There was once a time when we only thought of sports as something involving people in tight shorts, sweating while traipsing up and down a ring-fenced arena. That’s a fair definition of sports, particularly when football comes to mind. However, it’s no longer enough to cover the modern meaning of sports or, more specifically, esports.
Thanks to the growth of online gaming, world-class athletes no longer need to run, shimmy, kick or strike things. Instead, they can think laterally, tap buttons and react to situations faster than a cat. Esports has changed the game, so let’s explore how and why.
Esports: A Definition
What are esports? British Esports defines the industry in the following way: esports (or electronic sports) is a term used to describe competitive video gaming.
It goes on to say that esports is different from standard video gaming because it involves a competitive element. OK, so we’ve all become a little competitive when our friends challenge us to a game of FIFA. However, that’s akin to a kickabout in the park. Esports takes that competition to another level.
Professional gamers practise for countless hours to become experts in their field. They’re no different from footballers, tennis pros, or golfers. That’s why the definition of sport aligns with the definition of esports. Competitors in traditional sports and gaming aren’t engaging in a friendly showdown with their friends. They’re training and playing to win.
They’re aiming to win events that not only carry a certain amount of prestige but kudos and prize money. To demonstrate what we mean, here are some esports competitions that are similar to the Champions League in football or the Ryder Cup in golf:
- Honor of Kings World Champion Cup
- EVO Championship Series
- Fortnite World Cup
- League of Legends World Championship
- The International: DOTA 2
That’s five of the biggest esports competitions in the world. Not only do they attract the best gamers in the world, but they’re also watched by millions of fans, take place in arenas and have prize pools worth millions. In short, esport events, and the industry as a whole, has become a big deal. It might not be up there with football et al just yet, but it can certainly lay claim to being bigger than sports such as squash, darts or cycling.
So, basically, all the naysayers out there can chill out. Gaming is a sport in every sense. Not only are tournaments highly competitive, but they’re also extremely popular, well organised and offer lucrative prizes. That, for anyone who isn’t stuck in the past, is the definition of a sport.
When Did Esports Start?
Esports, as we know it today, came into prominence at the turn of the millennium. However, the industry’s roots stretch back a lot further. By most experts’ reckoning, the seeds were planted in 1971 at the University of Stanford. Students from across the university were invited to take part in a Spacewar! competition.
Released a decade earlier and hailed as one of the first digital video games, Spacewar! saw two players each control a spaceship spinning around a vortex. The aim was to survive longer than your opponent. An update released in 1962 introduced more obstacles and a scoring system. It was this that inspired Stanford to host a tournament.
The prize was modest: a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. However, the impact this initial tournament had was profound. A sprinkling of water in the form of more video games being released allowed the concept of digital tournaments to grow. By 1980, gamers were blasted back into space.
This time, the seminal video game, Space Invaders, was the challenge. A total of 10,000 players accepted this challenge and, thus, the Space Invaders Championship was born. This was the turning point. That initial seed had blossomed, and it was only a matter of time before the desire to compete was matched by a library of games worth competing in.
Nintendo duly obliged in the 1990s. After making a mark in North America with the NES in the 80s, the Super Nintendo upped the game a decade later. From this, Nintendo began hosting its own gaming competitions and the esports industry gradually evolved into the multi-million-pound industry we know today.
How Did Esports Become So Popular?
OK, esports started with a few students trying their best not to get sucked into a vortex. The idea of people competing in video games gradually gained momentum to the point where Nintendo was hosting official events in the 1990s. However, it wasn’t until the noughties that esports went global.
Although there were hardcore gaming communities in Korea, the US and parts of Europe, it wasn’t until the launch of Twitch that it gained mainstream attention. The streaming platform was built for gamers and, as well as individuals showing off their skills, it became the place to watch esports tournaments.
