Esports The Focus At First-Ever ONE:IGNITE Webinar Series
Attendees across the region gathered from their own homes at the inaugural webinar edition of the ONE:IGNITE series which was kicked off by CEO of ONE Esports, Carlos Alimurung.
More than 300 industry leaders and professionals signed up for the hour-long session, which covered key topics focusing on the esports community, partnerships, and some of the big industry challenges that marketers and brands face in today’s economic climate.
In case you missed it, feel free to watch the replay here.
Attendees also got to engage with Alimurung through the Interactive Polls and Live Q&A session that were set up as part of the webinar.
Here is a quick recap of some of the top questions asked at the webinar, and Alimurung’s personal response to them.
Q: Given COVID-19, more fans from stick and ball sports are consuming esports. How do you plan to retain those fans once we’re past the current situation?
Carlos Alimurung: ONE Esports’ mission is to unleash esports heroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams, and inspiration. Everyone on the ONE Esports team believes in that mission because we’re all esports evangelists, and because compelling storytelling is what broadens the esports tent.
The Olympics is a great example of how storytelling expands and retains its audience. I don’t follow track and field. However, I can guarantee you that I’ll watch track and field at the next Olympics. Why? It’s because the stories of the athletes are incredibly inspiring and motivational. We do the same thing at ONE Esports. If you check out oneesports.gg, you will see how we strive to tell the greatest achievements, crushing defeats, discipline, courage, and perseverance of esports heroes.
We firmly believe that compelling storytelling is the key to opening esports to all the people who appreciate the struggle and achievements of athletes, regardless of the sport.
Q: What advice do you have for someone who has no esports background and is interested in working in the esports space?
CA: Like most things in life, hard work, resilience, and creativity are the keys. All emerging and exciting spaces are difficult to break into. The difference between the ones who get in and those who don’t, in many instances, is the willingness to break personal barriers to reach the goals that we set for ourselves.
It can be a grind to get into esports. The individuals who are in esports typically did several of the following things:
- They networked with as many people in esports as they could. They went to conferences. They attended webinars. They engaged on Reddit, Discord, and online forums. They kept up with all the industry news and developments.
- They explored the breadth of esports but specialized quickly. They realized that esports is multi-faceted. They went deep into 1-2 game titles and its communities. They focused on 1-2 functions or capabilities within the value chain of esports. The more they could show their knowledge, depth, and passion for a specific vertical in esports, the more successful they were.
- They didn’t give up!
Q: Do you play online games?
CA: Of course! I’m big into Magic the Gathering. I play at least a few hands online on Arena every night. I love the depth and complexity of the game. Presently, I’m playing a mono-red aggro deck. I love going straight to the face! And, of course, as a 44-year-old, the game doesn’t require me to have great eye-hand coordination!
