Esports, also known as electronic sports, is defined as a “form of competition using video games.” These are usually multiplayer games competitions, where professional gamers pit themselves against one another in both solo and team play. While competitions have often been hosted between players, Esports competitions are on a much larger scale. Nowadays, Esports is a big business – with some companies even funding and designing Esports events.
The games usually played at these events are:
- Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
- First Person Shooter (FPS)
- Fighting Games
- Card Games
- Battle Arena
- Real-Time Strategy (RTS)
While there are many places where people can watch Esports, the streaming service Twitch is shown to be the most popular. However, other social media platforms have recently started to jump on the Esports bandwagon. Facebook Gaming, YouTube, Steam TV, Caffeine, and Discord are all additional services that provide streams. Some competitions will even partner with these services, meaning that will be the only place to find them.
What Are The Most Popular Esports Games?
There are many games that are popular within Esports circles. MOBA and battle royale games are the most played this year.
Dota 2 and League of Legends are two MOBA games that have grown in popularity. Both games separate players into teams of five. Each player selects a hero, or champion in terms of LoL, to play as. Every champion has their strategies and playstyle that benefits the player. Both are heavily team-based, so it requires good communication and an understanding of the game mechanics.
Another popular game is Counter Strike: Global Offensive, also known as CS:GO. CS:GO is like Dota 2 and LoL in terms of separating players into two teams of five. However, the main difference between CS:GO and other games are that if a player is killed, they cannot immediately rejoin. Instead, they have to wait until the next round of the game before rejoining.
Fortnite is also popular. Though many would have assumed the excitement around this battle royale game would have faded, it certainly hasn’t. For those who don’t know, however, the game’s premise is simple: 100 players are on one map, and the last one standing wins. Fortnite stands apart from the rest as it allows players to build structures in order to get the upper hand.
The game that has the biggest prize pool is said to be Dota 2 last year at a staggering 47.79 million US dollars. CS:GO is second with 21.89 US dollars, though both of these figures are from 2021.
What are your thoughts on Esports? Have you ever considered participating, or maybe you have participated yourself? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
Okay an esports blog, this is really cool. I love this and I hope more people come across this.
I’m also in love with the genre as much as anyone. I’m actually thinking of launching my very own eSports team in 2023, I’ve been standing on the sidelines for too long now.
My only obstacles is finding investors and sponsors, I’ve been sending emails all week and most of the time I’m getting left on read. Have you thought of being more involved in the scene?