Understand what eSports is also involves thinking about how real sporting events work. In that sense, eSports mimic the competitions in which flesh and blood athletes participate, but virtually and with professional gamers. It would be the Internet version of the sports competitions of the 1.0 world.
The eSports are a sports discipline just as board games such as chess or poker are.
In the big eSports tournaments there is not only room for the most downloaded sports games, but also professionals of other types of video games such as battle royales like Fortnite and experts in titles like League of Legends and Dota 2, among others, participate.
To a large extent, the popularity of eSports is explained thanks to social streaming platforms such as Twitch, although it is not the only place where this type of virtual sports competitions can take place.
When did eSports emerge?
Many eSports fans believe that the first time the world was made aware of the existence of eSports was at an EA Madden tournament broadcast from Jacksonville 2002.
However, the reality is that these types of competitions originated in the mid-1990s, although they were broadcasts that achieved less popularity.
The evolution of the genre has been steadily brought about by the mobile revolution. The popularization of smartphones and high-speed 5G connections caused, since 2010, that eSports reached the general Internet public. That is also why many also place its creation date there.
Nowadays, to enjoy professional eSports events it is not even necessary to go to the prestigious venues where they are usually held. Simply access the different streaming services and tune in to your favorite event from the comfort of any of your connected devices.
Who plays in eSports events?
As we indicated at the beginning, the dynamics of eSports are very similar to the world of real sports. In countries such as the United States, it is a modality that has official leagues, and many universities have their own programs, associations and teams of professional eSports players.
But this is something that is already starting to happen in all parts of the world, eSports are very popular in Scandinavian countries and Eastern Europe. In Spain, the Kings League, promoted by youtuber Ibai Llanos and ex-footballer Gerard Piqué, has millions of followers.
How to make money with eSports
Some of the most prestigious eSports tournaments have become very lucrative businesses, such as Major League Gaming or Turtle Entertainment.
In turn, just as in real sports, the amount of money generated in sponsorship, tournament organization and broadcasting issues is staggering. In addition, many of the top players can produce earnings in the seven-figure range.
In many countries, these competitions have managed to capitalize on their popularity. Some have made the leap from streaming platforms and have ended up selling broadcasting rights to television networks. In the case of Spain, Mediaset has acquired the rights to the Kings League.