Although many people still wonder what eSports are, the reality is that this discipline is not far from traditional sports. In fact, both modalities have more in common than we might think, and the fact is that both basically consist of competitions based on leagues, with professional players and teams, global events and a large mass of followers , which depending on their popularity, they can generate more or less money.
The great difference between eSports and other sports competitions lies in the medium in which they are developed: video games . In recent decades we have seen how the traditional way of playing video games has been changing rapidly, going from having to gather around a video game console in a specific physical space to be able to play, to being an activity that allows you to interact and play with people from anywhere. of the world in real time. Know more about magnetic blocks.
Thus, something that was born to be a hobby , has gradually evolved to become today one of the entertainment industries that generates the most interest and profits .
And although this brief explanation can clarify a little what eSports are, they go further.
What is eSports really?
The term eSport is the result of combining the English word ‘ e ‘, which is used to refer to everything electronic, with the word ‘ sport ‘, which in English means sport. Therefore, eSports can be said to be nothing other than cyber sports or electronic sports .
On the other hand, the participants, competitors or practitioners of this type of sports are popularly known as ‘ gamers ‘ , an English word that can also be translated as players.
And as we have already mentioned, like traditional sports, eSports are organized into different leagues and competitions , whose structure is the same as other sports. And in the same way as in traditional sports, some can be played in teams and others individually. You might be interested in magnetic building blocks.
The winners of these leagues also obtain titles and prizes , which depending on the type of competition, can be awarded by the developers of the games themselves or by the sponsors in charge of the organization. In order to be eligible for these prizes and titles, players must also train almost daily. Many of them dedicate themselves professionally to this activity and receive a salary for it, becoming comparable in popularity to great stars of traditional sports.
The impact of eSports in recent years is such that many sports clubs, universities or large companies already have their own eSports teams. Some examples in Spain are:
- Vodafone Giants.
- Movistar Riders.
- UCAM Tokiers.
- Barca eSports.
But the eSports industry is not based solely on players and clubs, there is a whole new range of professions linked to electronic sports, ranging from coaches, physical trainers, performance-enhancing experts, psychologists, managers, to marketing specialists. or journalists, among many others, dedicated exclusively to this new sector.
Why are eSports so popular?
Ok, we have already seen what eSports are , but that does not explain why they are so popular and why more and more people are consuming this type of entertainment, either as players or as spectators.
Well, on the one hand we find the factor of competition and the power to win large sums of money , which can reach up to millions of euros.
But its popularity is not only because of that, it is also thanks to its accessibility . And it is that unlike traditional sports, thanks to the Internet connection it is possible to practice any type of electronic sport from anywhere in the world, without the need for all the participants to be in the same physical space, comfortably from home or even from the smartphone.
Another factor that has influenced the great popularity of eSports is streaming . This type of platform allows you to see other people play in real time and even interact with their viewers, creating authentic media stars with a fandom that supports them in all the projects in which they are involved. Learn more about intelligent magnetic building blocks set.
And that is what the culture of videogames consists of today , in playing, but also in watching other people play and being aware of everything that happens in the sector. According to some studies, video game consumers today spend almost as much time playing the game themselves as they do watching their favorite streamers take part in competitions.
Its popularity is such that in 2017 the League of Legends World Championship had more than 80 million viewers. With these figures, it is not surprising that large media , such as Disney or SyFy, are investing more and more in this type of event and are committed to broadcasting the different tournaments, rivaling traditional sports competitions .
What are the most played eSports?
Once we know what eSports are, it is time to talk about which are the most played eSports. And although it can be somewhat complicated to determine which is the favorite of gamers , due to the large number of platforms, developers and variety of devices that exist today, we are going to see which are the 3 eSports that stand out for being the most popular :
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Also known as CS: Go , this first-person shooter game is one of the most popular among gamers and eSports fans.
It is a multiplayer action game , where two teams face each other. In addition to having to beat the opposing team, each team has its own mission: the counter-terrorists must try to free the hostages and the terrorists set off a bomb.
It is estimated that this game has about 30 million players worldwide.
League of Legends
Popularly known as LoL, this is one of the games with the longest history and one of the most consolidated in eSports. The first tournament was held in 2009 and since then its popularity has continued to grow, with an average audience for each tournament of around 3.8 million viewers .
In this strategy game , two teams of 5 players each fight to destroy each other’s base. Characters in the game are known as “champions” and each has four unique abilities needed to accomplish their team’s goal.
Fortnite
This game that was released in 2017 has become one of the most popular and played in recent years, breaking records with a peak of players in the same session that reached 12 million.
Unlike the previous ones, Fortnite is based on a Battle Royale game mode , where there are no teams and the goal is to be the last survivor of the competition, in which up to 100 players can participate simultaneously.