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Throughout the world, e-sports are taking off as an alternative to traditional video games, heightened by the steep increase in digitisation that the world is currently witnessing. eSports began in the late 2000s as amateur engagements and have risen to popularity in the last decade; transitioning into professional, organised multiplayer tournaments with huge followings.

Purchasing a vehicle is a crucial decision that a consumer makes. Commonly such a decision-making process starts with the financial aspects of the purchase in consideration. Then where does the consideration of automobile safety features come in the process? How much importance does a consumer give to safety ratings before purchasing a vehicle? This is especially important in developing markets where automobile safety standards are only now improving and several safety features are generally not offered as a standard option, making consumer knowledge and decision-making all the more critical.

The incredible growth of esports viewership

The global esports industry, already on a healthy growth trajectory, has witnessed a massive surge in interest among its audience. According to one report, esports had a global audience of 398 million in 2019, which is expected to reach nearly 600 million by 2024. In the first quarter of 2021 alone, 8.8 billion hours of live streams were viewed by enthusiasts and casual audience combined.

In an ideal world, the topic of automobile safety standards would be a non-contentious one, with the highest possible universal safety standards across all vehicle segments. Unfortunately, vehicle safety standards have been lower than desired in several developing countries for a long time.

Recent car purchases low in South Africa and Kenya

Not surprisingly, the incidence of car purchases has not been high in the last two years. In South Africa, 43% of consumers surveyed have bought a new car while in Kenya this number is much lower, at 26%. However, Nigeria goes against this grain, with nearly two-thirds of inhabitants having bought a new car in the last two years, despite Covid and the effects that its global lockdown has had on consumer spend.

Almost two-thirds of consumers globally have become more health- and hygiene-conscious as a result of the pandemic. The Middle East certainly leads this trend with over three-quarters of Saudi and UAE consumers feeling an increased awareness of the need to look after their physical well-being.