If any industry has undergone an enormous transformation in recent decades, it is eSports. Gone are the neighborhood “Street Fighter” tournaments or the ‘dotera’ nights in internet booths to become multimillion-dollar industries that move the hearts, eyes and wallets of hundreds of millions of fans around the globe.
Peru is no stranger to this revolution and also saw explosive growth in the field of electronic sports in recent years. However, it is a long way from achieving its potential, as a recent book “The E-sports Ecosystem” that analyzes the state of this industry has pointed out.
The Commerce spoke with the authors of this research, Rodrigo Vasquez Coleridge y Leandro Gómez Torres, who wrote the book with the dual purpose of being an entry point for those interested in this dynamic field and as a reference point so that its veterans can deepen their understanding in still turbulent times.
Vásquez Coleridge noted that the country experienced an unprecedented boom in tournaments, teams and prizes during the years of confinement, driven by the increase in audience and the influx of capital, a trend that was also seen on a global scale. However, with the return to normality “money from sponsorships and broadcasts began to go away little by little” and many projects “went bankrupt for economic reasons.”
“The return to normality led to this investment disappearing little by little, and those who survive now are those who are better supported”, indicates the researcher. “There are new interests in eSports, but not with such abundant money, but with more economic sense.”
Despite this reduction in investment in eSports, it is an industry worth investing in and in which Peru is particularly positioned to stand out internationally, including the skill of its players.
According to Leandro Gómez, one of the factors that turned Peru into fertile land for eSports was the cultural ecosystem that was formed around internet booths in the 2000s. Games like “Dota” They grew organically in those spaces, where constant competition raised the level of local players.
/
“Peru has a natural talent in Dota. By not depending on large clubs or professional structures, it was the players themselves who set the bar higher,” he explains. “Many international teams recognize the natural talent of the Peruvian player to be constant in his own training and take the difficulty to another level.”
An example of the potential of Peruvian players is their recent gold medal at the Bolivarian Games for “Dota 2” or the victory of the Peru Unite team in the “Pokémon Unite” world championship last August.
The researcher warned that this community development should not be glorified or sanctified and also had a negative side, since the absence of a regulatory body generated significant deficiencies in professionalism and discipline of the Peruvian players.
The challenge: professionalization and legitimacy
The creation of the Peruvian Esports Sports Federation, recognized around 2024, has sought to fill that institutional void. According to Vásquez, although it is “too early” to evaluate their performance, steps have already been taken such as the organization of university tournaments, participation in the Bolivarian Games and efforts to join international federations.
“We are in a moment of transition from informality to professionalization,” he details. But he warns that the federation or a similar entity must achieve something that until now has been elusive: articulate all the actors in the ecosystem and build a common vision that allows negotiating directly with the publishers – the companies that own the video games – who in reality “are the economic engines of the global industry.”
Both specialists agree that the growth potential is significant, But it will depend on the country overcoming structural problems such as informality and lack of professionalism, in addition to overcoming generational prejudices about video games that limit the scope of eSports.
“Video games are no longer just entertainment, but they are also tools to develop skills and are a business,” says Gómez. But he emphasizes that without discipline, without a country brand and without a collective strategy “any progress will fall like dominoes.”
And it is important because some estimates put the global revenue generated by eSports at US$10.9 billion by 2032, a sum that could benefit Peru, but only if the ecosystem advances in coordination, infrastructure is built for large events and international publishers are attracted to bet on the country.
“The know-how exists,” Vásquez emphasizes. “There is experience in audiovisual production, tournament organization and competitive talent. What is missing is unity, a vision of the future and an articulated work that turns Peru into a regional epicenter of eSports”.
Presentation of the book “The E-sports ecosystem”
Date: Saturday December 6
Place: Aula Magna – Campus UPC Villa
Moderator: Nathaly Montoya
Panelists: Rodrigo Vásquez, Leandro Gómez (authors) and Josué Ferrando (director of communications and Marketing of the Peruvian Esports Federation).