Today, computer games exist in almost everyone’s life. In fact, there are many people who couldn’t imagine an ordinary life without them. The computer games industry has always developed rapidly and dynamically due to the growing demand for new entertainment, which ultimately resulted in the emergence of such a socio-cultural and sports phenomenon as esports.
Cybersport is a relatively new sport type, but no less significant than athletics, swimming or chess. The first computer games tournament was held back in 1972 at Stanford, in the 1990s such tournaments became widespread in the United States, and in the 2000s all over the world. The Organizing Committee for the 2024 Olympics is even in talks with the IOC to make esports an Olympic sport.
In fact, esports appeared when one player had the opportunity to compete with another player in a computer game. An important part of popular competitions is entertainment, which in the aspect of computer games determines the requirements for the graphic content and the game dynamics. One of the first games to meet these requirements was the popular Doom 2, which has the option of cooperative combat. In addition, it was essentially a modernized version of Quake, originally developed for multiplayer games.
Although there are not so many popular games focused on team competition today, they attract a large number of gamers and fans. Cybersports, like other sports games, have certain requirements. One of the main ones is the prevalence of players’ abilities over luck. Luck should not significantly affect the result, the result should largely be determined by the skill of the gamers and their cooperative coordination.
One of the most popular games is Dota 2, where people of all ages demonstrate their gaming skills. At the same time, many people bet on this or that team in the hope of winning. This is possible thanks to the developed industry of bookmakers who accept esports betting, said Darren Keane of Shangri La.
But when choosing a bookmaker, it is important not to make a mistake and choose a reliable one that works under a license and offers the best odds from the pro, noted Michael Boettcher from Shangri La.
Why esports is so popular today
Another imperative for esports gaming is balance and equal opportunity for all players. In this context, it is often the imbalance of the game that leads to its failure in the market, while the more thoughtful counterparts succeed. There are not too many truly high-quality and well-thought-out network games in this regard.
Among the shooters, Counter-Strike can be distinguished, which, one might say, occupies a pedestal in this regard. As for strategies, Starcraft is very popular in this case. In addition, there are measured and not dynamic, but interesting popular network games. An example is Hearthstone, which has brought the essence of card games into digital form.
Esports has come a long way since its inception. And there are no signs that its development will slow down anytime soon. Just like the traditional sports industry, esports has begun to garner a huge following and be in demand with esports revenues expected to reach a whopping 1.5 billion in the near future! This is impressive considering that it is still a relatively young sports industry.
Esports is a promising profession
Esports is as different from the usual gaming hobby as any other sport, noted Darren Keane, Shangri La. After all, the difference between a person who wants to play in the Champions League and someone who just kicks the ball in their spare time is obvious to us. Esports can become a real profession for a child, and a highly paid one.
The salaries of professional cyber athletes fluctuate between $ 1-5 thousand, and the salaries of the world’s top players exceed $ 20-35 thousand, and this is not counting the prize payments. The size of the winnings is also growing. For example, the prize pool of the Dota 2 World Championship has grown from $ 1.6 million in 2011 to $ 34 million.
There are even esports scholarships in the world. In the United States, the first such scholarship was established in 2014, and now 64 educational institutions in North America support cyber athletes. This means that a child can go to a good college or university thanks to advances in esports.
Cyber athlete health
One of the modern world difficulties is the excessive passion for the computer. This is not an esports problem, but of the world as a whole. A child may not play computer games for a day, but “plant” vision or spoil his posture due to “hovering” with a tablet in his hands.
For a professional esports player, physical fitness is important, which is why many go in for sports. Any activity that improves muscle tone and coordination of movements is suitable. It can be jogging, football or regular exercise.
Particular attention must be paid to eye health. Due to the increased concentration during games, athletes sometimes hardly blink, so the mucous membrane dries up. After the match, it is important to give the eyes a rest, if necessary, drip the eyes with an “artificial tear” or other similar drops. After 30-40 minutes at the computer, it is important to get up and stretch for at least 5 minutes, and also blink. If we are talking about a shooter (“shooter”) like Counter Strike, you need to rest your eyes after 5-10 minutes of the game, because they blink even less often there. By the way, this habit should be adopted for every person who works at the computer.