Have you heard of the term esports? Even if you are not a gamer, you may have probably come across it at one point already. Esports, a modern approach to the definition of what a sport is, is considered by some as the future of sports. Is it? What makes esports better, if not the same, as traditional sports? Will the popularity and the growth of esports be a threat to traditional sports, or can the two industries work together in building each other up more?
If you are a sports bettor, whether you are already a seasoned veteran or if you have just started betting online, you probably have a book by now. Do they offer esports betting already, or at least have had explicit plans of doing so in the future? Getting the right answers to these questions is important, and you can often find them on online reviews, such as a 10cric app review, or through personal recommendations.
But going back to esports, what is it, and how is it different and at the same time similar to the traditional sports that we have right now? Is it the future of sports as we know it?
Esports is big and is getting bigger
A lot of people think that esports just came to the scene in the past several years. While it is true that this sub-niche of sports and gaming only gained a significant increase in its mainstream popularity, esports had been a thing for decades now.
eSports refers to the manner of playing video games competitively, more as a sport than just a simple form of entertainment or a hobby. Many recognize that the first esports tournament held in history can be traced back from October 19, 1972, when the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University organized the esports tournament called the Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics. This tournament had 24 participating players and did not receive much attention outside the gaming community–it was not as mainstream as it is today.
Back then, esports started as a school or university even, rather than a huge public gathering. Eventually, arcade gaming became popular and gaming consoles became a hit, too. Gaming evolved through the years and now, games across different platforms can be played competitively–on consoles, on a PC, on handheld consoles, or even on mobile.
What are the most popular esports games?
Esports games are not bound by only a few genres as long as people have agreed to play a game competitively, it can become an esport. Right now, here are some of the most popular esports games you might be interested in.
League of Legends
League of Legends is a massive online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Riot Games. The game takes two teams of up to five players each and bring them to a field to battle for victory. The official annual tournament for the game is called the League of Legends World Championship, or simply called by its fans as Worlds.
Fortnite
Fortnite was one of the many games that were born through the overwhelming success of the battle royale genre started by PUBG. This game, developed by Epic Games, brings a battle royale style of fighting with a lot of extra factors and abilities that players can work with.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Being a classic FPS (first-person shooter) game, CS:GO is one of the most popular games from its genre. The game is a favorite not only for its official tournaments as well as major esports leagues that feature the game as one of its titles in its roster.
