With the term eSports, we describe competitive video games, and just like professional sports, these are well-organized and incredibly profitable activities. So here's a beginner's guide to the world of eSports.
How do eSports work?
When we talk about eSports, we mainly talk about leagues and tournaments. Usually, you play against a group of teams based in your geographic region. After a regular season, most league-based eSports move on to a series of playoffs to determine the league's winner.
The so-called “League of Legends” operates on a league-based system. Each region (China, Korea, Europe, North America, etc.) runs two leagues per year: the spring and summer divisions. Each phase of the league, played in a round-robin format, is followed by regional playoffs to determine the final division standings. The spring playoffs also guarantee qualification for the League of Leagues equivalent to an All-Star Game, the Mid-Season Invitational.
On the other hand, the summer playoffs serve as a qualifier for the League of Legends World Championships, the game's season-ending tournament that sees the best teams from around the world compete.
Why aren't eSports and classic video games the same thing?
ESports involve playing video games or other online activities like gambling, again on a competitive level. All transmitted in streaming to reach the community in real-time, in recent years, eSports have managed to radically expand the audience on the web giving rise to a fundamental digital transformation.
So eSports are not a new technology, nor a new fashion to follow. On the contrary, it is a natural and definitive change in the world of entertainment and culture and, as such, is capturing enormous attention, especially from the youth target.
The same happens with gambling: the younger generation is increasingly attracted to online casinos, even in countries like India, where gambling in physical casinos is prohibited.
There are many platforms where you can choose from modern and flashy online slots or opt for classic casino games with live dealers. Whether you prefer a game of luck or a game of skill, there’s something for everyone.
However, unlike gambling, which everyone knows what it is, eSports are often unclear because they are confused with the video game industry. But even though they share some characteristics and are closely related, the two terms are not synonymous, as not all video games lend themselves to competitive competition. Moreover, even if a video game would be potentially suitable to become an eSport, it is not said that then there are tournaments or leagues on that particular game.
In conclusion, to fully understand eSports, one should first learn to differentiate them from video games.
In this regard, it is good to understand that working in the entertainment industry is not synonymous with working in the development and creation of video games, nor working in the organization of sporting events. The fundamentals in these fields may be the same, but the model is different.
Furthermore, eSports appeal primarily to the digital generation (as opposed to video games that do not require familiarity with the web world) because Millennials are the audience that plays the most.
ESports in the world
ESports is a growing industry, both in popularity and money. In 2017, eSports had estimated worldwide revenue of $565 million. In 2021, that industry was valued at over $1 billion, increasing by more than half from the previous year.
To get an idea of how significant this industry has become, consider that in 2017, the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship saw 46 million unique online viewers. That means the event had significantly more viewers than President Donald Trump's televised inauguration.
Conclusion
The factors that motivate those who watch eSports are not different from those who watch traditional sports. Viewers of eSports are looking for "excellence", moments of the game that make you hold your breath. When the pro players leave you speechless, giving a quality game, you feel like saying: "I want to do it too, I want to be like him!".
So, what the audience is looking for more is entertainment in the true sense of the word. Since in eSports, what gives emotions to the spectators is also the atmosphere created, it becomes essential to organize competitive events in the best way, starting from the structuring, the place, and the "dream teams".
