What is eSports?
eSports is an organised video games competitions between professional players or teams. Over the years the popularity of the eSports scene has increased with 335 million viewers in 2017 when compared to 124 million viewers in 2012. The gradual increase in popularity of the eSports scene makes it a spectator sport providing a huge variety of different games to watch.
Emergence of eSports
In the past video games have been considered as a hobby or a form of entertainment however, eSports has changed that ideology by transforming video games competition into a sport. The earliest known video game occurred in 1972 at Standford University for a game called Spacewar. Students were invited to the competition will the prize money of a year’s subscription for Rolling Stones. The first large scale video competition was The Space Invaders Championship held by Atari in 1980 attracted more than 10,000 participants across the United States which established the competitive gaming scene. Over time more competitions would be held with a variety of games being added to the roster every year.
Online Streaming
As the eSports environment started to take shape, its awareness increased with the rise of streaming technology and platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. These platforms will enable the sport to broadcast to a wider audience around the world improving accessibility to the sport. The increased emphasis of online competitive gaming has been applied to most games thereby allowing competition to be played on an amateur level. With the availability of sharing footage, it enabled players to share their own competitive plays in games and allowed amateurs to build their gaming resume and get invited into competitions or hired to represent a team in the process.
For competitive gamers, streaming platforms have allowed them to widen their fan base through live streaming and posting daily video game plays or tips for amateurs to learn from. Over the years professional gamers are seen as celebrities with many professionals having dedicated fan groups. The addition of social media allows fans to follow their idols and see their successes and failures. While online platforms have enabled pro gamers to earn a daily income, they are also promoting the eSports environment to new audiences which consequently widens the appeal of eSports.
Prize Money
eSports has matured over the years and gained more recognition and publicity over the years. In 1998 a total of $7.8 million was awarded in total prize money across a total of 536 eSports tournaments. Ten years later, in 2018 a total of $155.9 million was awarded and the professional gaming environment is set to exceed $1.8 billion revenues by 2022. Over the years the increase in popularity of eSports has meant that professional players have seen their prize money increase year on year.
The Negative Impact of Video Gaming
However, the increase in money also means an increase in stress in players which is similar in other sports such as Football, American Football and Boxing. However, in those sports there are guidelines and support on offer from the sporting bodies to support their athletes both physically and mentally. The competitive gaming environment can be a lonely place for some gamers especially the individual player games such as Street Fighter. Video games have had a lot of negative press lately such as gaming addiction and other political issues such as gun violence. These issues will continue to plague the sport especially gaming addiction as video games can cause players to stay indoors and not interact with the outside world for a long period of time.
Summary
The rise of the eSports competition has provided a foundation of skilled gamers to compete among the very best which video games were built on. The emergence of streaming technology has enabled the sport to broadcast to a wider audience and provide a platform for the pro gamers to widen their own fan base and provide an income while they train to refine their skill, as well as providing footage to review their performance and enabling them to train even more without having to have a second job to earn a living.