Everyone’s A Gamer: A monthly digest for the gaming and esports curious.

Need to get up to speed on all things gaming and esports? Look no further. Each month, we’ll share a digest of the must-know esports info for those who are curious about engaging with this vibrant global audience of 3.4 billion people.

FROM GAMER TO EXEC, A GAMING CULTURE ORIGIN STORY

When we talk about the rise of esports and gaming, we often talk about full stadiums and seemingly bigger-than-life numbers, like the 3.4 billion active gamers globally, but in this recent Rolling Stone feature, ESL FACEIT Group Co-CEO, Craig Levine, shares anecdotes from his personal experience as a gamer-turned-executive that help illustrate how these three elements have driven the more mainstream rise in popularity and participation of gaming culture: 

• Grassroots Layer of Participation: This begins as childhood gameplay and becomes both more developed and more communal as more advanced players begin entering high school, college and eventually professional competitions. 

• Longevity Sustained Across Generations by Classics and New Releases: Many 40-something adults grew up playing games like Legend of Zelda, Command & Conquer, or Halo, making esports a fandom that may seem overnight, but that has actually been building to the stadium-filling levels we’ve seen at recent 2024 events like Intel® Extreme Masters Cologne, ESL One Birmingham and the Esports World Cup for several decades. 

• Accessible and Global, by Default: Unlike activities like surfing or snowboarding that are also lifelong passions for many, gaming is a more accessible global pastime that players can more easily tap into on a regular basis — just turn on your console after work or take out your phone during your commute, no beach/mountains required!

COMMUNITY IN ACTION, NUMBERS YOU NEED TO KNOW 

So what have these decades of nurturing the gaming community led us to?

Look no further than DreamHack, which is about to kick off in Stockholm from Nov. 22-24, to see the full spectrum of gaming culture on display. For three decades, these three-day-long gaming-lifestyle festivals have brought together tens of thousands of people enjoying all things gaming under one roof — including esports tournaments, immersive gaming experiences, showcases from indie developers, artists, and sneak peeks at cutting-edge gaming technology.

The tl;dr stats snapshot below underlines how gaming culture is entrenched in the very fabric of many people’s lives and social groups today — and is expected to only become a more intertwined and significant cultural mainstay in the years to come.

NAMES YOU NEED TO KNOW

Name: Ana "ANa" Dumbravă

3 Must-Know Facts: 

1. She has won all seven available trophies in ESL Impact, the leading all-women Counter-Strike ecosystem.

2. She has also been marked as the best woman player at the HLTV Awards in 2022 and 2023.

3. She has been featured amongst some of the most iconic Counter-Strike players and personalities in several ESL Shop product launches, including the ESL X Champion Hoodie and the ESL X Champion 2024 Collection.

Where you can see her this month: ESL Impact Season 6 Global Finals at DreamHack Stockholm

Name: Kim "Proper" Dong-hyun

3 Must-Know Facts: 

1. He is widely regarded as the GOAT of the current generation of Overwatch players.

2. He won his first Contenders-level tournament at 14 and is thereby one of the youngest to ever do so.

3. Now, at the age of 20, he has made 25 Major tournament appearances of which he has made it to the top 4 24 times, made it to the Grand Finals 16 times, and won 7 times.

Where you can see him this month: OWCS World Finals at DreamHack Stockholm

Name: Simon “Miniminter” Minter

3 Must-Know Facts: 

1. He rose to fame with his wildly popular FIFA gaming videos and now commands a massive following of over 18M across his five YouTube channels, with his gaming-focused channel alone boasting an impressive 5.5M subscribers.

2. He is part of the Sidemen, a British YouTubers group that came into being about ten years ago; other members of the group include Ethan “Behzinga” Payne, Harry “Wroetoshaw” Lewis, Joshua “Zerkaa” Bradley, Olajide “KSI” Olatunji, Tobit “TBJZL” Brown, and Vikram “Vikkstar123” Barn.

3. He has his own charity –M7 Education– and played in several soccer charity events including Soccer Aid for UNICEF this summer.

Where you can see him this month: DreamHack Stockholm

THE ROAD AHEAD FOR ESPORTS 2024-2025

Follow us on LinkedIn for on-the-ground updates, deep dive audience insights and more from these major esports moments and many others.

DreamHack Stockholm 

• 🎮 Diverse gaming and esports competitions including the ESL Impact Global Finals in Counter-Strike 2 and the OWCS World Finals in Overwatch

• 📍 Live in the Stockholmsmässan in Stockholm, Sweden 

• 📅 November 22-24

• ℹ️ Official Website

ESL One Bangkok 

• 🎮 Dota 2 

• 📍 Bangkok, Thailand; the final three days will be live from the Paragon Hall

• 📅 December 9-15

• ℹ️ Official Website

LATAM Snapdragon Mobile Challenge 2024

• 🎮 EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile

• 📍 Live in Komplexo Tempo in São Paulo, Brazil

• 📅 December 14-15

• ℹ️ Official Website

IEM Katowice 2025

• 🎮 Counter-Strike 2 

• 📍 Katowice, Poland; the final three days will be live from the Spodek Arena

• 📅 January 29-February 9

• ℹ️ Official Website