Just as there are many types of sports, there are also many different styles of esport matches. One common type of esport match is the Counter-Strike (CS) series of games. This series has taken the world by storm, as it allows for both friendly and competitive play.
Esports is a generic term for a specific type of competitive gaming. While there is not one single word that can define all esport events, there are certain general types of game play that almost always identifies most of them. Traditional esport includes racing, platforming, card games, and other similar activities. Modern esport competitions tend to focus on a handful of disciplines. These include team games, individual games, and spectator games.
In North America, most audiences at major tournaments tend to be comprised of tens of thousands of viewers. The largest event in ESL events, The International 2011, had over ten thousand spectators. If you were to compare this to the average viewership of five hundred television channels per week, you would quickly see how drastically the latter’s viewership numbers dropped. Many people view this decline in traditional esport viewing as proof that something is missing in the medium. Whether this is the audience, the production value, or simply an overall lack of competition, no one can really say for sure just why there isn’t a booming amount of widespread ESL coverage.
For any true competitor, it’s important that there be challenge, excitement, and fun involved in their game. The two primary drivers of esports are the two main game engines: Valve’s Source and Blizzard’s Starcraft 2. Of course, there are dozens of other competitors in the field, but these are the two giants of the industry. While their influence over the entire industry cannot be ignored, the two companies continue to enjoy unprecedented growth.
Unfortunately, the financial health of most traditional sports leagues has continued to diminish, but this has not been associated with the world of esport. Unlike most major sports leagues, there are very few large sponsors willing to put their money into esport. This, coupled with the increasing popularity of PCs and other new gaming platforms, has led to lower prize pools and player salaries in most games. As a result, many aspiring gamers are unable to pursue a career in the competitive gaming world, as they lack the financial means to pursue one.
If there was ever a time that Esports may surpass traditional sports, it is now. In the last year, ESL have managed to not only secure several major tournament titles, but also to grow their player base by leaps and bounds. If there was ever a time that Esports could overtake traditional sports, it is now. With the right support from both companies and the rising number of players signing up for both camps, there is no doubt that there will never be a dull moment in the world of esport.
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