Playgroundz: The Leisure Economy rises with mobile esports, female gamers, and influencers

Most gamers dream about being Ninja, a video gamer who became the No. 1 social “influencer” in sports — beating out Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Lionel Messi, and LeBron James — by playing Fortnite, earning on average $400,000 to $500,000 a day. That’s the crest of the Leisure Economy, or the economic change that comes as people get paid to play games.Playgroundz, a video game data analytics and research platform described as a “Google” for video games, has taken a deeper dive into this phenomenon with its Leisure Economy Research Study, developed in tandem with video game database API, Internet Game Data Base (IGDB), and video game market research company NPD Group. This reinforces one of our themes for the GamesBeat Summit 2019, which takes place on April 23–24 in Los Angeles.The study’s findings reveal data showing the evolution and reasons behind the rise of professional gamer compensation, the impact of changing demographics on the gaming landscape, and a future outlook for esports and influencers. Some of these people are rarities, or the tip of the Leisure Economy, as they’re often celebrities who draw more attention and money than the masses.