interview
Patrick Mahoney We Are Nations The emergence of esports in pop culture AUTHOR Adam Fitch @byadamfitch
sports and gaming are converging with other entertainment and leisure sectors and, slowly but surely, they’re making their way into pop culture. From in-game concerts performed by popular DJs to celebrities investing in esports organisations, the lines are blurring more and more as time goes on.
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To discuss this interesting intersection of entertainment, we sat down with Patrick Mahoney, CEO of We Are Nations. With past experience in the music industry and now clothing a healthy portion of those in esports, he’s in a great position to observe this happening. 20
The Esports Journal: You have a lot of experience in the music industry. What do you make of the crossover between music and esports, and why do you think this crossover is occurring? Patrick Mahoney: For the same reasons there was a connection between action sports and music in the 1990’s, everyone who is participating in the esports ecosystem wants to put their mark on the entirety of the culture. The classic 1990’s example, of course, is The Vans Warped Tour. At the time, for those first few years, it might as well have been a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, because it worked so well.
