Esports flourish five years after pandemic, but industry still faces unique challenges

The year 2020 was unlike any other.

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and suddenly nothing was the same.

Masks became mandatory, social distancing was enforced and stepping outside felt like a last resort. While most aspects of daily life suffered, a select few thrived.

Of these rare quarantine successes, one of the most prominent was esports. As the worlds of business, education and even traditional sports struggled to stay afloat, the esports industry found itself in the midst of its own perfect storm. The lockdown forced people to turn toward technology and the internet more than ever, which put esports in a prime position for growth.

Consumer spending on video games, gaming hardware, software and accessories reached a record high of $10