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Few industries in the entertainment industry have seen such a rapid rise 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 lucrative cash prizes and hundreds of millions of viewers. 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 a gaming contest in 1972 featuring the science-fiction rocket game “Spacewar”. Stewart Brand, a sports reporter, orchestrated the event which showcased video games’ potential as an “exhilarating sport for spectators”. This set the scene for future gaming competitions.
Slow but Steady Growth
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 the beginning of today’s strong social gaming culture.
The New Millennium
In the early 2000s, eSports truly took off as tournaments and leagues grew around titles such as Counter-Strike III, StarCraft and Warcraft III. The first World Cyber Games were held in Seoul in 2001. The tournament included several popular games, and it attracted more than 174,000 participants from seventeen countries. It was an unexpected success on a global scale. The CPL World Tour, or Cyberathlete Professional League, was the first tournament to offer a prize pool of over $1 million in 2005. This marked the beginning of the life-changing prizes that come with competitive gaming.
The Streaming Platforms as a Catalyst for Growth
Since 2010, the popularity of eSports has skyrocketed thanks to online streaming platforms such as Twitch.tv, Youtube Gaming and others. Twitch’s launch saw the League of Legends world championship viewing figures jump from 1.7m in 2011 to 8.2m in 2012 and 32m in 2013.
The streaming platforms allowed fans to watch live events at home. Due to the large numbers of viewers, the advertising and sponsorship opportunities, 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
eSports began a new era as the calendar turned into the 2020s. 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
The most popular tournaments at the moment are spectacular in themselves, with titles such as ‘Free Fire World Series,’ ‘League of Legends,’ and ‘Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,’ attracting millions of viewers. In August 2023, Saudi Arabian Tournament Organiser Gamers8 held their ‘The Land of Heroes” tournament, with a colossal $45 million dollar prize. This figure has now been shattered by the $60 million dollar prize at this year’s eSports World Cup, which will be held in Riyadh.
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 trend. This is a phenomenon which has permanently changed the way in which we interact with and celebrate competitive games.
