Esports is a huge multi-million industry that is becoming increasingly popular. Usually, when the term esports is used it’s referring to professional video gaming. People from all over the world compete against one another and in various teams and leagues.

What are esports?

To put it simply, esports are electronic sports. Organized teams of gamers compete in competitions all around the world. Organized players are on different teams in different leagues. Just in case, you’re not sure about the difference between a team and a league a short description of the terms is listed below.

Teams: a group of esport players who are on the same side and often train or practice with one another and work as a collective group to win in competitions.

Leagues: a group of esport teams or clubs that play against one another in competitions over time. An example of a league is the NFL.

Who gets involved with esports?

As you can imagine, esports and esports events need people to do various tasks and jobs to keep the industry running and the money flowing. There are two main kinds of people who follow esport players and teams, esports enthusiasts and occasional viewers.

Types of games played professionally

Most video games can be played as an esport. There are a small number of types of games that often get explored for completion’s sake. The following types of games are popular in esports events and competitions: first-person shooter, real-time strategy, fighting/battle games, and multiplayer battle arena games.

First-person shooter games

In these shooting-based games, players view themselves through the eyes of the characters they pick and use weapons to either defend their territory or personal ground. First-person shooter games have been around since the 1970s and have improved over time.

Real-time strategy games

Real-time strategy games tend to include elements of combat and resource upkeep and maintenance. Players may have to fight others to defend their team or base. Structures can be created as a means to generate new resources.

Fighting/battle games

In this style of game, players usually pick a character for a one-on-one battle. There are usually a set amount of rounds to fight and usually, the rounds are timed. The game aims to attack the other player and win by beating the character up or killing them.

Multiplayer battle arena games

Multiplayer battle arena games involve teams and each person on the team is responsible for a virtual character. The goal of the game is to meet a specific target or goal and players have to work with the members on their team to win. The objective usually is to kill the other team and or to destroy their base.

What can players win? 

Professional esport players win cold hard cash and there’s no shortage of money flowing in and out of this industry. In 2019, global esports revenues grew 27 percent and surpassed the 1.1 Billion dollar mark according to Reuters. There are a few different avenues where players can earn money. There are team salaries where players typically will take anywhere from 3,000 dollars to 5,000 dollars per month. There’s a bunch of sponsorship money piling in. Digital streams cost about $5 per person per month, which adds up over time. Merchandising and ticketing, media rights, and more!

Esports is a big industry that isn’t going anywhere. The industry is attracting new people all the time and the popularity of watching esports is steadily increasing. There are multiple kinds of games played in competitions and billions of dollars are pouring in and out of the industry at various levels. During this time of coronavirus and having social distancing as the norm, there’s no better time to invest in esports than now.