Esports or cybersports are often seen as a casual way to pass the time. But this surface-level description could not be further from the truth. In reality, esports operates as a highly-respected genre of virtual sports that remains just as beloved as any other competitive sport

To help you learn more about cybersports, here is a quick guide to the rise and popularity of esports.

What Is Esports, Exactly?

By definition, esports refers to competitive video gaming that is viewable by an audience. This enables esports to remain popular among professional video game players and maintain its sought-after status for those who enjoy watching others play video games.

While the U.S. stands out as one of the largest markets for esports, cybersports also make its presence known worldwide. With different genres and titles, esports welcomes various video game players to show off their skills and earn magnificent rewards, making cybersports just as lucrative as it is competitive.

This also opens doors for developing purpose-built accessories such as wired PC and wireless Xbox headsets, controllers, and peripheral equipment. Since these accessories can be purchased by professional and casual gamers alike, the doors that esports opens for their creation prove beneficial for the whole video game industry.

Competitive Gaming Is Older Than You May Think

Recent titles such as Genshin Impact RPG have made esports all the more popular. But you might be amused to learn that esports date back almost half a century ago. While home consoles became popular in the early 1970s, the first major esports tournament with approximately 10,000 people was held in 1980.

That tournament was all about Space Invaders, a popular shooting video game. That was just the start; however, the Space Invaders tournament was followed by similar events involving other popular video game titles such as Donkey Kong and Street Fighter in later decades.

The question of how lucrative esports can be became clear during these years, with hundreds of thousands of players and audience members making their interest known en masse. This led to the recognition of e-sports as a widely respected form of competitive sports.

The 21st Century Saw The Rise Of Esports As We Know It

Throughout the early 2000s, esports got an immense boost in its popularity. In 2002, Major League Gaming (MLG) was founded to become the primary professional esports organization, similar to Major League Baseball (MLB) and other major sports organizations.

As the years passed, esports established itself as a competitive gaming genre on par with many other popular sports. Shortly after the USA Network became the first TV channel to televise esports in 2006, people started using approaches such as Feedly RSS to get gaming competition news right on their web browsers.

It was not long after that streaming went mainstream and made esports accessible for people around the world. After its launch in 2011, Twitch became the go-to esports streaming platform, making competitive gaming a global phenomenon.

You Can Now Find Esports Tournaments By Category

The past decade has seen esports flourish like never before. Thanks to the prolific past few years of cybersports, you can learn more about the most famous pro gamers of all time or watch past streams of some of the most thrilling esports tournaments with a quick web search.

Since streaming platforms, pro gamers, and even game publishers give you direct links to different tournaments; you can easily find esports tournaments across different categories that you can watch and participate in. You can even use a program such as the SnapStream clips app to save remarkable moments from your events.

These options have made esports enjoyable for gamers from different walks of life. Whether you like first-person shooter (FPS) or multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) events, you can find something that truly appeals to you.

Suppose you are interested in esports’ thrill, joy, and competitiveness. In that case, this information can inspire you to participate, giving you a new hobby to cherish or even a new career to build your future.

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