Dark partnerships in gaming & esports

2020 (queue horrifying flashbacks) was a year that many industries may want to forget- many industries other than the buoyant esports industry. Whilst many of us were locked down involuntarily, gaming seemed to jump to the aid of many individuals. 

It wasn't just playing either, there was a major influx in the amount of people watching gaming streams and esports. To put this into perspective, the esports audience grew by 7% in 2020 alone. 

More recently, a Spanish Twitch streamer by the name of TheGrefg saw the record broken for the most amount of concurrent viewers (with an astounding 2.4 million people) for his Fortnite skin reveal. 

Nickmercs (a well known Twitch streamer with almost five million followers) has also started to think of innovative ways to build his online streaming audience. This includes the creation of gym workout streams and the watching of NFL games.

So what is a dark partnership?

This is the idea that esports (or any other industry for that matter) may inherit 'bad' brand sponsorship or advertising. The utilisation of the word 'bad' does not describe the manner in which companies conduct their business, rather the inherent qualities of the products they sell and the negative connotations associated with them. 

For example, Mountain Dew Game Fuel often aligns itself to gaming due to its 
ability to 'increase concentration' whilst gaming, however, the drink characteristically has a high caffeine/sugar content, leading to a detrimental impact on blood sugar level and increasing the likelihood of developing diabetes. 

As for McDonald's, professional esports teams are partnering with the fast food chain to be provided with meals whilst gaming. Obviously I don't need to explain in too much detail about the potentially harmful effects of continuous consumption of highly salty and saturated foods on health- you get the gist!

Are dark partnerships harmful for the gaming industry?

As far as building a lasting legacy goes- these dark partnerships are not entirely terrible for the building of a economically sound industry. But from an ethical standpoint, questions do surround the decision to align these brands that promote unhealthy eating habits to games that are often played or streamed to younger audiences.

Recently, League of Legends (LoL) also saw a partnership form with Bud Light that will see the implementation of innovative virtual tailgates for older audiences. However, this could be a questionable decision for the online battle game, considering that LoL is pitched at gamers from the age of 11+.

For brands, esports may be an impactful way to target hard to reach audiences (often considered generation Z). It should also be considered that these brands are looking to gaming as a method to continually rejuvenate their brand identity and image. The utilisation of gaming and technology to promote products may give businesses more innovative ideas for activations and brand communication. 

By appealing to this growing esports/gaming market- brands are able to add a modern, unique and fast-paced streak to what are sometimes considered stale business models. As we continue to find ourselves struggling to return to normality, the gaming/esports industry can only continue to go from strength to strength.