History of Esports - About Us (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of the origin of esports? ›

Esports as we know it today is relatively new, however, competitive gaming has been around since the days of Pong. Esports traces its origins back to 1972, when home consoles first became common. In 1980, the first nationwide Space Invaders competition was held with 10,000 participants.

Yes, South Korea was one of the first countries to recognize eSports as an official sports practice, leading to the professionalization of eSports players. South Korea was not specifically mentioned as the first to recognize eSports pro players as an official job in the research paper.

Kids of all ages can compete and make money through esports.

Many gamers may be surprised to learn that the record for the highest single-player tournament payout is held by a teenager. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the youngest ever eSports pro got his start at just 6 years old.

Esports (/ˈiːspɔːrts/), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams.

Abbe Borg (born 11 February 1943), known online as DieHardBirdie, or Abbe Drakborg, is a Swedish gamer who is considered the 'world's oldest esports champion'.

The 80s: the beginning of high score lists

With Space Invaders, Atari laid the foundation for the world's first major eSports tournament in 1978. The early gaming classic was played at the 1980 Space Invaders Championships by over 10,000 gamers competing to win a version of Asteroids.

1980s. Atari held their Space Invaders Championship in Los Angeles, after several regional qualifiers. Over 10,000 gamers gathered around Atari 2600 consoles and rear-projection TVs in what is now often cited as the first esports event. This was a clear indicator that competitive gaming had arrived in the culture.

The United States officially recognised esports in 2013. That brought with it the official qualification of professional esports competitors as athletes entitled to apply for the country's temporary worker P1A visa.

From the selected regions, the ranking by revenue in the esports market is lead by the United States with 871 million U.S. dollars and is followed by China (445.18 million U.S. dollars).

In 2018, 9.2% of US internet users watched Esports. This figure has grown year-over-year reaching 13.4% in 2021. In 2023, it is forecast that 15.5% of US internet users will watch Esports.

Why did esports become popular? ›

Fueled by intense matches, strategic gameplay, and a community of zealous fans, eSports popularity has skyrocketed, particularly within the U.S eSports scene. It's an electrifying world where every click and every move reverberates through stadiums packed with spectators and streams reaching millions online.

Video games, and especially esports, improve cognitive capacity, problem solving and collaboration. Games like Fortnite and Minecraft rely on players collaborating to build virtual worlds, with clear transferable skills to teamwork in education and the workplace.

Which is the most popular Esports game by viewership in 2024? The Top 5 Esports Games rating by Peak Viewers is headed by League of Legends. There are 2 656 938 peak viewers.

For kids who are truly passionate about gaming, e-sports can offer a lot of positives. Some of the benefits of e-sports can include: Improved cognitive skills like spatial awareness, problem-solving and decision-making. Learning teamwork and communication.

Esports, short for “electronic sports,” transforms online gaming into a spectator sport. The experience is similar to watching a professional sporting event, except that instead of watching a physical event, spectators watch video gamers compete against each other in a virtual environment.

The history of esports can be traced back to the 1970s, when the first video games were developed. However, it wasn't until the 1990s that esports began to take shape as a competitive sport.

The roots of esports can be traced back to the 1970s and 1980s when early video game competitions began to take shape. These competitions often took place in arcades, with titles like Space Invaders and Pac-Man serving as the battlegrounds for budding esports enthusiasts.

The history of online games dates back to the early days of packet-based computer networking in the 1970s, An early example of online games is MUDs, including the first, MUD1, which was created in 1978 and originally confined to an internal network before becoming connected to ARPANet in 1980.

Walter Day “Father of Esports”