What Are Esports?
Esports Definition
Esports, electronics sports, competitive gaming, professional gaming, or any variation of those words is a form of competition with the medium being video games. Individuals (commonly called Cyberathletes) use computers, or specific video game consoles (PS4, Xbox, Nintendo, etc.) to play various video game titles against each other.
Some games range from 1 player versus another player, up to 8 versus 8, and everything in between depending on the game. The majority of the competitions take place online, in what is called a ‘multiplayer’ environment. Video game tournaments that take place in person are usually called “Offline” tournaments, or historically called “LAN (Local Area Network)” tournaments. Offline tournaments are much more standardized from an operational standpoint, along with most of the hardware the players use being the same.
There are 5 main genres, or game types, that are played at a professional and amateur level:
- First Person Shooter (FPS)
- Fighting
- Real-Time Strategy (RTS)
- Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
- Collectible Card Game
Is Esports a Sport?
The consensus is still out, with arguments on both sides of the aisle. We’re not here to define it either way, it’s up for interpretation. The important note is that professional gaming takes an immense amount of practice, energy, and strategy to play at a professional level. The popularity is on the rise, the competition is continually getting more fierce, and the science and data that goes into propelling the cyberathletes themselves is on par with most other sports. Regardless of the definition, Esports is happening.
We want you to be a part of it, whether it’s as a spectator, or a player. Let us help you understand how each of the games work, from a spectators perspective, so you can talk the talk, before you attempt to walk the walk!
Are we missing something? What could we have described better? Let us know! hello@discoveresports.com