixed-effects regression models, to investigate player earnings trajectories, geographic diversity, and age-related career dynamics. Key findings include the identification of a non-linear relationship between age and earnings, with peak earnings around the mid-twenties, a decline in the mid-thirties, and a subsequent rise post-thirty-five, arguably driven by a "Superstar Effect." Additionally, the study explores how cultural factors influence the sustained success of older players in strategic and cognitively demanding games such as StarCraft and chess. These findings challenge conventional assumptions about career longevity in esports and offer nuanced insights into the interplay of talent, notoriety, and cultural capital.

Keywords: Esports; Cultural Economics; Labour Markets; Demographics; Digital Transformation; Superstar Effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 L83 L86 Z10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 20 pages
Date: 2025-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age and nep-spo
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