Have you had the dream as a kid to grow up and play games you had fun playing for a living? That no longer has to be such a distant dream. Gaming has always had a competitive scene as long as with the casual who play it only to have a good time, but how far has that scene grown in the recent decades? Electronic sports, or esports as its called casually, is the new competitive gaming world. The contest of players happens usually in tournaments in large stadiums to watch them compete while the bigger events are even streamed to be viewed by fans at home. Though it sounds simple, it takes hours of practice a day for the game you’re shooting to get into to have the mechanical skill, game knowledge, and reflexes. Getting necessary gear, hardware, and internet speed has been easier than ever before in this new age to get started.
The first question you might have is that is this really stable enough to look into as a way of living? Will I be able to live comfortably and have money in my pocket to do what I want with this as well? Projected to have as fastly growing worth and to pass the billion mark in 2019, while China & The US have the greatest contributions, it is becoming more and more valuable at an amazing rate the thought of it crashing one day is far from possible. As for salaries, the average player receives about $60,000, while bigger names and tournament winners get the most out of the deal. Lee ‘faker’ San Hyeok had the salary of nearly $900,000 for League of Legends(LoL), and tournaments for games like Overwatch, League of Legends, Dota 2, CS:GO, and SMITE can have a poll prize of millions that get split between the team members. Not only does winning give you extra satisfaction and money, but also opportunities with being sponsored and bigger salaries.
Things are already in motion in Arlington, Texas, as they are already redesigning a convention center with esports playing a big part of the build. With PC’s lined up and ready for use, seating and 85” tv for viewing, it seems as though they are already anticipating the rise and popularity of esports while helping draw attention for it as well by having computers open for gamers publically. Another big attention drawer is the program for esports held at Villanova’s campus people who are interested in joining the competition. It has even begun to be recognized by colleges enough to be eligible for a scholarship and/or a varsity in, so far, a few colleges. As the popularity and player/viewer base increase, these numbers will most likely grow, making more time and openings for other gamers out there.
Aside from being picked up economically and academically, it’s being recognized on a global scale. While going to have a medal in the 2022 Asian games, The 2024 Paris games are “in talks” about esports joining the competition, giving players the chance to show off their honed skills and reflexes with their knowledge on an even larger stage than before. Leopold Chung, Secretary-General of the International eSports Federation (LeSF), says it won’t be possible to be an official discipline, however, they have the opportunity to be a demonstration event. IOC have also announced that they have also talked about the inclusion of it being in future games, while not being certain they have to keep in mind that it “must not infringe” on Olympic values at any time. So disrespectful acts such has crouching repeatedly at a very fast, or “teabagging,” and excessive taunting could prove to be a problem.
No matter what point you look at it from esports have the momentum, support, and recognition as well a growing number of players to grow and one of, if not, the biggest scene of competition in time. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate. Save up for your gear, get some friends and aim for the top of a game you really enjoy to get the best of both worlds.
