Gaming has come a long way from the days when it consisted of consoles played in teenager’s bedrooms and was a complete mystery to adults. Today, gaming is considered normal for most people – playing a little casual, free to play game on your lunch break or enjoying a round of Call of Duty with your friends after work. Perhaps it isn’t surprising that this has led to competitive gaming and to e-sports and that these can now be big money outlets for people’s gaming urges.
More games, more players
At one time, competitive gaming was something that was confined to an inner circle and games were played on split screens. No-one outside your immediate circle was involved in the games but that led to a lack of real competition – once you had beat your friends, then there was no real challenge left.
However, as online gaming became more available and internet speeds increased, the ability to play people in different places or even on different continents began to happen. This led to the chance to test your game playing ability against people from around the world and led to tournaments. Inevitably, cash began to enter the arena, with real world prizes of cash and other items to spice up events even further.
Competitive gaming takes off
As the tournaments grew in stature (and in terms of the size of bonuses available) then the rise of competitive gaming was assured. Players began to have sponsorship deals where companies backed their game play and even paid them money to display branding while playing. Teams were created much like in sports where players would group together and tackle ever bigger challenges and win increasingly impressive prizes.
Competitive gaming have devolved even to online blackjack games in addition to the classic styles of games. Here players can play other real people for a variety of prizes much like in a real casino, without leaving their own front room.
The growth of e-sports
The final step in the evolution of competitive gaming has been the creation of e-sports. Rather than watch a football match or a game of golf, gaming fans now watch gamers take on one another either in person or through video channels on YouTube. Known as e-sports, it is a big money area with games ranging from simulated sports such as football through to first person shooters and a host of other types of games.
