Esports

Esports (/ˈiːspɔːrts/ ^ⓘ), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games.^[1] Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams.^[2]

Multiplayer competitions were long a part of video game culture, but were largely between amateurs until the late 2000s, when the advent of online streaming media platforms, particularly YouTube and Twitch, enabled a surge in participation by professional gamers and spectators.^[3][4] By the 2010s, esports was a major part of the video game industry, with many game developers designing for and funding for tournaments and other events.

Esports first became popular in East Asia, particularly in China and South Korea (which first licensed professional players in 2000) but less so in Japan, whose broad anti-gambling laws prohibit professional gaming tournaments.^[5][6] Esports are also popular in Europe and the Americas, which host regional and international events.

The most common video game genres associated with esports are multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), fighting games, card, battle royales, and real-time strategy (RTS) games. Popular esports franchises include League of Legends, Dota, Counter-Strike, Valorant, Overwatch, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros. and StarCraft. Among the most popular tournaments are the League of Legends World Championship, Dota 2's International, the fighting game-specific Evolution Championship Series (EVO) and Intel Extreme Masters. Many other competitions use a series of league play with sponsored teams, such as the Overwatch League. Although the legitimacy of esports as a true sporting competition remains in question, they have been featured alongside traditional sports in some multinational events in Asia. The International Olympic Committee has discussed their inclusion in future Olympic events.

In the early 2010s, viewership was about 85% male and 15% female, with most viewers between the ages of 18 and 34.^[7][8][9] By the late 2010s, it was estimated that by 2020, the total audience of esports would grow to 454 million viewers, with revenue increasing to more than US$1 billion, with China accounting for 35% of the global esports revenue.^[10][11]