For all those professionals out there wondering why being an expert in something like Microsoft Excel — considered mundane by millions globally — is part of many a job description, here's something to chew on. On December 10, the Microsoft Excel World Championship 2023 was held at the HyperX Esports Arena in Las Vegas, with 16 whizzes from the tech world battling it out as part of the Financial Modeling World Cup.
After solving multiple puzzles with spreadsheets, it was Andrew Ngai who outlasted his competition to emerge as the winner. He notched 970 points, almost 200 more than the second-placed Michael Jarman, with the efforts of these specialists helping the event do 1.1K Hours Watched, 483 Peak Viewers, and 359 Average Viewers. The official VOD on YouTube also has 23.2K views, showing there is a market for such left-field or experimental events in today's online sphere.
While these numbers may not seem earth-shattering on first viewing, the point is not to harp on about how many viewers it attracted. Instead, it is interesting that such unique, niche tournaments that many would never have thought would be feasible are now attracting participants from the world over and are being telecast live on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and ESPN.
The content market today has never been more diverse, meaning audiences are pretty much spoilt for choice at any given point in time. In such times, coming up with a concept as wonderfully bizarre as a competition based on expertise in Microsoft Excel is a pretty bold move, and to see it succeed is even better.
In fact, as part of the overall package for this competition, the FMWC also hosts the namesake Financial Modeling World Cup, where specialists test 'their financial skills by solving real-life case studies and building financial models.' There is even a prize pool of $25,000, meaning it is lucrative in terms of financial rewards and the reach it gets on air.
There's also a Collegiate Challenge where university students can compete against each other for free and stand a chance of winning $30,000. Moreover, they can 'improve their Excel skills, gain recognition from top companies around the world, and get a chance to meet other young professionals.'
With so much happening, it is no wonder that companies and sponsors are flocking to such tournaments and organizers for a piece of the pie on offer. Perhaps they have an inkling that the future of content and live broadcasting will involve such unique concepts and events, leading them to try and jump on the bandwagon before it 'goes mainstream.'
Whatever the case, an Excel World Championship, Slippery Stairs World Championship, Pillow Fight Championship, or Creator Dodgeball World Championship have seemingly pointed to the future, showing us glimpses of what might become regular events in our lives. Such endeavors are also getting support from multiple quarters, meaning fans of the digital entertainment sphere can look forward to lots of interesting tournaments in the coming months and years.