What are esports?

A series of posts, covering all you need to know about esports 👾 sounds like a good idea. So what about explaining the basics of esports starting right now?

And we’re starting with the basics: “What are esports?”.

If to put it simply, esports are the competitive side of multiplayer gaming. And there is a very wide range of games that are considered to be esports disciplines. Platforms such as FACEIT, Battlefy and WorldGaming Network allow users to join different esports tournaments and championships as independent players 🕹️ or as teams. The prize pools for such tournaments today readily exceed millions of dollars (e.g. International 2018 with $25+ mln. prize pool in total).

When it comes to the question of what games are becoming part of the global esports (as well as why these games are that successful), it’s a theme for a separate article we will post later. But for now, you need to know that there are certain types of games with more competition in it (e.g. more combat elements), like first-person shooters 🔫, arena battles and fighting games ⚔️, and other game genres like RPG, RTS, sports games and racings, that are also popular. The biggest titles in esports today are: Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, StarCraft. But there are dozens of different sports games, and survivor simulators (like Fortnite) which are also popular.

And where is money, there are sponsors: professional esports teams are typically sponsored by video games companies (including game developers and game-controller manufacturers). It is estimated that the global esports market will surpass $1.5 bln. by 2020. Esports are becoming such popular, that a growing number of colleges 🎓 also offer esports as varsity-level sports, and pro gamers broadcasts on Youtube-Gaming and Twitch are getting mln. of followers.

🤖 More posts are coming. Follow Esgs to stay connected and know what esports will be presented at the biggest esports summit. Berlin, April 2019.