The entertainment world has had a whole host of new innovations added to its portfolio over time. From the days when a simple radio or television would suffice, cinemas and arcade halls became the popular place to hang out for all ages. And all the while, video games were manifesting themselves in various consoles of all shapes and sizes. While movies and video game consoles are still incredibly popular, there is a new phenomenon catching on that is grabbing the attention of many entertainment enthusiasts. That phenomenon is known as Esports.
Electronic sports, as it is more formally known, involves competition on various popular video games such as Call of Duty and Counter-Strike between two teams in a multiplayer format. The aim is to be the last man standing to claim the win for your team. Nowadays, there are pathways to becoming a professional Esports athlete, with many colleges and universities around the world introducing degree programs to cater for this increasing demand.
Right idea, wrong era!
Despite the fact Esports have only really come to our attention in the past decades, the history of Esports dates back to the 1970’s when Stanford University held the first ever Esports tournament. The game of choice was Spacewar! and the competition was dubbed the “Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics.” However, despite the success of the event, the concept did not catch on, due to the lack of technological advancement at that time. Nevertheless, the idea was tested and paved the way for Esports to develop as an entertainment avenue.
Esports explode with technological evolution!
If we fast forward a couple of decades to the 1990’s, the introduction of a life-changing piece of technology suddenly gave Esports the platform it needed to truly make an impact on people’s lives. The internet, something that conquers our daily lives nowadays connected people all over the world. Gamers now had a way to play with other people and from remote locations. However, gamers would also meet in organized locations to battle it out on popular games such as Doom or StarCraft.
The introduction of the internet was just the start of things, and since the 1990’s, technology and networks have evolved rapidly to the stage where we are bitterly disappointed on the exceedingly rare occasion a network crashes. The reliability, speed, and range of connections nowadays is outstanding and for Esports, they now have the full platform to unleash the potential that has been stored for decades.
The trailblazing event
Over the 90’s, Esports was building up a head of steam as more people around the world started to jump on the online gaming bandwagon. But in 2000, Esports on a global scale witnessed its first major event, which has paved the way for more international events to follow its example. The World Cyber Game Challenge in Seoul, South Korea, saw representatives from seventeen different countries battle it out in Quake III Arena, Age of Empires II, StarCraft: Brood War, and FIFA 2000 arenas for a share of the $20,000 prize pot. The prize money in general has had a few more zeros added to it over the years, with The International 2021 boasting the biggest prize pool, a cool $40,018,400.00.
Other industries investing in Esports
Such has been the success of Esports worldwide, many other interested parties and industries are looking to get in on the action. Betting companies have also enjoyed their share of success in the past decade, with sports getting more airtime and financial backing. And it seems that many sports books are catching on to the rise of Esports, introducing betting markets for competitions and games for aforementioned titles such as Call of Duty, DOTA 2, and Counter-Strike. It does not matter if you are betting with a credit card, with cryptocurrency, or an e-wallet, online betting providers around the world will have you covered and will also go from strength to strength in their Esports betting divisions.
