Competitive video gaming is a soon-to-be $1 billion dollar industry with esports championships watched by tens of millions. Functionally it’s just like traditional sports, with the best players constantly vying to reach the top of their sport (or game) of choice.
While gaming tournaments date back to the 1970s, it wasn’t until the onset of the internet and broadband that esports became popular on a global scale. As the games got more complex, and the fan bases grew, esports exploded into large-scale events and international competitions.
Esports are organized competitive video games that feature teams competing against each other for a prize in a live, televised tournament. Popular esports include multiplayer online battle arena, first-person shooter, fighting, card, and real-time strategy games. Some of the most popular esports are League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, and Valorant, all of which host tournaments that attract millions of in-person and online spectators.
Unlike most traditional sports, esports are played by professional gamers who compete in a variety of tournaments with the goal of earning a spot on the team that will represent their country or region in the world championship. Those who do well in the tournament can be promoted up to higher leagues while those that don’t do so well may be relegated down.
Some of the biggest esports tournaments include The International, a Dota 2 contest that takes place annually and is watched by more than 1 million spectators. Other major esports events are the League of Legends World Championship, the EVO fighting game tournament series, and the Intel Extreme Masters.