The popularity of esports started skyrocketing in the 2010s. Many video games became subjects to live tournaments with serious prize pools. But many people were still doubting the status of esports as a real sport. Can it be named so? This is the question we will try to answer down there.
Esports Explained
The beginnings of esports date back to the 1970s when Stanford University hosted the first official video game tournament. But what are esports exactly?
The term esports happens to be a combination of two words, electronic and sports. It is the area of competitive, structured video gaming. In recent years, it has become a world sensation. Professional esports players have become more and more popular. Their followers watch and follow these gamers across the world, either visiting live events or watching them on TV or online.
What Makes Esports a Sport?
Apart from esports betting at https://cover.gg/matches/finished, eSports has been pushing boundaries in terms of being known as a sport. Here are some reasons why it is the case:
Physical & Mental Requirements
Video game players from different teams compete for a solid reward. When people think about esports, they usually imagine people staying in front of computers and pressing a button.
Sport is determined as a game or a competition that requires physical effort and skill that is played according to standards. While esports may not be as physically challenging as other sports, it certainly requires sufficient knowledge and skills for reaching some kind of success.
Similar to football and tennis players, professional esports players require active conditioning and training. To be more specific, physical requirements for online gamers include:
- Educational core;
- Clear and strategic thinking;
- Perfect posture;
- Excellent reaction and coordination;
- Strong forearms, hands, wrists, and finger
- Ability to make quick decisions, etc.
Severe Competition Regulations
Esports is constantly managed by authorities. All esports tournaments need to follow the International eSports Federation (IESF) policies and norms. The responsible organization is supposed to keep things updated all the time. It expects every player to give their best performance without breaking the rules. Moreover, they cannot make public statements on behalf of an event organizer to the public.
League Investments and Expenses
Esports follow the same format as traditional sports like hockey. Thus, digital sports also have leagues where professionals fight for the pedestal and the final reward. The prize pool often reaches millions of dollars.
Owners, organizers, and managers should think of the team’s future expenses. They need to consider housing, equipment, healthcare, and many other aspects.
Team and Player Conditioning
Most leagues take place once a year. However, some events are split into several parts spread across the year. There’s a lot of time for players to spend their downtime in training and honing their competence. Similar to traditional sports, leading esports teams have numerous programs to keep their bodies in the primary condition for upcoming matches.
Some teams come up with nutritional and diet regimes for their members. Others put them in exercise plans to maintain their endurance as high as possible. Teams also join minor leagues or local competitions to condition themselves in major ones. Sometimes teams join friendly competitions with other teams to have some practice and improve their skills.
Dynamic Growth of the Esports Betting Industry
The esports betting market is dynamically catching up to the sports betting market, due to the young people who grew up playing video games. They have a stable income and are likely to pick esports over regular sports. With this trend going on, the esports betting market is estimated to reach $13.05 billion by the end of 2025.
More and more people are about to reach the esports sector. This automatically determines the sports status of video gaming. Of course, its official status might not be established in the near future. And the questions about its presence in the Olympics might not be answered soon.
