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Few industries in the entertainment industry have seen a rise as rapid as eSports. What was once a niche within the gaming industry has grown to be a global phenomenon, attracting both amateurs and professionals with its competitive events and life-changing prizes. Its viewership numbers are in the hundreds and millions. Fasthosts, a domain and hosting expert, has compiled a short overview of eSports and competitive gaming over the years and where it may go in the future.
The Beginning of Competitive Gaming
eSports is a competitive video game-based sport that has grown exponentially over the last five decades. Stanford University held the first known gaming contest in 1972. It featured the science fiction rocket game, ‘Spacewar.’ This event, orchestrated by sports journalist Stewart Brand, showcased video games’ potential as an “exhilarating spectator game”. It set the stage for future gaming competitions.
The Slow but Steady Rise
eSports have seen a steady rise in popularity over the past few decades. Before the internet, arcade tournaments were the main battleground, and magazines and record books recognized the top players. In the 1990s, gaming tournaments gained popularity and offered larger prize pools. Video game consoles and computer and internet gaming, as well as technological advances in the field, paved the path for a successful decade for the industry. The internet cafe boom at the end of 90s was a major influence on the social gaming culture of today.
The New Millennium
In the early 2000s, eSports began to grow as tournaments and leagues centered around titles such as StarCraft and Warcraft III. The first World Cyber Games took place in Seoul in 2001. This tournament, which featured popular games, attracted 174,000 players from 17 different countries. It was a global success. In 2005, the CPL World Tour, or Cyberathlete Pro League, was the first tournament to offer a prize pool of over $1 million. This marked the beginning of the life-changing prizes associated with competitive gaming.
Streaming platforms: the catalyst for growth
Since 2010, the world has witnessed the revolutionizing impact of online streaming platforms such as Twitch.tv, Youtube Gaming and others, which have led to a skyrocketing eSports audience figures. Twitch’s launch saw the League of Legends world championship’s viewership jump from 1.7m in 2011 to 8m in 2012 and 32m in 2013.
The streaming platforms allowed fans to watch live events at home. Due to the large numbers of viewers, advertising and sponsorships, investors started their own teams and game developers created leagues and tournaments. The eSports industry was transformed by the millions of viewers that eSports events attracted.
The Summit HTML0
The International 2015 Dota 2 Championships was a defining event in eSports for 2015. The $18 million prize pool broke records and cemented eSports on the world stage. This was a major shift that proved tournaments can rival traditional sporting events both in terms of prize money and profitability.
The New Decade – eSports takes centre stage
As the decade shifted into the 2020s, eSports began a new era. The first decade of the new century saw some of the biggest tournaments ever held, with millions of spectators, and the largest prize pools to date. For example, the 2021 International Dota 2 Championships, which was held in Bucharest, Romania, offered a prize pool of $40,018,400.00, the largest at the time.
By 2020 it was becoming more common to hear the term “professional eSports players” to describe the people who dedicate their lives to gaming competitions, undergoing rigorous routines and training to become the next world-class gaming athlete.
The Future
Presently, the most watched tournaments are spectacular in their own rights, with titles such as ‘League of Legends,’ ‘Free Fire World Series,’ and ‘Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,’ attracting millions of viewers. In August 2023, Saudi Arabian Tournament Organiser Gamers8 held their ‘The Land of Heroes” tournament, which offered a prize of $45,000,000. This is a prize that will continue to be pushed up in future tournaments. According to BeyonGames.biz the eSports industry is expected to grow by 21.81% from 2022 to 2027. The market size will increase by $3.515.1 million.
From its humble beginnings, competitive gaming has grown to be a global phenomenon. Its appeal and impact on culture are undeniable. eSports is a force in entertainment because of its thrilling competition and lucrative rewards. One thing is clear as the industry continues its evolution and innovation: This is not a passing fad. This is a phenomenon which has permanently changed the way in which we interact with and celebrate competitive games.
