The world is continually changing and adjusting to the times, and so is the online gaming community. A new movement is waiting in the wings and is about to take centre stage.
We have looked at the latest, most significant thing to hit all screens in the new eSports trend. The arena is the perfect place for amateurs, competitors or those who are pursuing a career in a new form of sport. This fast-growing area of the tech industry has provided many with a new hobby, profession or qualification. One thing’s for sure the trend is here to stay.
A little background first – eSports, or electronic-sports, began as an underground thing around the late 2000s. Then in 2010, the professionals got involved, and the phenomenon took off thanks to streaming sites and sponsors.
With an ever-growing audience and financial input from sponsors, eSports has turned into a new and increasingly popular form of entertainment. With opportunities for amateurs to reach the big time, there’s no wonder this industry is a hit.
The combination of gaming and sport is transforming and disrupting the two industries and giving both sides a much-needed wake-up call. Let’s look at the genre in detail.
The more traditional route into this genre is the eSports games based on actual sports. This includes sports such as basketball, football, soccer, golf and even tennis. We’ve all heard of the most popular Esports competition, FIFA, the soccer tournament that has people of all ages hooked on their consoles.
We’ve compiled a list of eSports that might interest you, read on to visit what’s hot and what’s not.
Soccer – FIFA
Not surprisingly the top team for the 2020 FIFA Ultimate Team Championship was team Renault Vitality. A team made up of some of the best players from all over the world. Some of the top players come from countries such as France, Belgium, UK, Poland, Greece and Portugal.
Renault Vitality won almost $200 000 from 6 tournaments this season, beating the runner up by nearly $50 000. They are the ones to beat in the next FIFA Ultimate Team Championship.
While it’s great to be a spectator, competitive FIFA is not worth playing unless you take it seriously. Once you have joined or created a team, you and your teammates commit to the game. No more Sunday league style play and no communal cold showers after.
American Football – Madden NFL
Some might say the future of American football is eSport. With no injuries, violence or risk, parents are encouraging children to play Football online. Because of this factor, the game has become more and more popular.
One of the top teams, Lazarus, earned almost $45 000 from 2 tournaments, proving there is more money in this Esport than you might think.
What might come as a surprise is that the majority of the team players come from the UK, Netherlands and Hong Kong with only 20% of the team as citizens of the US.
American football is hot right now both on court and online.
Basketball- NBA 2K League
The NBA noticed the rise in popularity of eSport and just in time. In 2027 they created the NBA 2K League with a new generation ‘Take-Two’ interactive option, this has developed it into a popular unique style of eSport.
NBA 2K league streams on well-known sites such as Twitch. The game has its leaderboard, with the Raptors Uprising featuring at the top of the leaderboard for 2020.
There’s some tight competition in this sport. Top team Raptors Uprising is proving they are a groundbreaking unit with the terrific trio of players known as Kenny Got Work, Sick One and Timely Cook working together to win more games and make more money than other teams.
It’s time to try something left field – introducing Dota 2
Fantasy Multiplayer Battle Arena – Dota 2
Straying from the traditional sports with Dota 2, this eSport deserves a mention as it holds some of the top rankings and the highest-earning players that the eSport industry has ever seen.
Dota, meaning Defence of the Ancients, is a strategy game that consists of two teams, each made of 5 players, that battle in an attempt to destroy each other’s ‘Ancient’ claiming the victory for the team.
The current reigning team is a team called Team Liquid. This team started officially in 2010 and quickly expanded into other disciplines and created various organisations. They are ranked as the highest-earning organisation and won The International 2017.
Team Liquid has collectively played over 1820 games and earned them well over $35 million. The majority of the team members are from the US and Germany and have never met, making them an unlikely yet mighty eSports Team.
The effects of Covid-19 meant live tournaments and matches were cancelled. Subsequently, the interest in eSports has multiplied ten-fold. The sport is safe, giving easy access for spectators and fans while providing upcoming sports stars with great opportunities they may not have had before.
Anybody can be an eSports athlete, and that’s the beauty of it.
