What Esports Is?
Simply put, esports is competitive gaming. The term itself is the shortened form for ‘electronic sports’, which in turn refers to video games. The games have to be competitive. A distinction has to be made between esports as a competitive sport and mere video games. Strictly speaking, for a game to be labeled esports, there has to be that competitive element and the game has to be played under tournament or league conditions and there has to be prizes or prize money for the victors. So, all esports games are video games but the reverse is not necessarily true. Compared to the traditional sporting disciplines like soccer or tennis, esports is a relatively new sport having started only fifty or so years ago. As a technology-based game, it draws the majority of its adherents from the young generation most of whom are male. In fact, most of the top stars are young teenagers.
This is not to say esports as a sport is exclusively for young males. Anyone belonging to any age to any gender can join the fray. The beauty of the game is that, unlike many traditional sports, one does not have to be in their physical prime in order to play. It’s a game that tests mental powers, not physical endurance or stamina.
Esports Games Setup
As mentioned previously, esports is a contest between two teams played in a competitive spirit. The two contesting teams can comprise one, two, or more players. Games between teams of two or more players are called multiplayer games. Esports games are classified into categories called genres. The type of games belonging to each category have the same basic rules and themes. The more common genres include first-person shooters and multiplayer online battle arenas more usually shortened to MOBAs.
Getting to Play Esports
Beginners wishing to play esports have to follow some basic rules and guidelines. The chances are that in this age of high-tech gadgets, most people are familiar with mobile phone handsets, desktop personal computers, and portable laptops. On top of this, most have played a video game of some sort. So most people are familiar with the basic mechanics of video games. Graduating from playing video games into esports is thus a simple matter of following these simple guidelines.
- Focus On a Single Game
Though quite a few of esport games are not very easy to master, especially for beginners, the majority are quite easy. For this reason, it is also very tempting for a beginner to want to try their hand at many games. This is not recommended. Graduating from merely being a video game player to an esports gamer means you are moving away from playing as a hobby into the realm of competitive playing, and there are prizes to be won on the table. So it is wise to focus on one type of game. Concentrate 100% on that particular game.
- Choose a Game That You Enjoy
We have talked about focussing on one game. Fine. The question is, how do you decide on the game to choose. Remember, there are more than a hundred games to pick from, as listed on Play-Grid. The answer is simple. Choose a game that you enjoy playing. If you enjoy playing a certain type of game means you will enjoy practicing it. It’s not stretching things to even say if it’s a game that you enjoy, you will find yourself practicing it in your own time during those idle moments when you have nothing much else to do. On the other hand, trying to master a game that you enjoy has many dangers attached to it. For one thing, you might get bored and lose interest and stop playing altogether. Or, in some cases, you do not enjoy it that much you keep on putting off and postponing practice sessions for other pursuits that you enjoy more. All this will obviously have disastrous consequences, and your esports career will never take off.
- Join Competitive Esports Organizations
You might be a committed and dedicated gamer who puts in many hours of practice every day but still lacks one essential area. Actually, competing with other serious gamers to test and hone your skills is the best way to go. It is, therefore, wise to look for and join a competitive esports organization that gives you the chance to play competitive games. This is a good way to see how you are progressing and also recognize and work on any weak areas in your gameplay. This also puts you in touch with other like-minded gamers and a chance to interact and share ideas. You also get a chance to test yourself in team-based games. In these games, different team members play different but complementary roles, giving you the chance and opportunity to practice playing as part of a team. Another additional benefit of playing competitive team games is that you learn which roles in a team you are strong in and which ones are best left to others.
- Keep Practicing
As a newcomer to the game of esports, have one thing clear in your mind. Success in any endeavor requires practice. Hard practice and commitment. There is no way you can learn and master the intricacies, the finer points of the game without putting in long hours of regular hard and consistent hours of effort. The point about selecting a game that you enjoy was alluded to earlier. Very valid point indeed. However, it is also a valid point that no matter how much you enjoy a particular game you can never completely master it unless you put in many hours of hard consistent practice. Practice makes perfect should be your motto if progress is your goal.
It is wise to set and write down an exercising timetable which you must try to stick to. These are some of esports basics that you should know and understand as a beginner in the field.
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