eSports is digital mental sports
The term eSports represents competition in multiplayer gaming. Game settings and rules are defined by the game and tournament requirements. eSportsmen perform mental sports. University studies indicate improvements in tactical and theoretical game understanding as well as concentration and reaction rate. Top Warcraft 3 players interact up to 400 times per minute with the game.

eSports is sports for the masses and the elite
More than 800.000 active eSportsmen are registered in the Electronic Sports League (ESL) globally. About 10.000 register per month. Most of these eSportsmen play in the ladders (leagues with a user defined scale). Only a small proportion of these gamers is able to qualify for the professional leagues like the Intel Extreme Masters. The structure is explained here.

eSports is a youth culture, appealing to and connecting people around the globe.
The Electronic Sports League is active in more than 30 countries organising leagues and tournaments like the Intel Extreme Masters. The average age of the users is 19.09 years.

eSports lives on stars and their fans
More than 50,000 fans visit events of the Electronic Sports League to support and experience their stars in Germany every year. 20,000 fans watching a world cup final on an ingame broadcaster, IPTV streams and a developing eSports press advancing many traditional sports press features, deliver eSports tournaments and action to the global audience.

eSports is the expression of a crosslinked community
eSportsmen organise themselves in clans, they found their own web communities and interact with other teams and players. The Electronic Sports League offers a video platform, blogs and profile functions that are actively used by lots of players. Usually a player is part of many teams and participates in more than one league.

eSports is technically oriented and promotes the „digital revolution“
eSports features lots of technologically advanced and sepcialized products. Hardware satisfying the requirements of professional gamers is developed. Software solutions like ESL Wire (Gaming Client) and ESL Aequitas (Anti-Cheat) are designed specifically for eSportsmen and their needs.

eSports is a social activity
390,000 different teams are active in the Electronic Sports League. They compete to find the best teams and players. ESL Gather, aiming to connect different players for training in teams, is one of the most frequented ESL matchmaking tools.

eSports boosts fitness and teamplay
Clans (the teams) are the foundation of eSports. Fierce rules provide clear regulations in the specific leagues. Professional teams huddle before games for motivational and tactical purposes.

eSports boosts strategic thinking, mental condition and speed of reaction
400 actions per minute for a game length of 30 minutes is the capacity of a modern professional Warcraft 3 player. Every action has a strategic component and it needs to be quicker/ smarter than the opponents. A professional gamer competes in multiple matches in a tournament day. This way even beginners train their strategic thinking, mental condition and speed of reaction.

eSports is a spectator sport
Live on site or on the screen at home: eSports has lots of fans. More than 50,000 spectators visit events of the Electronic Sports League in Germany per year. A multiple of this number watch the tournaments online.

eSports promotes social commitment in honorary posts
More than 1,000 honorary admins are active in the German section of the Electronic Sports League. They act as referees and help organising leagues and cups.

eSports develops management skills
Adolescents organise teams, so called clans, on their own. Sponsors, appointments, tournaments around the world, schedules and team building have to be organised. They learn to act and think globally in different and unknown situations and surroundings.

The eSports market is growing
The number of employes in the company Turtle Entertainment tripled between the beginning of 2006 and 2008. More than 130 people operate the Electronic Sports League from their main offices in Cologne, Germany. About 10,000 gamers register in the ESL per month. The overall revenue of the videogame industry is estimated to be at 48 billion US Dollars in 2008.

Jens Hilgers, founder and CEO of Turtle Entertainment GmbH