This, coupled with a wider move towards online entertainment, allowed esports events and professional gamers to attract more attention. For this reason, streaming is one of the main reasons esports has grown in popularity over the last two decades. However, it’s not the only one. With this in mind, here are three more things that turned gaming into a professional sport:
Variety
There’s something for everyone in gaming. First-person shooters such as Counter-Strike are among the most popular games when it comes to esports tournaments. However, almost every other genre is covered, from action and adventure to shooters, which means players and fans alike can find something that piques their interest.
Anyone Can Compete
Becoming a pro gamer isn’t easy, in fact, it’s damn hard. However, unlike other sports, the physical barriers to entry are low. For example, if you’re under 6ft, you probably won’t become a basketball player, even if you practise every day. But the same isn’t true in gaming, which is one of the things that makes esports special. Anyone can become a pro. That doesn’t mean you will. However, the physical barriers to entry aren’t particularly high and it’s more accessible to more people – fans and players alike.
Sponsorships and Coverage
Another reason esports has become so popular is investment. Events are streamed online, and you’ll see media outlets such as the BBC, ESPN and Sky reporting on tournaments. Add to this a plethora of sponsors, including BMW, Red Bull, and Coca-Cola, and there are rich streams of cash flowing through the industry. In fact, when you throw sports betting markets for esports competitions into the mix, there’s money and coverage aplenty.
How Do Esports Players Make Money?
Do professional gamers earn as much as footballers? No, but very few athletes earn as much as those who just so happen to have an affinity for kicking things. However, the top players are doing just fine, so don’t worry about that. In fact, if you care to scroll through a list of top earners, you’ll see that, from competitions alone, players such as Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein have won over $7 million (£5.6 million).
For those competing on a regular basis, prize money is a major source of income. In a good year, a winning pro like Sundstein can win upwards of £1 million. Of course, there’s a sliding scale. Pros just starting out and those who occupy the middle section of the global rankings don’t win that much. However, if you look at the biggest prize pools in esports, you can see that there’s plenty of money up for grabs if you’re a skilled enough player. Let’s take a look at some of those prize pools;
- Dota 2: Prize pools can top $45 million (£36 million)
- CS:GO: Prize pools can top $21 million (£17 million)
- PUBG: Battlegrounds: Prize pools can top $16 million (£13 million)
- PUBG Mobile: Prize pools can top $15 million (£12 million)
- Arena of Valor: Prize pools can top $12 million (£9.5 million)
Plus, gamers who don’t win a share of those prize pools and others can still make a living from esports. They can do that in two ways: sponsorship deals and streaming. As well as individual players, companies such as AMD, Kraft and Intel sponsor esports teams. These deals give players a regular income in return for taking part in promotions and media events.
Another way to earn money in the world of esports is streaming. The best example of gamers who earn money from streaming is Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins. He’s no longer a competitive gamer but, as a Twitch streamer, he still manages to bring in millions. Although exact numbers are hard to come by, StreamerFacts.com estimates that he earns $2 (£1.60) for every 1,000 viewers he gets.
At his peak, Ninja used to attract over 100,000 viewers per stream. Add to this PayPal donations and monthly subscribers that pay a fee for extra content, and it’s hardly surprising he’s worth more than £20 million. Again, he’s a standout example, but the point here is that esports pros and gamers can earn money from tournaments, but also from sponsorship deals and streaming.
How Much Money Do Esports Players Make?
OK, so we’ve explained how Esports players earn money. To give you a better idea of how these sportsmen and women compare to competitors in other sports, here are some of the top earners:
- Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein = $7,184,163
- Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka = $6,486,948
- Anathan ‘ana’ Pham = $6,004,411
- Sébastien ‘Ceb’ Debs = $5,773,909
- Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen = $5,690,417
So, even though it’s not as much as professionals in other, more traditional sports, they don’t do too badly, do they?
How to Become an Esports Player
Can you become an Esports pro and make millions every year? Probably not. Just kidding, of course, you could, it’s just playing video games, right? Wrong. The answer lies somewhere in between these two extremes. In fact, asking how to become a pro esports player is like asking how do you become a footballer? The simple answer is to practice, and become good enough to compete at the highest level and sign for a club.
