Nearly one-third of the world’s population is into online gaming, thus the effervescent air in which the eSports industry finds itself currently. While professional gaming is nothing new, the industry remains the preserve of video game geeks. Newer and more immersive games and the advent of the internet ensured the industry’s growth to include a global fan base.
The past few years have seen more and more aspiring gamers transition from playing for fun to full-time paid gaming. The choice has proved quite rewarding for the brave and bold who have chosen this path. An online survey of Hungarian eSports players revealed that a career in eSports is one of the most popular choices among adolescents and young adults below 24 years.
Dominique ‘SonicFox’ McLean is a world-renowned professional gamer with accolades to go with his fame. Having gotten into fighting games at the young age of three, SonicFox honed their skills over the years to become one of the most revered gamers of their time. With earnings of $600,000 as of 2019, SonicFox and other gamers worldwide are proving that we live in the era of the professional gamer. Also check online pokies New Zealand
From a Hobby to A Career
The past few years have seen more and more aspiring gamers transition from playing for fun to full-time paid gaming. The choice has proved quite rewarding for the brave and bold who have chosen this path. An online survey of Hungarian eSports players revealed that a career in eSports is one of the most popular choices among adolescents and young adults below 24 years.
It’s little wonder why video game enthusiasts at these ages aspire to the professional stage. From sponsorship money to signing deals for team play to the fame and recognition that comes with it, the crème of the crop among professional gamers leads a life that is the stuff of dreams.
Transitioning into a professional gamer is much more prospective than traditional sports for more reasons than one. For starters, there are scouts or agents to go through as you make your way to the professional stage. Players can grow their stats and track records from the comfort of their homes, even rising to challenge entry-level competitions.
One of the most interesting things about gamers who turn professional is the fluid change from casual to pro gaming. No matter what quality you showcase on your Sunday kickabouts, it seldom gets you rising the ranks to challenge for silverware and participate in the professional end of things. In gaming, this change happens organically, with most experienced players recounting that their friends and family gave them the push they needed to go pro.
Video Game Live Streaming
This is yet another development that has come with more access to the internet. In this form of live broadcast, players have fans watch as they play their favorite games. Specialized platforms such as Twitch and HitBox have created an even more intimate relationship between gamers and their fans. Viewers follow different gamers for various reasons, like their playing style or witty humor. In turn, gamers are adopting more engaging ways to play to attract viewers, building a community and turning it into a job.
Corporate sponsors are also getting in on the action endorsing players for advertisement. Method acting and top-notch gameplay are some aspects of streaming that are changing the gist of gaming and how we consume it.
The Rise of eSports
The birth of eSports can be traced back to the 50s. In 1958 ‘Tennis for Two’ was released as the first multiplayer game where players could use a joystick to hit and control the ball’s trajectory. Being the first multiplayer game ever, ‘Tennis for Two’ is considered by many gaming enthusiasts as the birth of eSports.
Gamers enjoyed a lot of groundbreaking tech developments through the 60s and 70s, and things began to take shape in the 80s with the introduction of high-score lists. The Nintendo World Championships held in 1990 marked the first console championship ever held. Players went against each other in games like Super Mario Bros, Tetris, and Rad Racer.
Fast forward three decades later, and the most popular video game genres on the professional scene are first-person shooter (FPS), multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), and real-time strategy (RTS). Some of the most popular franchises to be adopted professionally include Counter-Strike, Dota, League of Legends, Valorant, Super Smash Bros, Street Fighter, and Overwatch.
A Different Perspective on eSports
In the ever-changing world of eSports, players and fans alike must adapt to new technology quickly. This change involves the inclusion of betting where fans back their favorite teams. With similar developments in the iGaming industry, online casinos and sportsbooks have made placing wagers much more accessible to punters all across the globe. While punters have the choice to make picks as they please, it can be a daunting task. Thankfully, Nodepositdaddy has put together the biggest no deposit casino bonus codes database you will find online. A database like this gives you access to legitimate rewards from online casinos that let you play casino games risk-free as you bet on your favorite players and teams.
Legitimizing the Sport
Getting competitive video games to be labeled as a form of sport seems like the last frontier for the eGaming industry. With everything else to support its recognition as a sport in place, physical training and fitness remain the two issues that relegate it to a mind sport rather than a proper sporting discipline. Panelists have openly scoffed at the idea of including eSports in conventional sports.
Gamers enjoyed a lot of groundbreaking tech developments through the 60s and 70s, and things began to take shape in the 80s with the introduction of high-score lists. The Nintendo World Championships held in 1990 marked the first console championship ever held. Players went against each other in games like Super Mario Bros, Tetris, and Rad Racer.
Despite opposition from different quarters and struggles to match the standards for classification as a traditional sport, eSports is slowly gaining acceptance in medal-winning events. The Asian Indoor Games was the first medal-winning, multi-sport event to introduce eSports as a competitive discipline. It has since been featured in the exhibition and competitive capacities.
The Olympic Games have come under the spotlight as one of the surefire ways to legitimize the sport. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) views eSports favorably, acknowledging it as part of the roster is a different ball game. For one, eSports would have to conform to the Olympic movement’s rules and regulations. The IOC also noted the lack of an international sanctioning body to watch players conduct and run competitions as one of the bottlenecks to such recognition.
Tournaments and Leagues
The development of team eSports has led to the introduction of promotion and relegation leagues. Such leagues are made up of sponsored teams that vie for the top position in a season-long league. In addition to prize money, teams that do well get promoted to a higher league. Those that do badly are relegated to a lower league. The League of Legends series is a prime example of a league with tiers where you have the challenger and the championship series.
As leagues gained more and more interest among gaming enthusiasts, franchised leagues were introduced with no relegation or promotion. Many popular TV shows are also being developed with gaming structures, making it possible to create games out of them. The creation of leagues for different games attracted larger investors, with signed players put on a salary with benefits. In such leagues, players are signed onto contracts, released as free agents, traded among teams, and other players brought on from minor leagues. The Overwatch League by Blizzard Entertainment was the first league of this kind introduced in 2018. It was followed by leagues for different franchises like Activision’s Call of Duty and Major League Soccer’s eMLS based on EA’s FIFA series of games.
Tournaments have also become a staple of eSports. Players have to go through qualification matches before entering tournaments. Competitions like these are physical, with audiences and referees watching for cheating. Events like these are often held as part of a larger gathering or the entirety of the event. In the US, events like these have attracted prize money of up to 10 million dollars for team events. Individual players collect up to $200,000 for a single win.
Conclusion
The gaming industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the last five years, evolving into a fully-fledged career path. With the current boom in the gaming industry, we are set to see more developments and ingenuity from both gamers and game developers. Termed an industry for the young, gaming continues to attract more and more aspiring professionals and better-skilled players. With prize money going up and more tournaments and leagues cropping up, the industry is well in its prime and is forecasted to keep going and bringing in the money.
