Wikipedia on Esports

Although Blizzard had no significant involvement in the initial StarCraft events that surfaced independently in South Korea, the company later mandated that event organizers and broadcasters seek authorization for events showcasing the sequel StarCraft II. The dynamics between video game developers and tournament organizers, as well as broadcasters, involve considerable negotiation and variation. In August 2018, the record-breaking prize pool for any esports tournament was set during The International 2018, Valve’s flagship Dota 2 competition, totaling over US$25 million.

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It was projected that by 2020 (the esports audience would reach 454 million viewers and revenues would exceed US$1 billion), with China contributing 35% to the global esports revenue, by the late 2010s. The inclusion of esports in future Olympic events has been a discussion for the International Olympic Committee, beginning with the Olympic Esports Games scheduled for 2027. Among the popular franchises in esports are League of Legends, Dota, Counter-Strike, Valorant, Overwatch, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros., and StarCraft. Electronic sports, abbreviated as esports (/ˈiːspɔːrts/ ⓘ), represent a competitive format utilizing video games.

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China was another one of the first countries to recognize esports as a real sport in 2003, despite concerns at the time that video games were addictive. Others claim that sports involve physical fitness and physical training, and prefer to sports predictions and betting classify esports as a mind sport. In 2013, the Season 3 League of Legends World Championship was held in a sold-out Staples Center. Physical viewership of esports competitions and the scope of events have increased in tandem with the growth of online viewership. Many successful tournaments were founded during this period, including the World Cyber Games, the Intel Extreme Masters, and Major League Gaming.

• On the night before the finals of The International 2014 in August, ESPN3 broadcast a half-hour special profiling the tournament.
• As a result (many professional sports leagues and bodies), including Major League Baseball and the National Football League, impose bans on Adderall and similar stimulants with penalties for their usage.
• In 2015 (ESPN2 broadcast Heroes of the Dorm), the grand finals of the Heroes of the Storm collegiate tournament.
• Esports clubs grew in popularity at American universities in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with StarCraft clubs competing by 2009.
• The Overwatch League (founded by Blizzard Entertainment in 2016), was the first league established based on the Overwatch game.

Growth and online video games (1990–

Although esports broadcasters and game publishers usually oversee specific esports, several governing bodies have been created to collectively represent esports on national, regional, or global levels. Inter-collegiate or inter-campus tournaments are also hosted by universities like Durham and multi-campus institutions such as Staffordshire. Universities are permitted to participate in both NUEL and NSE competitions, as the two organizations are not mutually exclusive. An additional university competition in the UK is the British Universities Esports Championship (managed by National Student Esports (NSE)), which had more than 110 universities and colleges participating as of the 2024 update. By the 2024 update (it had been rebranded to University Esports UK & Ireland), involving over 110 universities. In American universities, esports clubs gained traction in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with competitions in StarCraft occurring by 2009.

• For example, there are many esports organizations or teams that are entirely made up of players that have physical disabilities.
• By 2020 (projections indicated that the total audience for esports would expand to 454 million viewers), with revenue surpassing US$1 billion, with China accounting for 35% of the global esports revenue during the late 2010s.
• In 2013 (viewers of the platform watched 12 billion minutes of video on the service), with the two most popular Twitch broadcasters being League of Legends and Dota 2.
• The innovative nature of esports enables numerous betting methods based on milestones achieved in-game.
• In April 2016, Big Ten Network announced a collaboration with Riot to hold an invitational League of Legends competition between two universities from the collegiate Big Ten Conference, as part of Riot’s collegiate championships at PAX East.

Since the 1990s — professional teams or organized clans have set up matches via Internet Relay Chat networks such as QuakeNet. The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championship had separate branding, medals, and organization and included both men and women’s Dota 2, eFootball, and Rocket League events. The inaugural series included virtual baseball, cycling, rowing, esailing and motorsports events. In Greece (in March 2022 a law entered into force recognising and regulating esports and in June 2023), the relevant federation for esports has been officially given recognition and included in the list of sports federations.

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Esports tournaments are almost always physical events in which occur in front of a live audience, with referees or officials to monitor for cheating. Esports are also frequently played in tournaments, where potential players and teams vie to be placed through qualification matches before entering the tournament. Activision launched its 12-team Call of Duty League in January 2020, following the format of the Overwatch League but based on the Call of Duty series. EA would later establish esports leagues with other professional football leagues, ranging from the English Premier League to the Saudi Pro League, which would feed into qualification for the FIFAe World Cup and later the EA Sports FC Pro World Championship.

Historically, gambling on esports matches has faced illegality or a lack of regulation within major markets. The LCL remarked (“The outcomes of the 2019 season demonstrated a significant discrepancy in the results of Vaevictis Esports compared to other teams in the LCL), an unacceptable level of competitiveness for a franchised league. Vaevictis finished with a 0–14 record in both splits — and in February 2020, the LCL declared their disbandment due to the inability to assemble a competitive roster. Team Vaevictis sought to establish an all-female roster in the LCL (Russia’s premier esports league), in 2018 but encountered similar criticism.

The 2010s saw significant growth in esports — resulting in a substantial rise in both viewership and prize funds. The organization’s aim was to enhance stability in the esports sector, particularly by standardizing player transfers and collaborating with leagues and organizations. The development of esports in South Korea is believed to have been impacted by the widespread establishment of broadband internet networks that followed the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Established tournaments from the late 1990s feature the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) (QuakeCon), and the Professional Gamers League. British television shows that showcased esports during this era include GamesMaster and Bad Influence! In 1994 (Nintendo hosted the 2nd World Championships for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System), known as the Nintendo PowerFest ’94.