History of ESports

Over the past ten years Esports have exploded in popularity. Video games, in general, have carried a stigma that they should only be played as a leisure activity, and spending too much time with a controller in the hand is detrimental to a successful life, but a small group of successful video gamers are changing this. One of the most popular Esport games, Dota 2, has exploded in popularity over the last 8 years. The annual championship, named The Internationals, was debuted in 2011 with a $1.6 million prize pool [1], and every year that same base pool is reserved, but players are sold cosmetic items during Valve’s annual “Battle Pass" and the prize pool is grown by 25% of the revenue. By 2016 the prize pool had exploded to $20 million, and passed $25 million in 2018 [2]. In 2018 even the 18th place team (of 5 people) won $63,830, while the winners took home a staggering $11 million [2]. These massive prize pools, along with the lucrative business of online game-streaming on sites like Twitch.tv and YouTube has shown that there is a substantial amount of money to be made in online gaming.

It’s interesting then to take a look at where online gaming began. What games popularized Esports? What are some of the most influential games that shaped the online community to where it is today?

Released in South Korea in 1996, StartCraft played an important role in developing the online gaming culture. Like many other games of the time, StarCraft sported an in-depth single player campaign that captured the imagination of gamers through storytelling, and through a masterfully crafted multiplayer set the stage for something much bigger. Blizzard Entertainment developed three factions in StartCraft that players could play as and complete for victory on a multiplayer battlefield. These factions were incredibly different, but also carefully balanced in terms of power [3]. This resulted in unique strategy being employed for each faction and the winners being decided skill. The early 2000s witnessed televised StarCraft tournaments that were broadcasted throughout the world [4], which dawned the beginning of people spectating games just like any other popular sport.

Halo: Combat Evolved was released by Bungie in 2001 and is often awarded the title of “greatest game of all time." It’s immense popularity sparked a new wave of community enthusiasm that resulted in spin off games, mini-internet skits and videos, and a new “golden standard" for gaming [5]. But what made it so popular? It may come down to the timing and popularity of Microsoft’s first Xbox, which ushered in an era of online gaming that didn’t exist in the major consoles released prior. Halo has a deep, complex, narrative that defined a generation of sci-fi storytelling, but after completing the main story the game was far from over, for the multiplayer was where all players spent most of their time. Halo is one of the games that defined early “LAN-parties" where friends would get together and keep their parents up all night with loud explosions, gunshots, yelling, and cheering. Halo played a pivotal role in moving games online, and ignited a generation of online-gaming enthusiast.

Acquired by Valve Software in 2000, Counter Strike quickly grew to be the game that created the competitive Esports industry. Lacking a single player campaign, all the effort on gameplay development went into creating the formula that made an online game great. To be good at Counter Strike a player has to be incredibly skilled, spending a huge amount of time honing tactics and reflexes [6]. The Counter Strike Majors, which began in 2001, is one of the earliest Esports tournaments that sported a large prize pool of $150 thousand [7]. And over the years it has continued to be one of the dominant Esports, carrying on a tradition of raw skill and tactics to drive oneself to victory.

Although still in its infancy, Esports has quickly grown to prominence in modern society. It’s easy to compare Esports today to American baseball of the early 1900s. It was a sport that was played in leisure and rarely involved large-scale tournaments. Now baseball is an important part of many American’s lives, with billions of dollars being shelled out every year on behalf of the sport. It will be interesting to watch Esports over the next 50 years, and see what comparison online games of that age will have with the originals.