Video games are one of the quintessential high school pastimes. Whether playing a couple of matches after school or working towards specific in-game rewards, students love video games. However, when that passion is turned professional, it turns into esports. For just about every single video game, there is a competitive scene around it with millions of dollars on the line and dozens of professional players.
Although esports has been around for multiple decades, for as long as the games themselves, they’ve only become mainstream in the past decade. Before that, competitive esports weren’t much more than a glorified gaming session. Now, there are multiple tournaments with many prize pools exceeding $2 million. League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Valorant are some of the most popular esports.
For example, Valorant, released in 2020, is the fourth most popular esport according to Esports Charts. Valorant has only been around since 2020 when it immediately became popular as a Riot-Games-made, first-person shooter (FPS) game. Valorant’s peak viewership was over 1.5 million viewers in Champions 2022, a Valorant tournament, according to Esports Charts. Valorant holds multiple events throughout the year, including tournaments and season formats with weekly matches.
There is also much to be said about the global appeal of esports. Gaming is a fairly universal hobby that exists across continents, and esports reflect that. For example, the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) holds leagues for Valorant in Asia Pacific (APAC), China, Europe, and Middle East Africa (EMEA), alongside the Americas league. The Americas league is far more diverse than just North America, including Brazilian, Argentine, and Chilean organizations according to Valorant Esports.
The diversity within esports is quite impressive, both in terms of ethnicities and marginalized communities. Valorant, for example, has a Game Changers scene specific to women and marginalized genders. Neurodivergent gamers also find esports to be a welcoming environment.
With an esports downturn in recent years due to fears of a recession, esports organizations have been scrambling to maximize profits. There have been criticisms of esports, including that they have become too corporate and out of touch with their roots. Various corporate investors have taken over esports organizations, making them overly money-oriented. With major investors such as Stan Kroenke, Shaquille O’Neal, and even Lionel Messi, people argue that money is running the scene. Profit is necessary for long-term sustainability, but these investors are seen as depriving the industry of the original passion with which they were created. For example, many clothing drops are seen as cash grabs, as organizations charge exorbitant prices for low-quality merchandise.
Although esports are nowhere near the size of mainstream sports, they bring gamers worldwide together. The amount of continued support behind esports shows the potential for esports as a growth industry. Currently, esports as a general industry supports thousands of jobs according to Hitmarker. Perhaps in a few decades, your favorite video games might have esports able to rival the popularity of physical sports.