So, Which Companies Profit from eSports?

Riot Games
It seems as if the companies that produce eSports games haul in the most revenue. Riot Games is the creator of the famous League of Legends (LoL), which has over 85 million players worldwide. After assessing the exploding popularity behind eSports, Riot Games quickly formed their own league for LoL players to compete in. The League of Legends Championship Series is currently in its fifth season. The events have been hosted at major sports venues such as Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center. Last year, their world championship finals attracted 27 million viewers.

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Surprisingly, Riot Games doesn’t profit directly from the LoL Championship series. The company invests in eSports rather than profiting from the games. For example, the Chinese Internet company Tencent Holdings bought a majority stake from Riot Games for a price of $400 million.

Other Gaming Companies
Just as Spalding would profit from an increase in basketball players, the gaming companies are getting a steady flow of revenue from this new fad. The high sums of money at stake for some of these tournaments is incentivizing players around the world to invest heavily in the games that they love. When these games become eSports, they become more than just video games — they become a profitable competition. As a result, this adds an extra incentive for players to spend lots of time and money improving their skills.

Brands and Sponsorships
Just like professional athletic sports, sponsorships are a big part of the revenue associated with eSports. eSports have become increasingly popular to watch online. As a result, several companies are taking advantage of this marketing scheme. Just as LeBron James is sponsored by Nike, several big companies such as Red Bull are sponsoring talented eSports gamers to help improve the marketing of their brand.

Get to Know Your Friends
Miitomo gives you the chance to learn fun facts about your friends and learn the answers to interesting questions that might not ever naturally pop up in conversation. The platform is built around answering random icebreaker questions and conversation starters that are only shared with people you’ve added as friends. Questions range from silly (“What’s your favorite thing about cats?”) to somewhat serious (“What’s the most daring thing you have done?”), and are sometimes a little reminiscent of a marketing survey (“How often do you buy a new cellphone?”). You might even learn a little something about yourself!

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When your friends come to visit your avatar and vice versa, you are sometimes prompted to answer questions specifically about them. For example, your friend’s Mii might ask you what you think about them or who you think they’re crushing on. Answers to these questions are kept private between you and your friend.

What’s the Scoop?
Miitomo rewards you for chatting with your friends. Literally. Talk to your friend’s avatars and reply to their answers to earn coins, game tickets, and complete missions. You can even get creative and post photo replies using their Miis, special backgrounds, and props. The more friends you add, the higher your popularity score will be and the more cool prizes you’ll earn.

The app will show you how many questions your friend has answered and how many of those you’ve seen. There’s a limit to how much your friends will spill each day, so if you’re hoping to get juicy gossip or just want to be nosey, you’ll have to bribe them with candy.

Show Off Your Fun Side
Answering questions isn’t the only way to show off your personality. Dress your avatar in silly costumes or show off the rare accessories you’ve won from Miitomo drop, a plinko-like arcade game. Special Miitomo drop events are active for a limited time, keeping the game exciting. Sometimes events coincide with real-life events or Nintendo game releases.

1. Clash of Clans

Build up battalions of soldiers to raid other users’ villages, and defend your own clans from enemy onslaught. If you download this intense strategy game, prepare for your life to have two stages: before downloading Clash of Clans, and after downloading Clash of Clans. Out of all the intensely addicting Android games out there, Clash of Clans definitely takes the cake. You’ve been warned!

2. Bloons TD 5

The Bloons franchise has been one of our favorites, and many users were playing this game long before they got their smartphones. You may have played the Bloons flash games online, but Bloons TD 5 is a totally different beast. Until you try it, you have no idea how insanely addictive it is to assemble teams of dart-throwing monkeys to pop armies of enemy balloons. There is something deeply satisfying about building up an impenetrable defense of weaponized monkey-towers, and watching hoards of balloons disintegrate beneath you.

3. Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes

Last December, the release of the latest Star Wars film nearly overshadowed the Christmas season altogether, with many of us downloading the Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes app, and becoming gleefully hooked. This game uses a turn-based fighting system that pits different characters from the Star Wars universe against each other in battle.

Unlocking new characters for your squad can be a slow grind for non-paying players, so although the game is initially free to download, many users find themselves spending much more money in the app than they’d like to admit. If you’re looking to start an intense, love/hate relationship with a mobile game, we suggest giving Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes a try. Looking for other Star Wars apps? We got you covered.

4. Angry Birds 2

A simple game where birds are flung at pigs in fortresses has become such a widespread craze that it was recently made into an animated feature film. We definitely love this game, but had no clue it would become such a phenomenon. If you’ve never loaded up a slingshot with explosive blue jays, and fired them at a tower full of armored pigs, download Angry Birds 2 immediately. See for yourself why this oddly addictive game took the world by storm.

Get Your Head in the Game

If you ignore our warnings, and spend all day binging on Clash of Clans, your device is going to  need a breather. Use PSafe TOTAL’s CPU cooler to prevent your phone from overheating when you can’t rip yourself away from the game. Know any other gaming apps you just can’t stop playing? Share them with us in the comments below.