When Was Esports Considered A Sport?

Esports has been around for a while, but when was it considered a sport? We explore the history of competitive gaming and how it became the billion dollar industry it is today.

The birth of esports

The first recorded esports event was a Space Invaders championship in 1980, where players competed for the high score. From there, competitive gaming started to gain popularity, with early tournaments being held for games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man.

It wasn’t until the late 1990s when esports began to take off. This was due to the rise of broadband internet connections, which allowed gamers to compete against each other online. popular games such as Quake and Starcraft attracted large audiences and led to the development of professional teams and organized leagues.

Today, esports is a multi-million dollar industry with events being held all over the world. The most popular games in esports include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch and Fortnite.

When was esports considered a sport?

The answer to the question of when was esports considered a sport is complicated. For many people, the term “sport” has a specific meaning that excludes electronic gaming. However, there is no one answer to the question because the definition of “sport” is constantly evolving.

Esports began to gain popularity in the early 2000s with the rise of internet cafes and online gaming platforms. Professional gamers started to form teams and compete in tournaments for prize money. As esports grew in popularity, more and more people began to watch professional gaming matches online.

In 2013, ESPN broadcasted The International, a professional Dota 2 tournament, on its television channel. This was a major turning point for esports because it was one of the first times that a major mainstream media outlet had given any coverage to professional gaming. After this, other traditional sports networks began to take notice of esports and started broadcasting esports tournaments.

Nowadays, there are multiple professional leagues for a variety of different games such as League of Legends, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. These leagues have multimillion-dollar contracts with sponsors and partners. In addition, many colleges and universities offer scholarships to students who compete in esports competitions.

So, when was esports considered a sport? It really depends on who you ask. For some people, it has always been considered a sport because it requires skill, practice, and strategy. For others, it wasn’t until recently that they began to see it as a legitimate competitive activity worthy of coverage and investment.

The rise of esports

The history of esports is often traced back to 1972, when Stanford students organized a computer space war tournament. However, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that esports began to emerge as a legitimate competitive activity. The first major esports tournament was held in 1997, and featured the game “Quake”. Since then, esports has grown exponentially, with tournaments being held for a variety of popular games such as “League of Legends”, “DOTA 2”, “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive”, and more.

Today, esports is widely considered to be a legitimate sport, with many players receiving sponsorships and becoming professional athletes. In addition, many colleges and universities now offer scholarships for esports players. And with the rise of live-streaming platforms like Twitch, anyone can watch and enjoy esports matches from around the world.

The future of esports

professional gaming, or esports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players. 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 byprofessional gamers and spectatorship in these events saw a large surge in popularity. Mendes (2014) argues that one of the main reasons for the growth of esports is due to the snowballing effect it has had since its inception. The first eSports tournament offered a prize pool of $5,000 in 1997 and by 2011 this had increased to $5 million for a single tournament (Intel Extreme Masters). This large increase in prize money has contributed to making esports a viable career option for some players (Mendes 2014).

The popularity of spectator sports has seen a parallel growth in the popularity of esports. This is most evident through the increase in media coverage and investment in the industry. For example, ESPN started broadcasting live coverage of Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm tournament in June 2016 (ESPNHeroespresence 2016). In addition to this, there are now dedicated Twitch.tv channels which show nothing but esports matches 24 hours a day and some bookmakers are now offering odds on matches (betting on eSports 2016). In July 2017 it was reported that Amazon had paid $1 billion to buy Twitch.tv with the stated intention of using it as “a live streaming platform for new types live sports content” including esports (Keane 2017). As esports continues to grow in popularity it seems likely that we will see more traditional sporting organisations investing in or partnering with professional gaming teams.

There are currently many different games being played at a professional level with more being added all the time. The three most popular genres are first person shooters (FPS), multi-player online battle arenas (MOBA) and real-time strategy games (RTS). The most popular individual games are currently LeagueofLegends(LoL), Dota 2and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive(CS:GO) with Overwatchand Hearthstonelooking like they could join them soon. These games are popular for different reasons but what they all have in common is that they require split second decision making, excellent hand-eye coordination and above all else team work. These attributes are not just useful for playing video games; they can also lead to successful careers in other industries such as traditional sports, music and even investment banking