If you’ve heard of competitive gaming, professional gaming or cybersports, then you’ve heard of electronic sports – more commonly known as eSports.
From first-person shooter games to multiplayer online battle arenas, eSports covers diverse ground and has become a big part of video gaming culture across the globe. Here Agent Bolger provides a whistle-stop tour of the world of eSports and tells you everything you need to know.
What are esports?
eSports are organised tournaments and video game competitions, most often between professional gamers. eSports tournaments are usually based around online multiplayer games that consist of at least 5 competitors, depending on the type of game. Popular genres include: fighting, first-person shooters, multiplayer online battles and real-time strategy. Each team is assigned a clan name and is usually shown playing against rival teams online and also in an event environment.
The winners of eSports competitions typically win cash prizes and tickets to return events, as well as competing for the annual championship title. Although eSports began as a niche corner of the gaming world, largely made up amateurs, over the past decade it has become an increasingly popular and ever growing community, with more and more players entering every year.
The history of ESports
eSports emerged in the 1970s when one of the first known competitions took place at Stanford University in California. The game of choice for the competition was Spacewar, which gave the tournament its name: the catchily titled First Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics. Rolling Stone magazine decided to sponsor the event and offered the winner a year’s subscription to the magazine as the prize.
Since then, eSports has grown far beyond its amateur beginnings to become a regular, professional fixture of the gaming circuit, ever evolving as new games are released. More companies added to the mix of games available and new sponsors are constantly appearing. Since around 2000, an explosion of new tournaments and a growing viewership has helped to push a large number of professional teams and tournaments into the spotlight. The rise of the internet also saw eSports reach out to an even larger audience, which in turn has made eSports even bigger than ever.
ESports tournaments
Despite being a big hit amongst gamers, eSports has had little mainstream exposure and is largely ignored by TV and other mainstream media. However, online video streaming platforms, such as Twitch, have played a big part in growing eSports audiences.
Some of the most well-known eSports tournaments include: Intel Extreme Masters, the Evolution Championship Series and the World Cyber Games. Many of these competitions are broadcast live online.
There are also many similar event s in the UK. One of the biggest ones is the Multiplay Insomnia Festival, which is held 3 times a year and features tournament rounds and finals with prizes.
The main games that are played in tournaments are Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, StarCraft 2, Street Fighter, World of Tanks, Fifa, World of Warcraft, Counter Strike and League of Legends.
There are prominent teams that attend these events who are professional gamers and often have sponsorships from technology and gaming manufacturers. Professional eSports players travel worldwide to compete and will often attend many in a year, helping them to gain recognition from the competitions.
The future of ESports
According to figures from Major League Gaming, eSports audiences are around 85% male and 15% female, with 60% of viewers in the 18-34 age range. As tournaments have gone global, game developers have even started to design titles to support professional competitions. Dota 2 and StarCraft are just two eSports games that have been at least partly designed for professional tournaments.
As live streaming of eSports attracts more and more fans , it seems that the game is only just beginning for eSports.
Are you a professional gamer? Do you have a favourite eSports game or tournament? You can let us know using the comments section below.