A brief history of Esports
I have been a gamer for a long time. I remember very distinctly the day my father installed Myst on our first computer, and I was hooked. Many years after that, I bought Battlefield 1942, not fully realizing that there was no way my parents computer could run it. So I waited, patiently, for technology to catch up, so that I might experience the much-hyped world of online multiplayer for the first time.
And let me tell you, it was glorious.
For us back then, the closest thing we got to “video game playoffs” were late night Halo tournaments in someone’s basement, fueled by miles of Ethernet cable, an old router, takeout pizza, and all-dressed chips.
As the industry grew in both audience size and in yearly revenue generation, large corporations began to realize that there was an emerging market of consumers with specific, pointed interest in playing video games, and in that interest there lay the untapped potential for all kinds of advertising.
And so began the saga of professional esports as we know them today.
For clarity: esports refers to “sporting” events featuring the playing of competitive, mostly online multiplayer video games. Competing in video games is nothing new. One could even say it’s at the heart of every video game; you’re always striving to overcome or beat something, be it an enemy, an environment, a puzzle, etc. But in recent years, the field of professional esports has exploded with sponsorship money, leading to humungous tournaments with prize purses large enough to make competing in them a viable profession. This year, in Dota 2 alone, there was over $30 million in prize money distributed amongst the various competitions held internationally.
Modern esports viewership is up in the hundreds of thousands, reaching the millions for some of the larger tournaments- a far cry from the amateur tournaments and small venues of the not-so-distant past. Add into that the wealth of online streaming services working to make esports one of the most readily available pieces of programming on the market, as well as the international appeal of the events- and you have a recipe for a new and powerful force in the world of professional entertainment.
This year, ESPN broadcast the final rounds of the Dota 2 International Championship, earning themselves a mixed bag of praise and ridicule. Therein we see what is probably the greatest obstacle that the world of professional esports will face in the coming decade: nomenclature. They did themselves a huge disservice by not discouraging the use of the term “esports,” in favour of something slightly less provocative. I do not disagree with the critics claiming that it isn’t a real sport. I agree, it isn’t. Esports are as much a “sport” as chess or darts or pool. It’s a game of skill, a game of strategy. A competition amongst bitter rivals, with professional sponsorships, large prize purses, and exciting, fast-paced action. Leave the moniker of “sport” behind and you’re left with exactly what came in: an accessible, cheap, easily understood, and humongously entertaining way to bring together people from around the globe to compete in a test of three-dimensional awareness, problem solving, lightning fast reactions, and quick decision making.
Next time you’re sitting on your couch, tired of the emotional rollercoaster that comes with watching the Leafs during playoffs, head over to Twitch or MLG.tv and see if someone’s playing a good match. Even if you’ve never played the game before, give it a try. Watch it, learn it, try and anticipate the moves. Get inside the players heads and see their strategy. You may just become a fan.