GAME ON

Stepping into the Blizzard Arena can be a surreal experience. Converted from the original studio for The Tonight Show in Burbank, California, it’s now a state-of-the-art sports stadium for a new kind of athlete: professional video game players.

Fans flock from all over the world to watch contests in both Overwatch League and Heroes of the Storm Global Championship – two of the most popular platforms in esports – and cheer on their favourite teams in person. Launched in December 2017, the place still smells new – and every inch of it has been designed to mirror a mainstream sports organisation, from the merchandise store in the lobby to the gleaming trophy cabinets upstairs.

Inside the main stage, beneath a massive glowing halo, teams of six take up either side of the stage. Each player wears a headset, their face enlarged on a screen in front of their own monitor, their assigned character illustrated on an even bigger screen behind them (complete with performance stats). Every move is tracked not only by live commentary in various languages but by a control room of producers picking out key moments to be dissected by a panel of analysts. All the while, fans clack their thunder sticks – cacophonous strips of inflatable plastic