Recommendations
🗣️ "Esports is like a good storyline in a game - once it hooks you, you're lost. For me, it's a mix of emotion, strategy and sometimes total chaos... but the good kind, like in the final minutes of a CS2 match or during extra time in EA Sports FC."
"I enjoy watching the worlds of gaming and marketing collide - sometimes gently, sometimes like a headshot without warning. I've been following the CS scene since Source, but lately I've been returning more often to sports titles as well. After hours, I like to fire up Cyberpunk, put on something twisted like 'Black Mirror', or pick up a good sci-fi book."
Education
Edward Harcourt is a graduate in Business Management and Marketing from university. He claims that's where he realised good strategies always work - in matches and in campaigns alike.
The modules he enjoyed most were brand communication and consumer psychology. These subjects still inspire him when analysing how esports teams build their image. He also participated in several workshops on digital marketing and trends in the gaming industry. He values education that provides concrete tools whilst leaving room for personal style.
Expertise
For Edward, esports is above all an ecosystem - something complex and full of interdependencies. He says analysing this industry is a bit like playing an RTS. You need to think broadly, consider resources and reaction times.
He devotes most attention to how brands enter esports, how players build their communities and what actually works on viewers. Edward dismantles statistics into their components and searches for patterns and breakthrough moments. His closest topics include:
- Image strategies of esports organisations
- Gaming community dynamics
- Tournament analysis (CS2, Valorant, EA FC)
- Marketing in the streaming environment
- The role of emotion in viewing experiences