How Did Esports Start?

Many people are wondering how did esports start? Well, the origins of esports date back to the early 1970s when video games started to become popular. However, it wasn’t until the late 1990s when esports started to gain traction as a competitive activity. Since then, esports has grown exponentially and is now a mainstream phenomenon.

The Origins of Esports

Esports began in the 1970s with small competitions being held in connection with video game conferences. These competitions grew in popularity over the next few decades, with more and more people getting involved. Today, esports is a multi-billion dollar industry with events being held all over the world.

The First Esports Tournaments

While video games had been around for some time, it wasn’t until the early 1970s when they started to gain popularity as a form of entertainment. The first esports tournaments began appearing shortly afterwards and featured some of the earliest versions of now staple games such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man.

One of the very first esports tournaments took place in October 1972 at Stanford University. The event was organized by students and featured a 12-hour Space War marathon. The winner, Bruce Baumgart, took home a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine.

A few months later, in January 1973, students at MIT held a similar event called the Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics. That tournament saw close to 100 participants andawarded winners with an assortment of prizes including Hawaiian Punch and Tang mix. The grand prize was a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine, just like at Stanford.

The 1990s saw the birth of many popular esports games including Street Fighter II, DOOM, Quake and Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. This led to increased interest in competitive gaming and more esports tournaments being organized. One of the most notable events from this period was the Red Annihilation tournament for Quake which took place in May 1997. It was hosted by developer id Software and attracted more than 2,000 participants from around the world. The winner, Dennis “Thresh” Fong, went on to become one of the first professional esports players after he was given a Ferrari 328 GTS by John Carmack, one of id Software’s co-founders.

The Growth of Esports

The growth of esports can be traced back to the early 2010s, when competitive gaming began to grow in popularity. A few key events helped to boost its popularity, including the release of popular games such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and the growth of streaming platforms such as Twitch.

As more people began to watch and play competitive games, a professional scene began to emerge. The first esports tournaments were held in the early 2010s, with prize pools typically ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.

Today, esports is a multi-million dollar industry, with some tournaments offering prize pools in excess of $10 million. The industry is also now recognised by the International Olympic Committee, which is considering esports as a medal event for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The Present Day of Esports

Though it may be hard to believe, esports has only been around for little over two decades. In that time, it has managed to grow from a niche interest to a multimillion-dollar global industry. The Present day of Esports has professional teams and athletes, big money sponsors, and even its own dedicated stadiums.

Popular Esports Games

The games that are commonly associated with esports are multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs), first-person shooters (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS), and fighting games. The most popular games in each genre vary depending on region. In some cases, the same game may be popular in multiple regions for different reasons.

MOBAs are the most popular esports genre globally, with games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, and Heroes of the Storm raking in large numbers of viewers and prize pools. FPS games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Overwatch are also popular in many regions, particularly in Europe and North America. In South Korea, StarCraft II is still the dominant RTS game, while fighting games such as Street Fighter V and Super Smash Bros. continue to be popular in Japan.

The Business of Esports

The business of esports has exploded in recent years, with investment coming from all corners of the industry. Brands are now queuing up to sponsor teams and events, while media companies are vying for the rights to broadcast matches. At the same time, game publishers are pumping money into prize pools to make their titles more attractive to professional players.

According to Newzoo, the global esports economy was worth $696 million in 2017, and it is predicted to grow to $1.5 billion by 2020. This rapid growth has led to the emergence of a number of new jobs within the industry, from professional players and coaches to event organizers and broadcast commentators.

With so much money pouring into esports, it’s no surprise that some traditional sports teams are starting to get involved. In September 2016, NBA team owner Rick Fox bought Echo Fox, an esports organization with teams competing in a number of different games. Since then, a number of other NBA teams have followed suit, including the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

It’s not just basketball teams that are getting involved in esports either; football clubs such as Schalke 04, Paris Saint-Germain and West Ham United all have professional players competing under their badges. There’s even an esports version of the Olympics in development, with the 2022 Asian Games set to feature competitive gaming for the first time ever.

The Future of Esports

The history of esports is fascinating. It all started with a game of Spacewar in the early 1970s. Since then, it has grown into a global phenomenon with tournaments being held all over the world. But what does the future hold for esports?

The Popularity of Esports

The future of esports is looking very bright. In just a few short years, the competitive gaming scene has exploded in popularity, with tournaments being held all over the world and prize pools often reaching into the millions of dollars.

With such a large and passionate fan base, it’s no surprise that esports is starting to be taken more seriously by the mainstream world. Numerous universities now offer scholarships for talented gamers, and there are even professional leagues being formed in some countries.

It’s still early days for esports, but it’s clear that it has the potential to become a major player in the world of competitive sports.

The Growth of Esports

The global esports market is expected to reach $1.1 billion by 2019, according to a report by Newzoo, with China and North America contributing the lion’s share of the growth.

The popularity of esports has been on the rise in recent years, with tournaments being held for some of the most popular video games. The games that are typically played in esports competitions include first-person shooters (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS), multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), and fighting games.

According to a report by Goldman Sachs, the audience for esports is expected to reach 300 million by 2022. This growth is being driven by the increasing popularity of streaming services such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming, as well as the growing prize pools for competitive tournaments.

There are a number of factors that are driving the growth of esports, including the increasing popularity of streaming services, the growing prize pools for competitive tournaments, and the rise of mobile gaming.