When Does Esports Start?

The world of esports is growing rapidly, with new tournaments and leagues popping up all the time. But when does esports start? Here’s a look at the history of competitive gaming and the rise of esports.

Introduction

The first recorded use of the term “esports” is believed to be in a Time magazine article from November 1971. The article is about a Space Invaders tournament held by Atari. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that esports started to become a more organized affair. The first real esports tournament is thought to be Cyberathlete Professional League’s “Red Annihilation” Quake tournament, which was held in 1997 and attracted over 2,000 participants.

What is Esports?

es·port /ˈe-spôrt, ˈē-/ noun
1. a form of sport competed using video games, especially involving professional gamers.
“an esports tournament”
synonyms: competitive gaming, gaming; More
2. the activity of playing video games competitively, especially for prizes.

Esports (also known as electronic sports, e-sports, or eSports) is a form of competition that is facilitated by electronic systems, particularly video games; the input of players and teams as well as the output of the Esports system is mediated by human-computer interaction. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players (“pros”), individually or as teams. Although organized online and offline competitions have long been a part of video game culture, these were largely between amateurs until the late 2000s when participation by professional gamers and spectatorship in these events saw a large surge in popularity. By the 2010s, esports was a significant factor in the video game industry, with many game developers actively supporting and promoting esports events.

The History of Esports

While esports have only recently entered into the mainstream consciousness, the history of professional gaming is long and varied. Esports can trace their origins back to the early 1970s, when Stanford University held a Spacewar tournament. This event is considered by many to be the first esports tournament, as it featured two players facing off in a space combat game.

The Stanford tournament was followed by other events in the 1970s, including the Intergalactic spacewar olympics and the first video game world championship. However, it was not until the 1990s that esports began to gain significant traction. The 1990s saw the rise of arcade gaming and console gaming, as well as the development of key technologies like broadband internet connections and streaming services. These advancements allowed for more widespread competition among gamers, and laid the foundation for modern esports.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw a boom in professional gaming, with tournaments being held for popular games such as Quake III Arena, Starcraft, and Counter-Strike. These tournaments attracted large audiences, both in person and online, and helped to solidify esports as a legitimate form of competition.

Today, esports are enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Professional gamers compete in tournaments for games such as League of Legends, Overwatch, Dota 2, and Fortnite Battle Royale. These tournaments boast huge prize pools, and attract viewers from all over the world. Esports have even made their way into traditional sports leagues, with organizations such as the NBA and FIFA creating their own competitive gaming leagues.

The Present of Esports

The Present of Esports

The esports industry is big business. In fact, it’s currently worth an estimated $696 million and is predicted to reach $1.5 billion by 2020. But what exactly is esports and when did it start?

Esports, or electronic sports, refers to the competitive playing of video games. It started out in the 1970s with arcade gaming tournaments, but the first official esports competition didn’t take place until 1980 when Atari held the Space Invaders Championship. Since then, the industry has rapidly grown with tournaments being held all over the world and millions of dollars up for grabs in prize money.

Today, there are multiple professional gaming leagues such as the Overwatch League and the League of Legends Championship Series, while many of the world’s top athletes are now signed to professional gaming teams. With Twitch streams attracting hundreds of thousands of live viewers and some competitions being broadcast on mainstream TV channels, there’s no doubt that esports is here to stay.

The Future of Esports

It’s impossible to know exactly when or where esports will be in the future. The industry is still very young, and it’s growing at an incredibly fast pace. However, there are some things we can predict about the future of esports.

For one thing, we can expect the global reach of esports to continue to expand. According to a report from Global Web Index, there are already nearly 500 million esports fans around the world, and that number is only going to grow as more and more people are introduced to the world of competitive gaming.

We can also expect to see even bigger prize pools in the future as companies continue to invest heavily in the industry. The total prize money for esports tournaments exceeded $1 billion for the first time ever in 2018, and that number is only going to go up in the years to come.

Finally, we can expect esports to become more mainstream in the coming years. While it’s still considered a niche interest by some, that is quickly changing as more and more people learn about and become interested in competitive gaming. In fact, it’s estimated that there will be nearly 300 million casual viewers of esports by 2022.

The future of esports is looking bright, and it’s safe to say that competitive gaming is here to stay.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is no one answer to the question “when does esports start?”. The industry is growing and evolving rapidly, and there are no clear cut boundaries or rules. Different games will become popular at different times, and new technologies will continue to change the landscape. As with any sport or hobby, the best way to get involved is simply to jump in and start playing. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or a complete novice, there’s a place for you in the world of esports.