Who Are Esports Competitors?

Who are esports competitors?

Just like traditional sports, esports is a competitive activity where players go up against each other in order to prove who is the best. However, unlike traditional sports, esports is played entirely online.

This means that anyone with a good internet connection and a computer can compete in esports. There are no physical barriers to entry, which makes it a very inclusive activity.

So, if you’re wondering who you could potentially go up against in an esports

The Different Types of Esports

There are many different types of esports athletes. Some compete in first-person shooters, others in real-time strategy games, and still others in fighting games. Then there are those who play sports games, and those who play mobile games. And while there are some commonalities between these different types of players, there are also many ways in which they differ.

Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)

Multiplayer online battle arena games are played between two teams of five players, with each player controlling a character with unique abilities. The objective is to destroy the enemy team’s “ancient,” which is guarded by a number of defensive structures.

The most popular MOBA games are Dota 2 and League of Legends. Dota 2 is played professionally in a number of tournaments, including The International, which has a prize pool of over $20 million. League of Legends is also played professionally, with the League of Legends World Championship having a prize pool of over $5 million.

First-person shooter (FPS)

FPS games are extremely popular in the esports world, with some of the most famous competitive games including Call of Duty, Halo and Counter Strike: Global Offensive. In a FPS game, players compete against each other in a first-person perspective, meaning they see the game through their own character’s eyes.

FPS games are fast-paced and thrilling to watch, with players using a variety of different tactics and strategies to try and eliminate their opponents. Some of the biggest FPS tournaments in the world include the annual Call of Duty World League championship and the Halo World Championship.

Real-time strategy (RTS)

Real-time strategy (RTS) is a subgenre of strategy video games where players collect resources to construct buildings, produce soldiers, and defeat their opponents. The genre has its origins in tabletop wargames and now includes popular titles such as Starcraft, Command & Conquer, and Warcraft. RTS games are typically characterized by their fast-paced gameplay and focus on military conflict.

The Most Popular Esports Games

Esports competitors are often professional gamers who compete in organized tournaments for prizes. Some of the most popular esports games include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Dota 2, and Overwatch. In this article, we’ll take a look at the most popular esports games and the tournaments that they’re played in.

League of Legends (LoL)

League of Legends (LoL) is a five-player online battle arena video game based on the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne mod Defense of the Ancients. Designed by developer Riot Games, LoL was unofficially released in October 2009. The game is a free-to-play title supported by microtransactions. LoL is one of the most popular Internet games. According to Riot Games, it is played by 650 million people.

In League of Legends, players assume the role of an unseen “summoner” that controls a “champion” with unique abilities and battle against a team of other players or computer-controlled champions. The goal is usually to destroy the opposing team’s “nexus”, a structure that lies at the heart of a base protected by defensive structures, although other distinct game modes exist as well. Each League of Legends match is discrete and lasts around 30 minutes to an hour.

Since its release, League of Legends has been among the most popular Internet games, with peak concurrent users worldwide ranging from 7 million to over 10 million. In September 2016, Riot announced that League of Legends had accumulated 100 million active players each month; this was four years after it had crossed 50 million active players per month in 2014, two years after it had crossed 65 million in 2012, and one year after reaching 67 million in 2013.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)

One of the most popular first-person shooter games in the world, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a game that pits two teams against each other: the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists. Players can choose to play as one of nine different classes in this fast-paced and intense game.

The objective of the game is to eliminate the other team, and there are a variety of ways to do this. Players can buy different weapons and equipment at the start of each round, and they can also find weapons and armor around the map.

CS:GO is one of the most popular esports games in the world, with tournaments taking place all over the world. The game has a large following on streaming platforms like Twitch, and it is also one of the most watched games on YouTube.

Dota 2

Dota 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Valve Corporation. The game is the stand-alone sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which was a community-created mod for Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion pack, The Frozen Throne. Dota 2 is played in matches between two teams that consist of five players, with both teams occupying their own separate base on the map. Each of the ten players independently controls a powerful character, known as a “hero”, who all have unique abilities and differing styles of play. During a match, players collect experience points and items for their heroes to successfully battle the opposing team’s heroes in player versus player combat. A team wins by being the first to destroy the other team’s “Ancient”, a large structure located within their base.

Gameplay in Dota 2 is based around three main concepts: farming, fighting, and pushing. Farming is the act of killing neutral creeps for gold and experience, which is then used to fight enemy heroes and push towers. Fighting takes place in both team fights and one-on-one encounters, and pushing involves destroying enemy towers and barracks.

The Biggest Esports Tournaments

Esports tournaments are a huge attraction for gamers and spectators all over the world. Millions of dollars are up for grabs in prize pools, and the best teams in the world battle it out for a chance to win it all. But who are the esports competitors? Let’s take a look.

The International (Dota 2)

The International is an annual Dota 2 esports tournament hosted by Valve Corporation, the game’s developer. The most recent iteration of The International was held in Vancouver, Canada in August 2019. As of 2019, it is the largest and most prestigious tournament in the Dota 2 world, having awarded over US$32 million in prize money to its winners.

The event features 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams competing against each other for a chance to win a share of the multimillion-dollar prize pool. The International is commonly referred to as “TI” and has been growing in popularity every year since its inception in 2011.

