The gaming industry has matured a lot in the last couple of years, from a business perspective, health and wellness, and social awareness space. How society sees gamers has also changed; the idea of a lonely young kid with poor social skills playing in a basement has been thoroughly debunked. 

Gaming has shown that the space is about the community more than about the games being played. Several games are now functioning more like social media platforms than games themselves. Many of these and other positive aspects of the industry are not being divulged enough, and our special guest, John Davidson, joins us today to talk about it.

John Davidson is the host of the DLC Drop Podcast, Founder and CEO of the Davidson Learning Company, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Esports Trade Association, a thought leader, and a guru of the gaming industry. 

We dive into the pros and cons of an industry run by young people from a community, marketing, and business opportunities perspective and the structural difference between the traditional sports space and esports. We discuss the lack of exposure to positive aspects of gaming, like teamwork, conflict resolution, direct contact with several art forms, like music, design, and storytelling. John also shares his thoughts on the maturing process he witnessed in the industry, the importance of allowing more room for healthy habits and wellness in the space, and the self-reflecting and problem-solving personality of the community.  

Resources:

Visit the Davidson Learning Company website: https://www.dlcyouth.com/

Listen to the DLC Drop podcast: https://esportsfpn.com/show/the-dlc-drop-podcast/

or connect with John on social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-davidson-42953846/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/J0hnDavids0n?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Full Episode Breakdown:

1:03 – John talks about how he joined the gaming industry.

4:35 – John talks about the structural difference between the traditional sports and esports industry.

5:25 – John describes some of the most significant transformations he witnessed in the gaming space since he joined the industry.

8:49 – Gary and John discuss the pros and cons of the gaming industry being run by young people.

12:46 – Gary and John reflect on the imminent inclusion of meditation practices into the gaming space and the positive impact of instilling wellness and healthy habits in gamers’ routines.

17:06 – Gaming is communal. Gary and John analyze the communal aspect of gaming that most brands seem to ignore or pay little attention to. 

23:21 – Gary talks about the fundamental propositions of the gaming industry and shares his thoughts on why publishers don’t talk about them enough.

27:26 – If you are not ready to cannibalize your business, someone else will. John talks about the repeated cycle of companies that reach the top and fail to pivot when they have to.