Competitive gaming, also known as esports, has become a massive industry in recent years. With global audiences reaching into the hundreds of millions and prize pools worth millions of dollars, it’s hard to imagine a time when competitive gaming was considered a niche hobby. However, the history of competitive gaming is a long and fascinating one, dating back several decades.
The earliest known example of competitive gaming dates back to 1972, with the creation of the game “Spacewar!”. Students at Stanford University would compete against each other to see who could get the highest score, with the winner earning the title of “Spacewar! World Champion.” While this may seem like a humble beginning, it set the stage for the competitive gaming scene that would develop over the coming years.
In the early 1980s, arcades began to spring up around the world, offering gamers a chance to play the latest video games. It was in these arcades that competitive gaming began to take shape, with gamers competing against each other to see who could get the highest score on a particular game. One of the most popular games for competitive play was Street Fighter II, released in 1991. Players would compete in local arcades, with the winners moving on to regional and national competitions.
The rise of the internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s marked a turning point for competitive gaming. Online gaming allowed players from around the world to compete against each other in real time, opening up new opportunities for competitive play. One of the most popular games for online play was StarCraft, a real-time strategy game released in 1998. The game’s popularity in South Korea led to the creation of professional gaming leagues, with players competing for large prize pools and lucrative sponsorship deals.
The early 2000s saw the emergence of professional gaming leagues in the West as well, with the creation of the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in 1997 and the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in 2003. These leagues helped to legitimize competitive gaming as a legitimate sport, with large-scale events and significant prize pools. The CPL’s annual tournament, the CPL World Tour, offered a prize pool of $1 million in 2005, making it one of the largest esports events in history at the time.
As the popularity of competitive gaming grew, so did the number of games being played. In addition to established titles like StarCraft and Counter-Strike, new games like League of Legends, Dota 2, and Overwatch began to emerge as popular esports titles. These games featured team-based gameplay and required strategy and teamwork, making them popular choices for professional gaming leagues.
In recent years, the growth of competitive gaming has been nothing short of explosive. The industry is expected to generate over $1 billion in revenue in 2021, with audiences continuing to grow around the world. The largest esports events, such as the League of Legends World Championship and The International (Dota 2), offer prize pools worth tens of millions of dollars, with professional gamers earning salaries and sponsorship deals comparable to those of traditional sports stars.
Like all other sports, competitive gaming has sparked the interest of betting operators as well. If at first only small and obscure outlets were involved in it, in recent years, all of the most established online sports betting sites embraced it. Today, it’s not unusual to see some of the highest-rated bookmakers take bets on games of StarCraft, League of Legends, or DotA, both in major international events and regional leagues.
The eSports betting industry has grown together with eSports. According to a report by Business Research Insights, it is expected to reach $25 million by 2028.
The future of competitive gaming looks bright, with new games and technologies continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Virtual reality and augmented reality are already being used to create immersive gaming experiences, and as these technologies continue to evolve, they may well change the face of competitive gaming once again. Additionally, with the increasing popularity of mobile gaming, it’s possible that we will see more mobile games become popular esports titles in the future.
The history of competitive gaming is a fascinating one, dating back several decades to the early days of arcade gaming. From humble beginnings, the industry has grown into a global phenomenon, with millions of players and fans around the world. With new technologies and games continually emerging, we can expect the phenomenon to reach new heights in the coming years.
