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eSport developed a huge, fast growing market, in popularity as well as financially.
The tournament prize pools are worth many million dollars and players are celebrated as stars.
Lets take a quick dive into this szene
![counterstrikeeslonecologne.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/wirago/WlVzpRA9-counter-strike-esl-one-cologne.jpg)
</center>*Counter Strike, ESL One, Cologne*

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<h3>What is eSport?</h3>
E-Sport is the sporting competition in computer games. Usually the competition is carried out using the multiplayer mode of said computer game. The rules of the competition are given by the game and external competition regulations, such as the regulations of the competition organizer. E-sports are played on both PC and consoles. 
Most computer games are played either as individual sports or as team sports.

In addition to mastering the actual computer game, players need various motoric and mental abilities to be successful in competition. In terms of motoric skills, hand-eye coordination and reaction times are particularly important for the player. Spatial orientation skills, game overview, game understanding, tactical alignment, stamina, forward-looking and lateral thinking are among the mental requirements. 

E-sports is only recognized as a sport by the established sports associations in a few countries (e.g. South Korea, USA, Brazil, China, France). The German Olympic Sports Confederation does not classify e-sports as a sport. Nevertheless, more and more “traditional” sports clubs and teams are also hosting e-sports departments.

In total esports over 920 million USD in prize money has been paid out to date (as of January 2021)


![first.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/wirago/9QKU4RHj-first.jpeg)
*One of the first official gaming tournaments. Game: Alien Space Invaders*
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<h3>The history of eSport</h3>

The history of esports goes back to the 1950s when the first games such as the Nim game, the tic-tac-toe game OXO or chess were developed for computers. *Tennis for Two*, developed in 1958 by William Higinbotham, is often regarded as the first computer game to offer new possibilities beyond well-known games. The history of e-sports is closely linked to the history of video games, as the first computer games were designed for competition.

In 1980 Atari held a space invaders competition in the USA for three months with over 10,000 participants. On November 10, 1980, William Salvador Heineman won the tournament in New York. On February 9, 1982, Walter Day published the Twin Galaxies National Scoreboard, a highscore list that included over 100 arcade games.

The increasing spread of the Internet and falling hardware prices with a simultaneous increase in the performance of computers made it possible for more and more players to play against each other via connected computers in the LAN and on the Internet. With the advent of LAN parties in the mid-1990s, up to 2000 players competed against each other in large halls. With the proliferation of Internet connections, these local limitations were lifted and global competitions became possible.

In Europe and North America, the spread of the Internet and the resulting easier communication between computer gamers led to the formation of e-sports associations. The first major European esports leagues emerged at the end of the 1990s, and they often functioned across Europe right from the start and were not limited to nations.

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![dota.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/wirago/UxDrAUtQ-dota.jpg)
*"The Interational" in Dota2*
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<h3>Professionalism and profit</h3>
In contrast to amateur e-athletes, e-sports are practiced by professional e-athletes for work or to earn their own livelihood as a gainful activity. The skills of professional players differ greatly from those of the average player in the areas of hand-eye coordination, game understanding, tactical understanding and, in team-oriented disciplines, the ability to play team.

One of the first professional e-athletes was Quakeworld and Quake II player Dennis "Tresh" Fong. He achieved his first success in 1995 at the Doom 2 tournament Deathmatch '95. His numerous prizes include a *1987 Ferrari 328 GTS* from John Carmack. The best-known progamers from the very beginning are StarCraft player Lim Yo-hwan from South Korea and Quake player Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel from the USA, both of whom had their international breakthroughs in 1999. Top players in South Korea earn up to $ 230,000 annually.

As in other sports, there is commercialization in esports. Sponsorship and advertising are important sources of finance in esports. In addition to companies with a technical background, there are mainly advertising companies that are already sponsoring traditional sports. Professional e-athletes often receive a monthly salary from their clan. In addition, there are prize money and donations from sponsorship contracts, which are also the main sources of income for the players.


|Team Name|Total Prize Money 2020|Played Tournaments|
|-|-|-|
|1. Turnso Gaming|$ 2,424,828.63|3 Tournaments|
|2. Dallas Empire|$ 1,749,250.00|11 Tournaments|
|3. Team Liquid|$ 1,600,127.03|227 Tournaments|
|4. San Francisco Shock|$ 1,555,000.00|2 Tournaments|
|5. Spacestation Gaming|$ 1,403,008.66|87 Tournaments|
|6. Virtus.pro|$ 1,381,915.00|39 Tournaments|
|7. G2 Esports|$ 1,265,244.22|65 Tournaments|
|8. Team SoloMid|$ 1,194,722.44|95 Tournaments|
|9. Atlanta Faze|$ 1,187,500.00|14 Tournaments|
|10. Team Secret|$ 1,151,570.84|58 Tournaments|
*Source <a href="https://www.esportsearnings.com/">esportearnings.com</a>*

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<h3>What to play?</h3>

In esports, the most popular computer game genres are real-time strategy games, first-person shooters and sports simulations. In these genres there are individual computer games that are played against each other professionally and in sporting competition. Most professional e-athletes stick with one computer game or one genre. The degree of professionalism of the individual disciplines is mostly dependent on the number of active players, the support of the computer game manufacturers, sponsors and competition organizers. 

The most popular computer games in esports as of now are *Dota 2*, *Counter-Strike: Global Offensive*, *Fortnite*, *League of Legends* and StarCraft II. 
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2 and League of Legends are mostly played in teams and in mode 5 against 5 played. StarCraft II is primarily practiced as an individual sport. Due to technological progress and computer games that are constantly being adapted, disciplines in e-sports are subject to high dynamics.

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![rank.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/wirago/Y3tHluk8-rank.png)
<a href="https://www.esportsearnings.com/games">Source</a>
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<h3>Publicity</h3>

E-sports are portrayed both negatively and positively in public. Politicians and the media often use the negative connotation term *killer game* for the first-person shooter that is often played in e-sports. This suggests that e-sports are primarily about dealing with virtual weapons or killing virtual opponents, and that sporting competition is not in the foreground. 
In connection with esports, the media also frequently report on the possible and actual negative consequences of excessive computer games and internet addiction. At the same time, all of the major print and TV media reported positively on the performance of German e-athletes. Increasing acceptance of e-sports in the media is evident in an article in *Spiegel Online* in 2006, in which Counter-Strike was described as a popular sport.
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What about you?
Do you consider eSport as an actual sport? 
Viewer numbers on Twitch.com or even various TV channels are rising fast and computer games are becomming more and more popular and tournaments are a big deal by now.

Side tip:
If you have access to Netflix and are interested in this topic, there is a the "League of Legends: Origins" documentary. Highly recommended.