The eSports Phenomenon: How Did We Get Here? 

The entertainment industry as a whole is a very diverse one. Sure, It always has been, but in today’s day and age, there seem to be more ways to have fun and spend free time than ever before. Much of it concerns what the fans and users want, but it starts with publishers and providers who make it happen. Without the studios and talented teams who make the content, there would be no way to listen to music, watch movies and TV shows, or play video games. But even before them, there needs to be enough breakthroughs in technology. Modern audiences are spoiled with high-end gadgets and fast software so naturally, all they do needs to be the same.

Over the years, all of this kept evolving and transforming, culminating in what we now know as eSports. However, this term is ambiguous and it can mean several different things. In this article, we talk about them all and examine how we got to this point where electronic sports, i.e. video games, have taken the entertainment market by storm and do not seem to ever let go. This phenomenon has the potential to change other industries too, like online sports betting for example, since it is a form of sport and where there is sports action, there will always be bettors to wager on the outcomes.

What Constitutes eSports?

So what does the term really encompass? What falls under the category of eSports and why is it so? In theory, it can mean anything as long as it is competitive and played online. Others believe that it is strictly reserved for the professional side where top players who represent the best organizations compete against each other at tournaments. Then again, eSports is also tightly connected to streaming, and streamers are sometimes referred to as eSports athletes despite never competing in tournaments. Due to this ambiguity, the lines are blurred but some rules explain what it covers. And it is quite straightforward as it turns out. 

Short for electronic sports, eSports is a type of competition using video games instead of traditional sports. It is organized as a multiplayer event where professional players who play either individually or as teams compete with each other over the course of days, weeks, or even months. It usually comes down to a big live event at a stadium or a similarly large venue. Multiplayer has long been a part of video game culture but it was limited to amateurs, at least until video sharing and streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch gained traction. While there have been video game competitions starting in 1972 at Stanford University, what we have today is miles ahead. It is big that there is even an Olympic eSports Series planned.

Most Popular Games

In modern times, plenty of games are prominent competition titles, with first-person shooters (FPS) and Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs) being the most popular. Apart from the front two, fighting games, card games, battle royales, and real-time strategies make up the bulk of the tournaments and leagues. In terms of actual games, there are true heavy hitters out there that continue to be relevant even decades after their initial launch. At the moment, League of Legends (LoL), Defense of the Ancients (Dota), and Counter-Strike (CS) are the most popular. They have had many iterations and updates and the current build of LoL, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike 2 are fan-favorites. 

Other notable games include hero and tactical shooters like Valorant and Overwatch. The most popular fighting electronic sport is Street Fighter, while StarCraft is the most notable strategy. World of Warcraft, the most popular and beloved MMORPG, is a unique thing in the industry because two parts of the game are separate eSports. The PvP Arenas are one and the race to the world’s first raid clear the other. Super Smash Bros. is another big game as a combination of an arcade and a fighting game. Of course, many other titles have their special tournaments and events, like Fortnite, PUBG, and Apex Legends, but also card games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Hearthstone. 

The Most Critical Decade

The onset of the modern understanding of electronic sports and the rise of the industry as a whole took place in the 2010s. This time coincided with a few other developments in the general entertainment and online markets. First of all, social media has become bigger than ever, and therefore the sharing of information and the amount of content is huge. Then, video-sharing services broke through and became so mainstream that everyone used them. Clips of big plays and interesting moves or tactics from games circulated the web and many players became famous. They then started streaming their gameplay and open a whole new industry. 

Through all of that, some of the biggest games of the last generation came out and established themselves as crucial for the whole gaming industry and not just eSports. LoL, Dota, CS, Overwatch… all of these games became and stayed relevant at the same time, paving the way for others like Fortnite, PUBG, GTA V Online, and others. With such a variety, even those who never played games jumped on and became gamers. And when games hit mobile devices while keeping the quality of gameplay and graphics and also introducing ranked systems for increased competition, everything changed. Nowadays, boys and girls, teens, young adults, and fully grown, family people all enjoy the same games, which was inconceivable 10 years ago. 

