E-SPORT IN OUR TODAY’S LIVE

Is e-sport a major part of your life? You are not alone! There are almost 3 billion gamers worldwide and when these gamers aren’t playing they are watching streams, tuning into the top e-sport tournaments and following the latest news!
An e-sport like LoL is more than just a game for many people. This exciting multiplayer online battle royale game is a place where they can meet people, catch up with friends, blow off some steam and of course experience the joy of watching pro matches. The impact of this game on players’ lives is immense. The fact that 73.86 million people from around the world tuned into the 2021 League of Legends World Championship Final demonstrates the immense popularity of gaming!
League of Legends isn’t the only game that plays a major role in the life of gamers. Another classic game with its own unique subculture is CSGO. This multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Valve pits terrorists against counter-terrorists in a bid to plant or defuse the bomb. It is commonplace for hobbyists to spend 2 to 3 hours every day glued to their computers playing this shooter while pros are known to spend 6 to 7 hours every day perfecting their skills!

E-sports are no longer some niche activity derided by mainstream culture. Due to their increasing popularity, powerful consumer base and professionalization, gaming has gone mainstream with major brands sponsoring events and big tournaments having 7 figure prize pools. For many millennials and gen xers video games are their number 1 hobby and how they prefer to socialize. Kids are no longer dreaming of becoming professional footballers but instead want to get signed to pro Dota 2, Valorant, or Hearthstone teams! Esport’s future is undoubtedly bright as players increase and prize pools swell! It will be fascinating to follow the latest online gaming developments and see where the industry is in 10 or 20 years.

DEVELOPMENT OF ESPORTS

E-sports, as we now know it, started in the early 2000s in Korea, thanks to the development of fast broadband internet and gaming cafes. Two popular early cybersports were Starcraft and Warcraft III. As early as 2003, South Korean professional Starcraft teams were established and sponsored by major companies, including Samsung, signaling a major e-sport development! These players were paid modest salaries but were still able to compete as full-time professional e-sport players.
In the early 2000s, outside of South Korea and Japan, the e-sport scene was still in its infancy. It wasn’t until around 2008 and the early 2010s that the rest of the world started establishing highly professional teams. During the early 2010s, e-sport tournaments experienced massive growth in viewership and prize pools. Major companies started sponsoring events. This growth was largely thanks to the release of League of Legends in 2009 and Dota 2 in 2013, which proved to be a game-changing e-sport development. The rise in popularity was sparked by game developers making a conscious effort to promote and host events. They realized that by promoting e-sports, they could increase the popularity of their games and boost player numbers and revenue. The spike in e-sports also coincided with the development of streaming services, the invention of smartphones, the rise of China, and the trend of people spending more and more time online.
Nowadays, online e-sport is mainstream! E-sport news is reported in mainstream publications, professional teams are sponsored by major companies, prize pools are in the 7 figures, and top players can be filthy rich! Gucci, yes, the fashion brand has even established a gaming academy. The world of e-sports is no longer some strange niche hobby and is now rivaling established sports such as football and basketball.

TOP E-SPORT DISCIPLINES

Not all e-sports are created equal! Some e-sports have tournaments with 7-figure prize pools and matches that are streamed by millions of fanatic fans from around the world. While in other e-sports, players are lucky to get their parents to watch! These are the top e-sport games based on popularity and prize pools:
● Dota 2 – If you want to make money, Dota 2 is the best e-sport discipline! Dota 2 has almost 11 million monthly users. The Dota 2 world championship, known as the International, is the richest tournament in e-sports. The 2021 International had a $40 million prize pool and the champions, Team Spirit, won $18.2 million!
● LOL – League of Legends is one of the most popular e-sports with over 100 million monthly active players! The 2021 world championship held in Shanghai, China, had an impressive $2.18 million prize pool!
● CS:GO – This legendary first-person shooter was released in 2012 and has been a worldwide hit ever since. CS:GO has 24 million active users and well-established professional leagues. The biggest CS:GO tournaments routinely have prize pools in the millions!
● Valorant – This free-to-play shooter has 12 million monthly active players, and Riot Games has just announced the creation of a professional league!
● Overwatch – Overwatch is a team-based first-person shooter released by Blizzard in 2016. It boasts 5 million monthly active players and has its dedicated professional league established by Blizzard in 2017.