The World of eSports Are you Game Enough?

The world of eSports; what was once a simple concept at a LAN party has evolved into an enormous worldwide phenomenon. With millions of spectators watching on TV, with millions more watching online, it’s hard to ignore its popularity. Whether it is 1 vs. 1 or 5 vs. 5, the online arena offers more than just competitive play, it offers competitive pay. But the question, dear readers, is: Are you game enough?

Just how big is the eSports World?

There was a time when only a few friends watched as you reigned supreme in Street Fighter down at the arcade. If anything, you were trying to beat your friend’s high score in Donkey Kong or Tetris. Possibly the earliest known gaming tournament was at Stanford University in 1972, for Spacewar. 

Today, eSports events attract crowds of over 5 million, including both online and in-game spectators. What were once professional Counter-Strike matches has evolved into an increasing number of games spanning multiple genres including racing, first-person shooters, fighting games and the fan-popular real time strategy games like StarCraft.

eSports Games

Regardless of their genre, each of these games have one thing in common, they are all competitive games where you are pit against each other in a struggle for the big cheese – the trophy, international fame and fans, and paycheck.

Games such as my personal favorite, League of Legends, and others like DOTA 2, StarCraft II, Counter-Strike, Warcraft III, FIFA 14, Street Fighter IV and Forza Motorsport 3 are all examples of games played on a professional level. In other words, if it has multiplayer, it’s bound to be an eSport one day.

Are you game enough for 10 people, or more?

What was 1 vs. 1 in Street Fighter or Tekken has turned into a massive arena of 10 or more players, putting their skills to the test in a “do or die” matchup. If you are serious about eSports, you need to be game enough to take on 10 or more people at the same time, if not work with them.

eSport titles such as Counter-Strike, League of Legends and DOTA 2 all require team work while others such as FIFA 14 and Forza Motorsport 3 require you to pit yourself against players in multiple team formats. There’s a competitive market for any type of gamer.

Are you game enough for a $400,000 paycheck?

While eSports may seem silly to many people, I guess a $400,000 paycheck is silly too, right? Many professional gamers earn in one weekend what people spend an entire year trying to earn. However, the road to that paycheck is not easy. You need to practice, practice and, practice. Did I say practice?

eSports, whether you like it or not, is becoming one of the biggest worldwide phenomenon. When most regular sports are rarely sold out, the Los Angeles Stales Center sold 15,000 tickets within 60 minutes to the 2013 League of Legends championship. With more popularity day by day, gaining even more momentum with the increasing number of competitive titles, our dreams are coming true and gamers are able to create a profession out of their passion. eSports will overtake and overshadow regular sports soon enough.

The question is: will you be a competitor or a spectator?

Scarlett Dowdy
Project Manager