For all of this, we have the last 10 to 12 years to thank. The world changed for the better when technology and pastime activities are concerned. What was always a big industry became even bigger and everyone knows about the biggest games, platforms, teams, and streamers right now. While it is not the focus of the majority to follow eSports closely, streamers and popular organizations are still famous because of their involvement in everyday social life on the internet. If a fan enjoys a game, they probably know who the most watched streamer for it is, as well as who the best pro team playing the game is. They may even tune in to watch them play since most of the streams are free. Speaking of teams, competitions, and players…

The Best Moments in eSports History

It was the global tournaments that really elevated video games and made them almost equally as valuable as traditional sports. All it takes is to see how sports betting has changed since it now also includes video game competitions from all over. During the 2010s, it grew tremendously as viewership and prize money both skyrocketed beyond anything possible until then. Large tournaments did exist, but the number and scope increased many times over, from around 10 in 2000 to almost 300 in 2010. Nowadays, this number is well over 1000 per year. World Cyber Games, Intel Extreme Masters, Major League Gaming, you name it. These pro organizations and leagues now exist to bring together the best talent from around the world and pit players and teams against each other. It is the best gaming has to offer.

When it comes to numbers the 2013 Season 3 League of Legends World Championship sold out Staples Center (now Crupto.com Arena) in Los Angeles, an arena that seats up to 20,000 people. The following year, more than 40,000 fans were in attendance in Seoul, South Korea, for the 2014 World Championship. Imagine Dragons, at the peak of their career, both opened and closed the ceremony. It was a whole new way of experiencing entertainment and the fans were loving every second.

Fast-forward to 2020, and the global eSports audience reached over 662 million. In 2022, it blew that record as it climbed to 921 million. These are staggering numbers and it is easy to see why gaming has been a billion-dollar industry in 2020s, and well into the double and triple digits. 

Popular Teams and Players

There have been numerous big names when teams are concerned over the years. Some of the most recognizable that are synonymous with the whole industry include FaZe Clan, Cloud9, Fnatic, G2 Esports, and Natus Vincere. Players have them to thank for popularizing the genre and making the industry what it is today.

Sponsorships that these and other teams are also quite lucrative. They are appealing to tech companies like Logitech and Razer, some of the biggest names in the tech world that cater to gamers. Sponsors are featured on the websites of teams, and social media pages of players, but also on team jerseys. The biggest teams and players garner millions of fans on Instagram, Twitter, and now TikTok, and brands need and want that reach. Online betting services and casinos like Stake are known for their partnerships and collaborations with pro teams, but also whole sponsored events. 

There are also popular associations and federations of electronic sports that shape the industry and drive progress ever forward. Some of the biggest include the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA), the International e-Sports Federation (IeSF), the British esports Association, and the World esports Association (WESA).

On top of that, traditional sports teams famous worldwide for their football and basketball dominance, as well as other sports, now have their eSports org. For example, Paris Saint-Germain in France is always looking to adapt to the trends and they have a strong presence in video games. FC Schalke 04 in Germany, Besiktas JK, Fenerbahce S.K., and Galatasaray in Turkey, Panathinaikos F.C. in Greece… all of these big names either sponsor teams or have their teams in various video game competitions and leagues. Celebrities invest too, like Shaquille O’Neal with NRG Esports, one of the best US organizations in the industry. 

Incredible Prize Pools

All of this attention, investment from sponsors, and high-profile celebrities being involved has led to eSports offering lucrative prize pools for the teams and players competing. While it is rather difficult to get a team off the ground and into stardom, those who manage are basically set for life as it is not one of the most sought-after careers.

From a young age, kids are trying to find their spot and devote a lot of their time to playing games and posting their skills online, hoping someone will notice them. If you think about it, this is very similar to high school mixtapes of basketball players or other shows of skill by hopeful athletes in the making. And with millions on the line, it makes sense. Starting with hundreds of thousands of dollars and up to tens of millions, winning tournaments is the ultimate goal not just because of bragging rights and legacies, but also for financial success and wellbeing. 

Dota 2 is particularly in focus here since The International in 2021 had a prize pool of more than $40 million. It is the largest in the history of eSports, which is bound to change sometime in the future because there is no saying when or how this will end. For Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, one of the most beloved titles ever, the total prize pool for the year 2021 across all tournaments was at least $22 million.

At the moment, the tournament with the highest prize pool is the King Pro League Grand Finals for the game Honor of Kings, with just below $10 million spread across the twelve best teams that compete in it. The best thing about this game? It is a mobile title for iOS and Android devices, which only goes to show how quickly things change and how much potential the whole gaming/tech/streaming/betting hybrid industry has to offer. 

Still, work remains to be done for everyone to have a piece of this pie as financial security right now is only secured for the top-performing teams and their players. Only 1 in 5 pros have careers that span longer than a few years, and team rosters are volatile with too frequent changes within a single season. Training regimes and lifestyle sacrifices are also not for everyone. Team Liquid League of Legends squad practices more than 50 hours per week, with players playing more in their free time. Also, careers are quite short with most of the top athletes retiring from eSports in their mid- or late-teens, with most being retired in their late 20s never to compete again.