What Game Started Esports?

Esports first began with the game of StarCraft. It is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game that was released in 1998.

The Beginnings of Esports

It is commonly accepted that the first video game tournament was held at Stanford University in 1972. Twenty-eight students competed in the Spacewar Olympics, with the winning student taking home a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. From these humble beginnings, the world of esports was born.

The First Esports Tournament

The first esports tournament took place at Stanford University in 1972. Students from across the country gathered to compete in the Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics, playing a game called Spacewar. The winner took home a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine.

While today’s esports tournaments offer prizes worth millions of dollars, the humble beginnings of the spacewar tournament show how far the industry has come in just a few decades. Now, esports is a global phenomenon, with tournaments taking place all over the world and an estimated audience of 400 million people.

The Rise of Esports

The term “esports” is derived from the word “electronic sports,” which itself stems from “athletic competition that is facilitated by electronic systems, especially video games.” In other words, esports are organized, competitive video gaming events. Though the concept of competitive gaming has existed for decades, it wasn’t until the late 1990s/early 2000s that it began to take off as a legitimate form of professional sport.

One of the earliest and most popular games to give rise to esports was Starcraft: Brood War, a military science fiction real-time strategy game for PC that was released in 1998. In South Korea especially, Starcraft: Brood War became immensely popular, with professional players earning celebrity status and top players being able to make a living off of tournament winnings and sponsorships. The game helped pave the way for other titles like Counter-Strike and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne to become popular in the competitive gaming scene.

Today, esports is a multi-million dollar industry, with professional gamers earning salaries and playing in front of live audiences at stadiums around the world. The most popular games in esports include League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch, and CS:GO. If you’re interested in getting into esports, there are plenty of ways to do so — whether you want to compete professionally or just play recreationally with friends.

The Evolution of Esports

It all started with a simple game of “DotA”, which quickly rose to popularity. From there, competitive gaming as we know it today began to take shape. With the rise of live streaming platforms like Twitch, esports has only continued to grow in popularity. Today, there are professional gamers and teams all over the world competing in various games for a chance to win a prize pool.

The Growth of Esports

The growth of Esports over the past decade has been astronomical. We’ve seen prize pools increase, player salaries increase and the mainstreaming of competitive gaming. But where did it all start? What was the first esport?

The answer is simple: Brood War.

StarCraft: Brood War was released in 1998 and is widely considered to be the game that started the competitive gaming scene. The game was incredibly popular in South Korea, where professional gamers, or “pros”, would play in televised matches in front of sold-out stadiums. The top players in the world became celebrities and were household names.

Esports grew slowly but surely over the next few years, with other games like Counter-Strike, Warcraft 3 and Halo picking up steam. However, it wasn’t until the release of League of Legends in 2009 that we saw a true explosion in popularity.

League of Legends quickly became the most popular game in the world, with tournaments being watched by millions of people around the globe. The game’s developer, Riot Games, did an amazing job of building an ecosystem around the game, supporting professional players and teams and organizing world-class tournaments. This helped legitimize Esports as a real sport with real athletes.

Today, there are hundreds of professional esports teams around the world competing in dozens of different games for millions of dollars in prize money. And it all started with Brood War over 20 years ago!

The Popularity of Esports

The term “esports” covers a wide range of video gaming competitions. Esports often take the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players. These events can be organized by game publishers themselves, or by independent esports organizations. The most popular esports games include titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

The popularity of esports has grown exponentially in recent years. According to a report from Newzoo, the global esports economy was worth $696 million in 2017, and is expected to reach $1.5 billion by 2020. This growth is being driven by a combination of factors, including the massive popularity of spectator-friendly titles like Fortnite, the rise of live streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming, and the growing interest from traditional sports organizations and brands in sponsoring esports events and teams.

The Future of Esports

Esports, also known as electronic sports, competitive video gaming, or pro gaming, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players. The most common video game genres associated with esports are real-time strategy, first-person shooter (FPS), fighting, and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA).

The Potential of Esports

The esports industry is still in its infancy, but it shows great potential. In 2014, global esports revenues totaled $194 million and are expected to reach $278 million by 2018, according to SuperData Research. The majority of that revenue comes from sponsorships and advertising, with popular brands such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull, and Intel sponsoring teams and events. Media rights and merchandising are also growing sources of revenue.

With such a large global audience and so much money flowing into the industry, it’s no wonder that traditional sports organizations are taking notice of esports. Many NBA and NFL teams have invested in esports teams, while MLB has partnered with ESL to live-stream baseball highlights on Twitch. And it’s not just North American organizations getting involved—FC Schalke 04, a German soccer team, recently bought an esports team, as well!

The potential for growth in the esports industry is huge. With more traditional sports organizations getting involved and more money flowing into the scene, we can expect to see even more amazing things from esports in the future.

The Possibilities for Esports

The sky is the limit for esports. We are already seeing traditional sports organizations invest in esports, and colleges and universities are beginning to offer scholarships for gamers. The industry is expected to continue to grow at a rapid pace, with new tournaments, leagues, and organizations springing up all the time.

There are endless possibilities for the future of esports. We could see more traditional sports organizations get involved, as well as more colleges and universities offering scholarships. We could also see more competitions with bigger prize pools, as well as more leagues and tournaments being created.