eSports is a form of competitive video game play. The games can be solo or team-based, with the team-based games often following a promotion and relegation model. This competitive scene has grown in popularity in the past few years. While esports has traditionally had a male-heavy audience, it has started to draw more women, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Women make up a little more than one-third of today’s esports audience.
Esports can be a fun hobby or a highly lucrative career. Esports players are contracted with different organizations and play games against other teams in professional tournaments. The games are played to win money, fame and glory. While the rules vary, they are all zero-sum games. Unlike traditional games, esports players will lose more often than they win. But that doesn’t mean they can’t accomplish their goals. In fact, esports players may find they are able to achieve their goals more quickly than they could if they played traditional games.
In the 1990s, arcades and internet cafes hosted local tournaments. These local heroes made their way to bigger events and eventually to national and international tournaments. One of the first esports tournaments was the Cyberathlete Professional League. The tournament attracted over 10,000 participants in the US.
Esports became more popular in the late 2000s. The games were brought online by xBox live. The competitive scene grew and evolved, with game developers supporting the scene. Many games have ranked modes, which have a different rule set than standard games. Teams may also be promoted or relegated from higher levels.
While esports tournaments are huge, they aren’t as big as traditional sporting events. Major tournaments can feature hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. These tournaments can be held in some of the most prominent global locations. These include London Wembley Arena, Seattle KeyArena and the Los Angeles Staples Center.
In addition to bringing in a large audience, esports has become an interesting career option for many youngsters. Esports players need to learn the ins and outs of their games. They also need to be prepared to put in the effort and dedication required to develop the game.
Esports is a relatively new phenomenon, but it has already gained huge attention in the global gaming community. This trend has paved the way for esports organizations to form. Several top esports organisations, such as Fnatic, G2 esports, and Team Liquid, compete in video games such as League of Legends, Dota 2 and Overwatch. Esports organizations will also often have multiple teams that specialize in video games.
A franchise model will also be in place. Riot Games recently announced that they will launch a North American League of Legends league. The North American League will be a 10-team franchise model. Each team will cost $10 million to play in, and each spot will cost $10 million to fill.
APAC has always had a large presence in the gaming industry. The popularity of esports is expected to grow in the coming years.