Esports is a competitive video game genre that is becoming a major global industry. Unlike traditional sports, esports relies on digital platforms, such as computers and smartphones, for distribution, and the games themselves are played in an organized and competitive environment. The audience for esports has grown significantly in recent years. A number of brands are investing heavily in esports ventures. In fact, the industry is projected to grow to 1.8 billion dollars by 2022.
Currently, there are a number of different esports games to choose from, including League of Legends, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. These games are played on computers, and they use a LAN connection to compete. Many games have ranked modes, which have different rules from the standard game. There are also team-based games, such as Call of Duty.
Players earn money by playing for teams or through sponsorships. Professional esports leagues usually have a manager or analyst to watch the game, as well as coaches and players. If a player does poorly, they may be dropped from the competition and relegated to the lower levels of the competition. Some amateur esports players are not paid for their performances, and they usually play for fun or to make money from lower-level tournaments.
The world of esports is an international grey area. Depending on the region, some games are more popular than others. For example, League of Legends is dominated by Chinese teams. Similarly, Call of Duty is dominated by players from North America.
Although esports is growing, there are several challenges to the industry. One major obstacle is the lack of infrastructure. Esports are played over regional servers that need to be dedicated to make the games work. This creates a huge learning curve for newcomers. Another challenge is high latency, which can render the game unplayable. When a match has high lag, the game is often paused until a problem is fixed.
In addition, most esports are watched online. However, there are some live events that draw crowds in real life. Several esports games are broadcast live on television, as well. It is not uncommon for these matches to draw more than one million viewers concurrently.
Some of the most well-known esports leagues are Major League Gaming and the League of Legends World Championship. Both of these leagues were formed in the early 2000s. Each season, these leagues have a number of teams that practice the same game, and they then play against each other. Teams that do well are promoted to higher level leagues, while teams that do poorly are relegated to the lower levels.
While esports have been around for several years, the competitive scene has been growing and evolving in recent years. The League of Legends World Championship, held at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris in December, attracted more than 44 million viewers. Meanwhile, the Intel Extreme Masters drew 173,000 fans to the stadium.
A growing esports audience has increased the potential for sponsorships. Many of the world’s top brands have gotten involved in esports, and some non-endemic brands have joined the fray as well.
