A new survey from UK-based research firm YouGov has revealed that nearly four million people in the UK have watched e-sports.
The report, titled Just a game? Understanding the existing and future e-sports market in the UK, found that seven per cent of UK adults have watched competitive video gaming, while 57 per cent are keen to do so again.
However, just 10 per cent of UK adults polled said that e-sports constituted a “real sport”.
The YouGov research covers six markets worldwide and found that younger people are the keenest spectators with 21 per cent of 18-24 year olds in the UK having watched e-sports, compared to fewer than one per cent of people aged over 55.
The research shows that eight per cent of those surveyed are interested in watching e-sports at some point in the future.
However, the UK lags behind other markets when it comes to viewer figures. In China, 45 per cent of adults with internet access have watched e-sports while in the US, the figure is 12 per cent, and in Germany 11 per cent.
Chris Polechonski, researcher at YouGov, said: “While this research shows that e-sports is still very much a minority pursuit in this country, there is a sizable chunk of the population that the industry can use as a base from which to grow.
“A solid proportion of existing spectators are reasonably enthusiastic about watching again and the scale of viewership in China and the US show how it could develop in this country in the coming years if certain barriers can be broken down.”
