eSport needs more space and is therefore supported

The number of members of eSports clubs will grow significantly in the near future. The space requirements of individual clubs and departments in popular sports will thus continue to rise.

These are the central results of a bachelor thesis on user requirements planning in electronic sports, or eSport for short. This was developed as part of a cooperation between Drees & Sommer and the eSport-Bund Deutschland e.V. (eSports Association Germany). (ESBD).

The aim of the project cooperation was to record the space and user requirements in eSport for the first time within the framework of scientific work. The results should help the newly emerging, but also the established eSport clubs and departments to structure their space requirements and plan them for the long term. In addition, they serve to create further foundations for the promotion of eSports.

In March 2018, the German government included the goal of recognizing eSports as a sport in its coalition agreement. At the same time, various sports associations, municipalities, and operators of stadiums and arenas are intensively discussing the position of eSports in the German sports system. The number of eSports players organized in clubs is increasing overall.
Nevertheless, the need for premises for eSports users within mass sports has not yet been scientifically assessed. For this reason, Drees & Sommer and the ESBD supported Nils Hegger, a student of industrial engineering at the Jade Hochschule Oldenburg, with his bachelor thesis.

An important basis for spatial planning

The central result: Due to the growing number of members of eSports clubs, the demand for space will also increase significantly in the near future. In order to find out which rooms are suitable and necessary for eSport mass sports, the entire spatial infrastructure of an eSport clubhouse was presented in the final thesis by means of a room book.
It contains, for example, information about the space requirements for eSports clubs and departments of mass sports that arise as a function of the number of members and how they are met. This scientific recording not only provides an important basis for the spatial planning of the eSports clubs but also specifies the framework for the integration of eSports in the promotion of municipalities and federal states.

“The future of eSport also lies in its regionalization. Our aim is to create social and meeting spaces in eSports that bring people together online and offline. The available results create the necessary basis for such a development. From this, good instructions for action can be created for the local area”, says Hans Jagnow, President of the eSport-Bund Deutschland e.V..

Founded in 2017, the association supports organized eSports in Germany, defines central positions and requirements of eSports and promotes the further development of the sport. For the bachelor thesis, the ESBD made its know-how and its contacts to clubs, organizers and politicians available for the survey.

Increasing demand for suitable space and real estate

“Digital change and the growing importance of eSports are increasingly challenging the sports industry. A few years ago, the focus was on technology and digital infrastructure, but now the demand for suitable space and real estate is increasing. Demand analyses and defined space requirements create an important basis for this,” says Arne Sebastian Fritz, Head of Sports and Entertainment at Drees & Sommer SE.

As an industry partner, Drees & Sommer’s “Sports and Entertainment” industry team supported its bachelor students in construction and real estate issues and shared its experience from a large number of projects.
The consulting and project management company is currently involved in various stadium and arena projects. The most prominent international project is the conversion of the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, which Drees & Sommer support in the areas of sustainability management and certification.