Since the beginning of video games, they have been continually growing, reaching every part of the globe. Why is it spreading like wildfire? One of the biggest reasons it has spread quickly is because of how easy it is for anyone to start playing games.
No matter who or what people do, there’s always a time to play. Best of all, video games can be played in the comforts of home. This has given rise to more avid gamers hungry to compete with others to prove their skills. This then sparked a worldwide phenomenon, which is known today as esports.
In this article, we’ll talk about the origins of esports, how it grew, and its effort to become known as an official sport.
From Humble Origins
Humans are naturally competitive, looking to prove to others that they’re better. This was then translated into video games, where friends challenged other friends in playing certain video games.
These challenges then led to an official tournament held in the 1980s with a game called Space Invaders. No one knew it would become such a hit, with over 10,000 participants in the competition, laying the foundations of esports.
From that moment on, many other competitions were held, mainly in arcades and console games during the 1990s. Many companies started to take notice of the growing popularity of the matches and started the idea of sponsoring the tournaments, implementing rules and regulations officiating the games.
The Rise of Esports
In 1997, esports found its turning point in a tournament called the “Red Annihilation.” It was a competition for the game “Quake” that promised a Ferrari as a reward for the winner. Since then, Quake was considered to be the first official esports title to be made just because of its phenomenal prize. Later on, many other competitions started to offer better rewards, such as the 1999 Counter-Strike that has given away over $10,000,000 in prizes, enticing more players to join in and compete with each other. A game called “StarCraft” also came into popularity and, not surprising due to its strategic nature, was seen by many as one of the best esports games ever. Thanks to that, StarCraft was credited as one of the most significant driving forces that made esports as popular as it is today.
Earning the Title of Official Sport
Thanks to the connectivity of social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, esports can be broadcasted to anyone with access to the internet. This has earned esports even more viewership and popularity in the process, threatening other sports such as football, which is considered by many people as the most popular sport in the world. As a result, big sports names such as ESPN have signed agreements to broadcast esports tournaments on games such as “Overwatch.”
Of course, it will still take time for the general population to truly accept the fact that this hobby is slowly becoming an official sport. The speed at which this happens will depend on the efforts of the video game industry.
From its humble origins to a worldwide phenomenon, esports has taken many by storm. By broadcasting tournaments on different platforms and working with big brand names, the billion-dollar esports industry is threatening traditional sports in popularity and is always inching a step closer to earning the title “official sport”.
Are you looking for Esport news & guides that are reliable & up to date? Look no further! We provide a detailed commentary on all things Esport. Check below for more of our articles!
