Survey: eSports fans are a small (but overwhelmingly male) demographic

This week the Nielsen market research firm published results from online surveys of over 2,000 men and women ages 13 and up, which suggest that eSports fans are overwhelmingly male and account for just under 10 percent of those surveyed.

That's a notably niche accounting of a segment of the game industry that's rapidly being pushed into the mainstream as revenues from eSports games and events continue to climb.

It also lends credence to the mission of eSports diversity initiatives like AnyKey, which was founded by Intel and the ESL earlier this year in a bid to support underrepresented communities of competitive game players.

Among the other interesting findings from Nielsen's research (which we also reported on yesterday, noting how it suggested that console fans are marching towards mobile games) is the age profile of self-identifying eSports fans: The majority, 51 percent, are younger than 35 but older than teenagers, an age bracket Nielsen brands as the "Millennials." 12 percent of eSports fans are teens, and the rest -- 37 percent -- are 35 or older.

You can read more insights from the Nielsen research over on its official blog. If you're interested in obtaining a copy of the report, which includes more survey data on everything from VR to mobile games, you can also email Nielsen's Peter Roithmayr.