The Golden Age of Esports Players: Age, Prize Distributions, and Competitive Lifespans From 1997 to 2023.

This article analyzes the relationship between player age and prize money earnings in esports using a comprehensive dataset of 259,522 tournament records and 50,441 players across 201 games from 1997 to 2023. It finds that peak earnings typically occur around 21.2 years of age but vary significantly by game genre, platform, and historical era, with faster-paced genres like Battle Royale and Sports peaking earlier (around 19 years) and strategy-heavy games like MOBAs peaking later (around 21–23 years). The study also shows that the professionalization of esports and growth in prize pools have expanded the competitive window, allowing older players—especially in PC-based games—to sustain longer careers compared to earlier periods. These findings highlight the short competitive lifespan of esports players relative to traditional sports and underscore the need for enhanced support systems to improve career longevity and financial stability within the esports industry.