Published on September 14th, 2023

‘Esports’ is the term that describes Competitive video gaming. Unlike standard video gaming, Esports has a competitive element to it.

Games pit human against human, rather than human versus the computer. However, like traditional sports, there’s also engaging spectator elements to it. Today, esports players can be professional or amateur, and the skills and knowledge of the people who make their living from playing esports is highly celebrated.

Often, players are competing for a cash prize, so picking up the control pad in a Tournament is serious business.

Competitive esports tournaments date back to around the 1970s when “Spacewar!,” considered the first digital computer game, was the focus of the first esports tournament.

Since then, video games players have done battle at esports events, including live poker events, for numerous games.

If you’re into online casino games and want to play them competitively, you may wish to visit an online casino and start practicing. If not, there are lots of other games out there you can compete at.

Below is a look at the evolution of esports, at some of the main tournaments and at the growth of some of the games in these tournaments.

The Evolution Of Esports

Although the 1970s may have seen the arrival of the first esports tournament, esports themselves, technically, date back to around the 1960s, which is when “Spacewar!” came about.

Some would say the history of esports dates back even further to the 1950s, to 1952 when the idea of competitive computer games first materialized in a thesis on the interaction between humans and computers.

The thesis suggested humans should play against the computer. Later that decade, the first multiplayer game would emerge.

In the 1980s, the concept of competitive gaming would acquire an even further boost when high score lists were created.

The classic game “Space Invaders” opened the door for the first major esports tournament in 1978, when more than 10,00 gamers competed to win a version of the Asteroids game machine.

In the 1990s, gaming brand Nintendo would recognize the possibilities of competitive game and organized the Nintendo World Championships, which were held in the US in 1990.

Here are some major competitive esports tournaments that have arisen as esports have become more popular.

League Of Legends World Championship

The League of Legends World Championship, often referred to as “LoL Worlds” or even just “Worlds” is the main event in the world of League of Legends esports events.

Twenty-two teams from all regions compete over a month for the Summoner’s Cup. Past prize pools have run into the millions.

The 2018 Worlds is renowned for offering one of the biggest in the championship, having placed more than six million dollars up for grabs. League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) team DRX are the current champions.

The International Dota 2

The International Dota 2 is a five-on-five tournament featuring the game “Dota 2”. It’s a huge event in the esports calendar and the 2023 tournament will take place in October in Seattle.

The top 12 teams, the teams who earn the most points on the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), get to play in the tournament and compete for the Aegis of Champions.

Tundra Esports are the defending champions, having won the 2022 tournament, which offered more than 8 million dollars in prize money.

ELS One Cologne

“Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” (CS:GO) is the game of choice for the Electronic Sports League (ESL) One Cologne tournament.

In the 2023 tournament, 24 teams took part. One million dollars of prize money was up for grabs, and it was G2 Esports who came out on top by beating ENCE 3-1.

Impact Of The Games

Featuring in a tournament can work wonders for a game. “League of Legends” has always been popular, but even now it’s still growing in popularity.

In 2020, news channel CNN reported that the League of Legend European Champion (LEC) had a higher Average Minute Audience (AMA) when it comes to viewing than tennis, basketball and rugby when it came to people aged 16 to 29.

On the Steam platform, “Dota 2” is massive. According to statistics on the website of consumer and market data company Statista, the number of active players per month exceeds 7.8 million regularly on it.

In 2022, “Dota 2” was the third most played game on Steam, beaten only by “CS:GO” and “Lost Ark” on the peak number of concurrent players and hourly average number of players. Esports tournaments have had a hand in driving the game’s popularity.

The popularity of CS:GO encouraged the creation of CS:GO tournaments. Streaming platforms have been a big influence and have helped it to become one of the biggest titles there is today.

Esports tournaments are exciting to follow and exciting to play in. Practice hard and you could compete in one, either professionally or as an amateur, and win some big money.

Feature Image Source: Yan Krukau

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