The world of competitive gaming, or esports, has seen rise in recent years. What started as small underground tournaments in arcades and basements, now draws multi-million-dollar investments from major corporations, attracts hundreds of thousands of fans to live events, and sees professional players earning six-figure salaries.
Esports has come a long way and it shows no signs of slowing down. In this article, we will go over the rise of esports, how it became mainstream, the impact it has, and what the future holds.
The Early Days
Esports has been around since the early 1970s, when computer science students at Stanford University held the first known video game competition. It wasn’t until 1980 that the first true esports event took place,
when Atari held the Space Invaders Championship, which drew in over 10,000 participants. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, various genres of video games were played competitively,
including fighting games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, as well as strategy games like StarCraft.
The Transition
The early 2000s saw an explosion in esports events, with the proliferation of online gaming and the rise of broadband internet.
Online gaming and online streaming allowed players to compete and watch tournaments from the comfort of their own homes, which was a much more convenient experience compared to traveling to a physical venue.
The transition to online play also made esports accessible to a wider audience. This helped to increase the popularity of esports and brought a new level of legitimacy to competitive gaming.
The Rise of Esports
Esports hit the mainstream in 2011 when the League of Legends World Championship was held in a sold-out Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event drew in more than 18,000 spectators and millions more watched the event live online.
This event was a game-changer for esports as it demonstrated that competitive gaming was a legitimate form of entertainment and attracted sponsorship and endorsement deals from major corporations.
Since then, esports has become a global phenomenon, with top-level competitions broadcasting across TV and online platforms.
The Impact of Esports:
It has impacted the world of gaming and entertainment in numerous ways. Esports’ growth has created a new economic market that has attracted significant investment from various industries. Its tournaments have become major revenue sources for game developers, broadcasters, event organizers, and the players themselves. Esports has enabled game publishers to monetize their games and has provided players with professional career opportunities.
Esports has also transformed the way gamers consume their favorite games.
The growth in popularity of esports has helped game developers use online streaming platforms as a way of increasing the lifespan of their games.
Games like League of Legends and Dota 2 have adopted the esports and streaming model, with regular updates and events designed to keep players engaged.
The rapid rise of esports has also led to a surge in demand for computers and gaming laptops. High-performance gaming rigs are now commonplace as both professional esports athletes and casual gamers look for ways to maximize their gaming experience.
Esports has also brought about technological advancements in the gaming industry, with companies investing more resources into developing better gaming hardware and software.
Future of Esports
The future of esports is bright as it continues its rapid growth trajectory. Esports is predicted to become a billion-dollar industry by 2022, and that number is predicted to grow even more in the coming years.
This inclusivity is an important point because it helps to spread the word of esports more widely and cater to a more diverse audience.
Consequently, people have turned to esports as an entertainment and sport alternative. Esports streaming platforms have reported significant growth in viewerships, and major television broadcasters have started airing major esports events.
Conclusion
Esports has come a long way since its early days as underground arcade events. The rise of online gaming and esports streaming platforms has made competitive gaming accessible to a much wider audience.
The popularity of esports has also led to significant investment from major corporations, creating a new economic market.
Esports’ future looks incredibly bright as it continues to expand and become more inclusive. We can only expect esports to continue on its upward trend as technology evolves, and people continue to explore new ways to engage with video games.
