Esports started off as a niche hobby for gamers who are deeply interested in gaming. It has now transformed into a prominent mainstream form of entertainment. From a formation of small tournaments and online streams, Esports now attracts an audience consisting of millions of people and awards multi-million dollar prize pools to its winners. Events held such as the League of Legends World Championship on average attract approximately 73 million in viewership.
The key factor that resulted in this major growth in viewership are due to platforms like Twitch as well as Youtube, where fans are able to watch these matches live, interact with other players, and also create a vibrant environment. Twitch is said to have over 140 million active viewers on average, with gaming being the main traction for this viewership.
Professionalism in The Gaming Scene
Esports is now seen as professional within the gaming community; many top players around the world earn millions of dollars through advertisement and streaming deals. Some of the most well known gaming
organizations include Faze Clan and T1 which are now considered to be traditional professional gaming organizations, however there are many more.
Esports and Traditional Sports
In the beginning, Esports was not seen as an actual sport within the community but has started to make its way into large popular sports channels such as ESPN and TBS who now regularly air these types of Esports events worldwide with stadiums being used to host these tournaments. Celebrities along with prominent athletes are now starting to engage with this large movement such as Drake and Shaquille O’ Neal, who are investing into these gaming teams at events.
In fact, Preuss has an organized Esports team which is held every single Thursday with advisors Ms. Esparza and Mr. Hua. The game they play is called Smash Bros, where the main objective is knocking the other opponent off the platform after accumulating a certain amount of damage. This club is held from 4pm through 5pm at room E202. The Esports team for Preuss has also successfully made the playoffs for a tournament marking a great achievement for the Preuss Esports team. The team will greatly appreciate support from students, so feel free to come by and watch.
Looking Ahead
As Esports continues to grow in popularity, it’s visible that gaming is not just a passing phase, it’s also shifting the future of entertainment. With esports being talked about throughout all of media, and more companies investing in content in relation to gaming, esports is at a spot where it could be growing exponentially. New technology being created such as VR could also push the gaming industry to new heights making it a more immersive environment.
