e‑sports

 The e-sports phenomenon is experiencing one of the highest growth rates in terms of followers. Thanks to e-sports, the doors have been opened to new business ideas in a sphere that already moves large amounts of money. We are talking about video game competitions with a professional character, which are no longer just a game but a profession.

The real passion for video game competitions is causing many people to wonder what e-sports are and what is new compared to traditional forms of gaming. In this article we tell you everything you need to know about e-sports.

What are e-sports?

e-sports or electronic sports are a concept from to name video game competitions organized at a professional level. Although the eSports industry is not new (it has been around since the 1990s), it has only recently begun to gain a following.

Technological advances have allowed the user experience to resemble real life. In addition, advanced Internet services solve connectivity problems and allow the user and viewer to immerse themselves in the game without interruption.

Its operation is very simple: each esport game has its own rules and has access to different devices and platforms online or offline.

Evolution of esports

Starting in the 1990s, video games went from being an occasional pastime to becoming an organized professional sport. Today, e-sports is an industry that, according to a report by Grand View Research, will reach $1 billion by 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of +15.7% between 2020 and 2027.

This just goes to show that the eSports industry is the gold rush of modern times. Major television networks ESPN, TBS, SyFy and Telemundo broadcast eSports events; traditional sports leagues such as the NHL and NBA have launched tournaments and leagues; and NBA and NFL team owners have acquired stakes in eSports teams.

Although at first it might seem that the format would not be successful  an audience that would not enjoy watching the game as much as playing it themselves  it has already been proven that these video game competitions, in which spectators watch how other gamers play, are engaging.

among the most played and competitive e sports are fighting games, shooters and team fights which are Fornite, counter strike League of Legends Dota 2 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege and so on.

These are the most popular and where competitions are quite large and have their own leagues and teams.

Although competitions have always been part of the video game culture, these competitions have experienced a great increase in popularity, both in terms of participation and audience, since the late 2000s. This increase has been linked to the development of video games, which is currently focused on facilitating competition between players.

In 2015 the most successful titles in professional competitions were Dota 2, League of Legends (both belonging to the MOBA genre) and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a first-person shooter video game.

It is worth noting that there is a predominance of men among players and spectators of this type of sport. Approximately 85% of those who watch e-sports are men, and the remaining 15% are women. Of these, 60% are concentrated between the ages of 18 and 34.

And do you see any of these video games being played as e sports?