大象传媒

Its top stars can earn millions of dollars a year, without breaking into a sweat. They train for hours a day and have legions of fans, who fill stadiums to watch them. But these are not normal sports stars. They are part of one of the fastest growing industries - known as e-sports. And, as John Murphy discovers, the distinction between real physical sport and this online, virtual version is narrowing, as major companies and some of the world's most famous football clubs are signing up the top e-sports players to play in major competitions. A number of video games, including Fifa, Dota2, Call of Duty and League of Legends, have their own international leagues and world championships.

The global audience is now estimated at more than 200 million, and growing. Annual revenues from e-sports, currently around 650 million dollars for events, continue to rise. Billions more are generated through video games sales. In the UK the video games sector, from which e-sports have sprung, is now worth more than video (films) and music combined. There is even talk of e-sports becoming an Olympic sport. So will dexterous e-sporters become the new athletic champions, or is this a business that will play itself out? Who is making the money and how? And why are top football clubs clamouring for some of the virtual action?

Presenter: John Murphy
Producer: Lizzy McNeill

(Photo: TV screen showing game play)