League of Legends World Championship (LoL)

The League of Legends World Championship is the annual professional League of Legends world championship tournament hosted by Riot Games and is the culmination of each season. Teams compete for the champion title, the 70-pound (32-kilogram) Summoner’s Cup, and a US$1 million championship prize. The tournament has been held annually since 2011. In 2013, it was held in multiple locations across Europe for October. The grand final was held in the 28,000 seat Munhak Stadium in South Korea. In 2014, the finals were held at Sangam Stadium in Seoul, with an overall prize pool of US$2.13 million (up from $2 million in 2013). The 2015 World Championship was watched by 36 million people, with a peak concurrent viewership of 14.7 million viewers. It also awarded $1 million to first place and $250,000 to second place.[1] For 2016 Riot increased both the base prize pool again to bring it up to $5 million more than 2015 as well as introducing a crowd funding campaign that eventually raised around $6 million extra,[2] making it at the time one of if not the largest prize pools for any single esports tournament alongside Dota 2’s annual International championship (however both have now been eclipsed by 2017’s International which reached over $24 million).

Counter-Strike: Major Championships (CS:GO)

The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championships, commonly known as Majors, are Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) esports tournaments sponsored by Valve, the game’s developer. The Majors were first introduced in 2013 and took place in Jönköping, Sweden and was hosted by DreamHack. There have been thirteen CS:GO majors to date.

The most recent Major was hosted in Berlin, Germany from August 23 to September 8, 2019, and featured a US$1 million prize pool as well as the debut of the “Legends” stage.

The Highest-Paying Esports Games

If you’re looking to get into the world of competitive gaming, you’re going to want to know which games offer the biggest payouts. While many factors contribute to how much money a player can make, the game they play is the largest one. Here are the five highest-paying esports games.

Dota 2

Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena video game and the stand-alone sequel to Defense of the Ancients. Developed by Valve Corporation, it was released via the Steam gaming platform on July 9, 2013. The game is played in matches between two teams of five players, each of which occupies and defends a separate base on the map. Each team attempts to destroy the opposing team’s primary structure. The first team to do so wins the match.

Dota 2 includes a large cast of playable characters, each with unique in-game abilities. In order to prevent players from having unfair advantages over others and allow fair play, Valve imposes strict restrictions on what software and programs third-party developers can create and distribute. Any software or program that gives players an unfair advantage over others is not tolerated by Valve and is quickly removed from distribution.

Dota 2 has become one of the most popular esports games in recent years, with annual prize pools often exceeding $10 million dollars. The game has been praised for its complex gameplay, active community, and large competitive scene.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)

Launched in 2012, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a first-person shooter game that pits two teams against each other—the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists. Each team has to complete its objectives, such as planting or diffusing a bomb, or rescuing or guarding hostages. The game is played in rounds, and the first team to win 16 rounds wins the match.

CS:GO has a long and storied competitive history, with tournaments being held all over the world. In recent years, CS:GO has become one of the most watched esports games, with million of dollars in prize money up for grabs. The best CS:GO teams in the world compete in tournaments such as the ELEAGUE Major, ESL Pro League, and ECS leagues.

League of Legends (LoL)

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 are mediated by human-computer interfaces. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, 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 designing toward a professional esports subculture.

The most common video game genres associated with esports are real-time strategy (RTS), first-person shooter (FPS), fighting, and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). Tournaments such as The International, the League of Legends World Championship, the Battle.net World Championship Series, and the Overwatch World Cup are among some of the largest in terms of prize money offered and number of viewers. Each genre has vastly different requirements for players’ reflexes, strategic planning, and team play ability.

Prize pools for tournaments can range into the millions of US dollars annually. A growing number have turned to crowd funding ( sometimes through crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter) to increase prize pools further beyond what sponsors are willing to pay.

The Most Popular Esports Teams

Esports teams are composed of professional gamers who compete in organized, multiplayer video game competitions. Esports teams often have multiple players who specialize in different roles within the game. The most popular esports teams typically have players from all around the world.

Evil Geniuses (EG)

Evil Geniuses, or EG, is one of the most well-known and successful esports organizations of all time. Founded in 1999, EG has been a powerhouse in North American esports for over a decade.

EG has teams and players competing in a variety of different games, including Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, and Halo 5. EG is also one of the only organizations with teams in both North America and Europe.

Some of EG’s most famous players include Clinton “Fear” Loomis, SumaiL Hassan, and Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora. Fear is considered one of the best Dota 2 players ever, while SumaiL is one of the youngest professional esports athletes in the world. UNiVeRsE is also considered one of the best Dota 2 players in the world.

In terms of results and achievements, Evil Geniuses has won more than 200 tournaments and championships across all games. In 2015, they were ranked as the #1 team in the world by HLTV.org. And in 2016, they won The International 6 – Dota 2’s world championship – becoming the first North American team ever to do so.

Fnatic

Fnatic is a professional esports organization headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 2004, the team has players from around the world competing in a variety of games. Fnatic is considered to be one of the most successful esports organizations of all time. In 2018, it was ranked No. 1 by ESPN in their “Esports Power Rankings”.

Fnatic’s League of Legends team won the first ever League of Legends World Championship in 2011 and has achieved several other championship titles since. The organization also operates Dota 2, CS:GO, Rainbow Six Siege, and Fortnite teams. All of Fnatic’s teams compete at the highest level of their respective game.

Team Liquid

Team Liquid is a professional esports organization founded in the Netherlands in 2000. Originally a Brood War clan, the team switched to StarCraft II during the Wings of Liberty beta in 2010. They play in various tournaments around the world. Notable accomplishments include winning the 2014 World Championship Series and being crowned 3-time Major Champions.