Ex-pro video gamer explains why e-sports are so much more accessible than regular sports

AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File

In this May 11, 2014 file photo, fans watch the opening ceremony of the League of Legends season 4 World Championship Final between South Korea against China's Royal Club, in Paris.

US video game makers brought in about $2.6 billion in revenue back in 1996, but that number had skyrocketed to $21 billion by 2013.

The video game industry has obviously seen explosive growth, and an ex-professional StarCraft player and current Twitch star named Sean Plott has a theory about why.

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It all starts with accessibility.

In many ways, video games have democratized sports. Anyone, big or small, can join in and, with enough practice, compete with the best of them. That accessibility, Plott told Business Insider, is going to push video games and e-sports to become one of, if not "the predominant hobby in the world."

"It is only natural for [the industry] to grow from here," Plott said. "Accessibility drives traffic and growth in technology. That's a proven trend in technology."

For many kids, video games today are just more accessible than traditional sports.

"If you want to play soccer, you need a huge field," Plott said. "If you want to play football, you need armor! If you want to play squash, you need a court. If you want to play a video game, all you need is a computer and an internet connection."

P Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File

The teams of China's Royal Club, left, and South Korea's SK Telecom T1 compete at the League of Legends Season 3 World Championship Final in Los Angeles.

Let's say you like basketball, Plott explained. One day, you decide to watch one of the few games that makes it to national television. One of the more popular teams is on - the Cleveland Cavaliers - and you see Lebron James do an incredible dunk.

His dunk inspires you to play a game of pick-up basketball. To act on that desire, you must first find a basketball court at a park, change into gym clothes and sneakers, get a basketball, and, finally, convince a few friends to play.

If any of those things fall through - say your friends don't want to play or the court at the park is occupied - you are out of luck, according to Plott.