However, as anyone who’s tried to make it will tell you, it’s far from simple. Aside from having the necessary skills, making it in football also requires luck and timing. There are millions of people vying to become a pro and, even if you’re a great player, that doesn’t mean you’re going to make it. The same is true in esports. Statistical data shows that there are more than 3 billion gamers around the world.
Granted, not all of them want to be a pro. However, the potential pool of players is vast. That means you have to be highly skilled and get lucky. The good news is that you can do things to improve your chances of getting lucky and making it. So, even though the road to esports success is long and winding, it’s one you can get at least some of the way along if you follow these tips:
As we mentioned, there are Esports competitions for a variety of games. You need to choose a genre that interests you and suits your playing preference.
1. Choose Your Game Wisely
Practice, practice, practice! This goes without saying, but we’ve said it three times just in case you don’t appreciate how important it is. To become an expert in anything, you need to practise. Esports is no different.
2. It’s Good to Talk
Anyone over the age of 30 will remember the actor Bob Hoskins telling people it’s good to talk back in the mid-90s. Although he was talking about BT phones, Hoskins had a point. Joining forums and interacting with other gamers on social media platforms is a great way to learn. As well as picking up tips, you can discuss ideas and forge connections that could help you get a lucky break in the future.
3. All the Gear, When You Have an Idea
Don’t be one of these people who spends thousands of pounds on the best gaming equipment if you’re just starting out. Get comfortable with your chosen genre first and practice until you reach a certain level of proficiency. Once you’ve got an idea of how to play like a pro, only then should you start buying more equipment. Things such as new monitors, controllers and keyboards should be seen as added extras that allow you to refine your skills. They shouldn’t be seen as ways to make up for gaps in your ability.
4. Win
The final part of the esports equation is easy to say but hard to do. The only real way to earn a spot on the esports circuit and play for a pro team is to win. By winning enough tournaments, you’ll eventually get noticed. Of course, winning isn’t easy. This is why you need to start at the bottom, be patient and don’t get disheartened if you lose.
Start by playing against friends and then look for local gaming events in your area. From there, consider entering national events, such as those overseen by British Esports. Then, as you progress, enter feeder events. Perform well in smaller tournaments and you could get noticed by a pro team and offered a trial.
Which Esports Are The Most Popular?
The esports industry is big business. The 2020 Global Esports Market Report from Newzoo put revenue at $1.1 billion and growing. A combination of sponsorship, coverage and participation has created this behemoth. Things get even more interesting when you peel back the layers. By looking at the viewership figures for the most popular eSports tournaments, streams and live events, you get a sense of just how big the industry is.
Most Popular Esports Games By Viewing Hours
- League of Legends – Hours Watched = 664.1M
- CS:GO – Hours Watched = 410.8M
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Hours Watched = 387.2M
- Dota 2 – Hours Watched = 347.6M
- PUBG Mobile – Hours Watched = 216.7M
*Source: Escharts
Most Watched Esports Games on Twitch
- Grand Theft Auto V – Hours Watched = 129.3million
- Apex Legends – Hours Watched = 66.7 million
- Dota 2 – Hours Watched on Twitch = 37.7 million
- Elden Ring – Hours Watched = 39.5million
- Overwatch – Hours Watched =28.4 million
*Source: Newzoo
Most Watched Esports Events in History
- Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore – 5.4 million viewers
- 2019 League of Legends World Championship – 3.9 million viewers
- 2020 League of Legends World Championship – 3.8 million viewers
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship Season 0 – 3.8 million viewers
- MBLL M2 World Championship – 3 million viewers
*Source: Ginx.tv
As you can see, there’s a huge amount of interest in esports games at all levels. From Twitch and beyond, you can tune in, watch and enjoy the buzz of competitive gaming. So, the next time you’re searching for a sport to compete in or enjoy, you might want to check out what the esports sector has to offer.
