Written by Oscar, 2021 Cohort
The revolution of video games
In the 21st century, the video game generation is evolving rapidly. In the past, we started with playing on digital devices such as Gameboy, PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Wii, Nintendo Switch, VR and more. Together with all these devices, video games have become an important role in our daily lives and have been drawing more people’s attention. However, there are always players who would like to look for something more than just to playing video games for life.
By attracting more attention, they began using social platforms that are very popular these days like Youtube, Twitch and Tick Tok to earn viewers, donations, subscriptions and comments. This phenomenon is undoubtedly an invitation to join the world of E-sport.
What is E-sport?
E-sport was first founded back in 1972 at Stanford University and became trending in the 2000s. The term defines the experience of joining players from all over the world to attend tournaments in playing video and computer games. The rule is to defeat the opponent as a team or single player and proceed to the next stage. It is every player’s dream to become the champion because the prize money is very attractive, which could go up to a million dollars. To become a professional gamer, it usually takes one not only years of hard training but also up to 4-8 hours a day gaming.
How did E-sports get so popular?
In the world of E-sports, several games have been incredibly popular in the past several years and are still growing. These are Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Fortnite, PUBG and one of my favourite games, Overwatch. More and more people these days see E-sports as a real sport tournament, they gather millions of fans to attend live events or watch broadcasts on television and online.
Another reason which makes e-sports so popular it is accessible and inclusive, brings about diversity of games and gaming as a social activity.
The difference between a live event and watching online is linked to atmosphere. During the live event, usually hosted in a stadium by a gaming company, there is a crowd of audience members surrounding the arena, which provides a chance for people to meet the gamers right in front of you in real-time, play in action and listen to the cheering vibes. In the other perspective of watching online, the vibes will be expressed at the level of the audience watching together with friends and family like a formal Olympic game.
How has the pandemic affected E-sports?
When the pandemic stroke at the beginning of 2019, a lot of live stage tournaments had to be postponed for quite long periods because the virus had spread and lockdowns were in place all over the world. As a result, most of the tournaments turned to live broadcasts online. For that reason, gamers stay home instead of attending a live event so they can keep a safe distance at all times, and audiences could also enjoy the performance online. I believe there are no other sports games that could achieve the flexibility that Esport has. Without a doubt, this shows there is nothing that could stop the world of E-sport and we can tell it would only be an increasing trend hereafter.
What is the future of e-sports?
Will they survive or disappear? In recent years, there have been several studies on Esport industry. Its annual net worth of more than $1 billion continued showing an upward tendency before the impact of the pandemic. Therefore, while everyone will be seeking refuge at home and look for entertainment, e-sports will thrive.