NBN fuels jobs growth for Australian esports industry as faster speeds give players a level playing field

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Australia's competitive video game industry is experiencing significant growth due to the high speeds of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Despite criticisms of the network's power, rollout and cost, gamers across the country say it has been a major win for those with access.

According to Australia Esports Association (AEA) president Darren Kwan, lightning-fast network speeds were absolutely critical for most esport players.

"The NBN has started levelling out that playing field where more and more players are able to actually equalise what that speed is when they're connecting, making it a bit more of a fair playing field," he said.

"Every split second reaction counts too, whether you're going to win or lose."

Mr Kwan said the network rollout had provided more opportunities for players to train and compete online, leading to financial growth in the wider esports industry.

"The opportunities for prize money is going up as more commerce has flown through the ecosystem," he said.

In May, Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Sydney 2018 became one of Australia's biggest esports tournaments on record, with 16 teams competing for a $310,000 prize pool in Counter Strike: Global Offensive.

"Salaries and wages are increasing for players and their support staff, coaches and managers," Mr Kwan said.

Work hard, play hard

The vast majority of esports competitors are hobbyists, travelling on weekends to tournaments that often cost more than prospective earnings, even if they win.

While NBN connections have not allowed players to compete exclusively via the internet, they have provided an increased capacity to train online with better competition.

Jayden Tuhaiwai has travelled throughout Australia to compete in tournaments for more than a year.

After struggling to train with an ADSL connection in Perth, his fibre-to-the-premises upgrade allowed him to train online.

"It [NBN] had a really big impact for me, because not being able to test my full abilities with other people is really hard, and there's only so far you can go just practicing by yourself," he said.

"Having NBN to challenge not only your friends online but other people is a really good way to get a head start."

After being knocked out in the early stages of a Melbourne tournament last year, Mr Tuhaiwai returned home just as the NBN was rolled out in his area.

"I went to practice, got to work, came back to 2018 Battle Arena Melbourne and placed 49th in that tournament out of 230 players," he said.

"Top Australian players and even some international names were there as well.

"It was a really, really big step for me, and it can only go up from here on now.

"[Poor internet] greatly impacts your ability to play, your ability to learn. No-one really wants that online. We're here to win."

Benefits felt across industry

Improved network speed has benefitted more than just players, with esports broadcasting jobs also being supported by the rollout.

Live-streamer Micheal Roberts commentates for Heroes Global Championship ANZ, Australia's premier league for Heroes of the Storm, one of the biggest esports in the world.

The stay-at-home dad contributes to a live broadcast once a week from his spare room in Geraldton, 400km north of Perth in WA's midwest.

He said the new network had made his dream job a reality.

"I'm really fortunate that I've got fibre to the premises, so I've got the best quality internet you can get in Australia. It's huge. It's massive."

Geraldton's NBN rollout began in late 2013.

Although online players demand high-performance internet to play, producers and commentators broadcasting matches require even faster speeds due to the demanding requirements of live-streaming.

"Without the NBN, I would have struggled in regional WA to do something like this," Mr Roberts said.

He said sustained growth in Australia's esports industry would increase his workload in the near future.

"I would definitely love to one day be able to be a full-time presenter, putting in all the extra hours and effort in a paid capacity," he said.

"Being able to wake up in the morning and do this, as opposed to trying to semi-provide now for my family."

Gamers making use of services provided

Despite the benefits of the rollout for Australian esports, NBN has been critical of gaming's heavy toll on network bandwidth.

Last month NBN chief executive Bill Morrow told a parliamentary committee online gamers and live-streamers were bottlenecking networks.

Mr Morrow also suggested that a fair use policy, which would cap data usage for gamers, could ease congestion.

But Mr Kwan said gamers were simply making use of the services provided, and consolidated internet speeds had stimulated Australia's stake in the gig economy.

"If you build the road and people start using it, don't be upset," he said.

"We've built the infrastructure that supports our citizens, our people, in being entrepreneurial, creative and engaging in a lot of the activities that everyone else in the world is doing, especially when we talk about advanced economies, which we aspire to be.

"They're quite empowered by what the NBN offers."

Topics: internet-technology, extreme-sports, games-industry-professional-gaming, games-industry, games---other, internet-culture, sydney-2000, geraldton-6530, perth-6000