WHISTLE NEXT LEVEL DESIGN
Chris Dite, associate director at Arup Sports
Venue Design addresses what a dedicated
esports arena should deliver to maximize
the benefit to owners and operators
he sports industry has a powerful new
player in the form of esports, so a desire
to develop dedicated spaces are quickly
becoming relevant as the popularity of
competitive gaming increases.
Esports has come a long way since
it was first seen in small, grassroots
gaming communities and convention centers two decades
ago. Today, events can fill capacity at the largest sporting
venues, yet these large-scale events are rare. For larger
events, limited venue options combined with soaring
visitor numbers force event operators and video game
FINAL publishers to host tournaments in existing sporting
venues. These spaces provide the prerequisite technical
and broadcasting infrastructure but often offer suboptimal
arena proportions and spectator experiences.
Compared with traditional sports, an esports arena
requires a demanding set of criteria that enables it
to simultaneously be a movie theater, arena and a
broadcasting studio. From the position of a spectator,
the arena must combine the seating proximity of a movie
theater while also providing an atmosphere more typically
shared in stadia.
Research suggests that the frequency and variety of
events within the current esports scene favor smaller scale
arenas of less than 500 seats. As consumption of esports
is predominantly online, this presents the opportunity
for the industry to look at creating smaller venues that
focus on an enhanced competing environment for
athletes, unconstrained spectator experiences, and a
flexibility that embraces the fast-changing pace of the
esports environment. This flexibility is key to giving venue
operators the best opportunities to host varying gaming
competitions and events.
However, creating just a sole esports arena is not
enough. In Arup’s work with esports industry professionals,
athletes and fans, the most challenging aspect of designing
a dedicated esports arena is sustaining the arena space with
a purpose that acts as a generator of footfall” 64
www.stadia-magazine.com June 2019 additional content that can encourage footfall of a young
target demographic.
The duration of an esport event can last from a single
evening to multiple-days, which therefore means spectators
spending a long amount of time at a venue. This requires
facilities to have infrastructure to keep visitors constantly
engaged with esports or gaming through accompanying
events, attractions and entertainment.
Offering engaging and immersive experiences, both
in and outside of the arena space, differentiates from
watching an online stream, giving the venue a purpose
that acts as a generator of footfall. An esports arena
offering this kind of digital festival appeals to consumers
in a different way, allowing the venue to grow resilience
whilst being able to sustain the games it promotes.
Further research suggests that esports fans have
a proportionately low local spending per fan compared
to traditional stadium and arena sports. With the current
cultural trend revolving around free-to-play, free-to-watch,
and free sponsored giveaways, the new generation of
esports arenas can provide further opportunity to entice
consumer spending with activities they can’t experience
from home.
The commercial and social viability of future esports
arenas will be dependent on how they can provide
consumers with one-of-a-kind experiences from the
moment athletes and fans enter the venue. At Arup,
we are working globally with esports industry partners
and major venue operators to help deliver venues that
achieve this, whilst also working with existing venues
to help them embrace the new opportunities esports
can bring to their business. n
Chris Dite is associate director and leader at Arup Sports Venue and
Design and specializes in the planning and delivery of major sports
venues and events. He has worked at Arup for over 13 years and has
been involved with some of the world’s biggest projects including the
2012 London Olympic Games and is an advisor on all competition
venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
“Offering engaging and immersive experiences,
both in and outside of the arena space, differentiates
from watching an online stream, giving the venue
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/www.stadia-magazine.com