The second edition of Round One, the Italian event dedicated to the world of esports organized by IIDEA e Ninetynine. The 5 and 6 October, the Turin OGR it was the setting for a series of meetings, talks and panels all dedicated to esports, to better understand its nature, difficulties, developments and opportunities. Although this phenomenon has now established itself on an international scale, Italy is only recently starting to approach this world.
We had the pleasure of participating in Round One and we are here to tell you how it went.
What is Round One?
During the two days of the duration of the event (too few!), On the stages of Round One they were held over 20 talk e panel which have seen protagonists more than 35 guests and experts in the sector, Italian and foreign. To these have been added over 60 companies willing to arrange business meetings with sponsors and associations to give a further boost to the world of esports. Competitive and professionally organized video games are finally experiencing a huge expansion also in Italy followed by greater consideration by the public, companies and institutions.
The very existence of Round One is an example of this and in fact adds to the long list of initiatives by IIDEA, the trade association of the video game industry in Italy. After two years from the first edition, followed by an edition held online due to the various restrictions, the event is finally back in attendance and has proved to be a precious opportunity to explore interesting topics still to be explored. Publishers, Brands, event organizers and many other professionals, took turns on stage to further raise awareness of eSports and their potential.
However, there is no lack of difficulties and limits still to be overcome, especially from a legislative point of view. In fact, a correct nomenclature is necessary, but it is recognized by the Italian institutions to make esports a real sporting practice. The speed with which the rules and the nature of sports video games change and evolve is in fact inversely proportional to the speed that institutions have to adapt to new developments, requiring more and more extended times. There has been progress with new laws and rules that establish what an esports event in Italy actually is, but the road is still long and constantly evolving.
Italian esports Awards 2021
Round One was also an opportunity to celebrate the Italian Sports Awards 2021, the Italian awards dedicated to the characters and video games of the esports scenario. Seven categories, including Best Italian Team, Best Italian Player and Best Italian esport, competed for the coveted prize. The winners were chosen by the jury composed of Maximilian di Marco (reporter), Ivan Grieco (caster e professional host), Francesco “Deugemo” Lombardo (sports reporter), Filippo Pedrini (Early Stage VC & Senior Business Development di Magnet) e Sara “Kurolily” Stefanizzi (variety streamer). The jury awarded 7 categories in the competition while the public elected the winner for the category People’s Choice: Esports Game of the Year.
On stage, also broadcast live on Twitch, the event awarded the Team Qlash with the prize of Best Italian Team while Riccardo “Reynor”Romiti, world champion of Starcraft 2, wins the award as Best Italian Player. Emiliano “Moonboy”Marini was chosen as Best Italian Caster while the Best Italian Event it’s up to eSerie A Tim. To these awards are also added League of Legends come Best Italian Esports Title, Dario “Moonryde”Ferracci (Fnatic) come Best Italian Content Creator e Machete Gaming come Best Italian Commercial Activation together with McDonald’s with the project McDelivery GGang.
The award chosen by the public like People’s Choice: Esports Game of the Year instead goes to Rainbow Six Siege
The value of esports
Nielsen, Research Partner of Roung One, published a report on the esports sector in Italy at the event. According to the company’s estimates, the economic impact generated by the sector in Italy, which includes impact
direct and indirect economic, amounts to approximately 45 million euros. The direct economic impact of the sector, ie directly linked to employment, is over € 30 million. The indirect economic impact, i.e. that generated by all expenses related to the world of esports, is instead higher than 15 million euros. To these numbers are added those of esports enthusiasts who, again according to Nielsen’s research, amount to about 1,620,000 people
These are impressive numbers considering the young age of the phenomenon which in our country is still taking its first steps. It will still be a long and demanding path but the prospects are more than promising and thanks to events such as Round One, the interest of the public is increasingly growing. We can’t wait to find out what awaits us next year’s edition.