By Gareth McGray
Picture it - Sold out arenas filled with the applause of from thousands of excited fans. International fans are watching (via streaming) their favorites perform at optimal levels. Prizes worth hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of dollars.
Doesn't this sound exciting? But we're not talking about the Superbowl, the Pro Bowl, or the All Stars games here. We're talking about the world of Esports, where players go head to head against one another playing popular video games like Street Fighter, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike.
If you are not a fan of gaming or an avid gamer, you might be surprised to learn how popular Esports have gotten over the past few ten years of so. But, in fact over 40,000 fans of this new sports genre attended the 2014 League of Legends championship held in South Korea. In addition, over 130 million fans watched Esport events online in the same year. Based on the information from SuperData Research, the competitive gaming Industry generated a revenue of 700 million dollars in 2015 alone. What's more? By 2018, that number is expected to reach almost 2 billion dollars. Not bad for video games, right?
To those outside of the gaming community, esports can seem weird and confusing. For example, you may have questions like; what type of gamers play Esports? How much money can one make pursuing this activity? Where can you watch the the action? Or, is it really considered to be a sport?
Do you find yourself in this category? Do you have questions about the esports industry? If so, this article has the answers to your burning questions so that you understand what they are and why you should care about them.
Let's begin with the basics - Competitive Gaming is no different from playing against your friend at home or playing against someone in the arcade. The difference is that these games are played online, where anyone can compete against Gamers from all over the planet. Each game has its own ranking system, and the better you are the higher you climb the ranks until you are in League with the top players. And, if you're good enough, it's possible to gain entry to a tournament or a tournament champions series where you can compete for prizes and cash.
When it comes to gaming selection, esports has mostly every genre beat - they even have golf games for those who love the thrill of playing 18 holes and defeating their opponents. These games feature much of the same excitement that is found in the actual sport, sans the biting insects, baking sun, and inclememt weather. In addition, the prizes from these types of esports are generally lucrative. For instance, it's not uncommon for organizers and sponsors to set cash prizes around the 10,000 dollar mark. If you are interested in learning more about golf esports games,they can be found on https://spelautomater.se/. In this way, you can get a chance to play real money games against players from all over the world.
However, the most popular sports game in the world at the moment is League of Legends. This multiplayer online battle arena game features a team of 5 players who take on another team in an effort to destroy each other's bases.
In League of Legends, for example, you can choose to play as one character out of over a hundred options. You are able to control your character, known as a champion, as you and your team try to capture the base of the competitive team. Other games that follow this formula include the Heroes of the Storm and Defense of the Ancients.
What do you think about esports? Have you ever played any before or are you a total newbie?