I think it's just good timing now because we have the tech to do it. The demand was always there. Back in 1999 and the early 2000s you could make over $100,000

I think it's just good timing now because we have the tech to do it. The demand was always there. Back in 1999 and the early 2000s you could make over $100,000 if you won a single Quake 3 tournament. Live streaming (with professional commentators) was available back then, but there were no platforms for it so it never caught onto the masses. You had to really be in the know to watch them. But I do remember people being rabid fans and highly engaged back then. Just as much as now, just at a smaller scale. I made a little bit of money playing competitive Quake 3 and helped develop and run the most popular gaming ladder for a certain mod of that game. Good times.