Esports has grown to be more popular ever, and this new rising sport continues to grow as more and more people learn about this little known sport. While some may scoff at the notion of competitive video game viewing, many are completely enamored with it once they check it out. One of the big reasons for this are the titles themselves. Today, the video game industry has more highly competitive and fun titles to both play and watch than ever before, most of which can be played on even basic gaming laptops or PCs. As fans learn more about this sport, many realize that there is nothing more fun than watching highly skilled gamers go at each other in a competitive setting.
Top Up and Coming Esports Titles
Innovations in the gaming market are one of the biggest reasons why eSports is growing by leaps and bounds. Let’s examine some of the top rising competitive esports titles this year so you can see just why this sport is gaining so much popularity.
Playerunknown’s: Battlegrounds
With its roots in the Japanese film ‘Battle Royale’ and developed by Japanese game studio Bluehole, this game made news when it reached 600,000 concurrent players on Steam, second only to Dota 2. Not long after that, it even briefly surpassed Dota 2 on the Steam service. It’s battle royale mode allows 100 players to go head to head in an ever shrinking battlefield to see who will come out on top. Being relatively new to the competitive gaming seen, the rise of PUBG is nothing short of phenomenal in a landscape dominated by existing eSports titles. Experts have contributed to PUBG’s success to a number of factors ranging from being incredibly fun to spectate and noob friendly to it’s incredibly smart combination of survival game mechanics coupled with the intensity of a classic FPS shooter. Because of this popularity and unique experience, it’s no surprise that more and more competitive games are being organized for players and it’s safe to say that its growth won’t stall anytime soon.
Vainglory
It’s no secret that the rise of mobile devices and altered gaming as we know it, although for many years know competitive esports titles really haven’t made an appearance on smartphones and tablets, until now. Vainglory has taken the best of MOBA games and streamlined it for touch so you can easily play from your smartphone or your tablet. With versions out there for both Android and iOS, it is one of the most easily accessible games out there. While competitive eSports for mobile gamers is relatively new, the company is already sponsoring games and there are leagues across the globe. This is a rather new area for esports, and with the popularity growing for Vainglory, it will be interesting to see how many more mobile games become esport fan favorites.
Current Competitive Esports Titles
While not as recent as the titles above, the games below form the bread and butter of the competitive eSports market with prize pools often exceeding tens of millions. Most of our readers will already be familiar with these tried and tested classics which have captivated audiences for years already and will continue to so for years to come. Let’s take a closer look at what the current eSports market has to offer.
League of Legends
A classic Warcraft III inspired MOBA that has been around for going on ten years, League of Legends continues to inspire video game competitors around the globe as a leading force in the Esports landscape. With competitive teams spread across every continent, this is one of the most competitive arenas in which gamers battle. Each year, the World Championships are held with millions of dollars on the line. This battle arena is easily accessible by anyone and it’s fun to play, but, as seasoned fans LoL will know, if you want to compete it will take practice. Competing among these players can be tough and with so much money on the line, you know competition will be stiff, but fun to watch.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive
You can’t talk about competitive play without mentioning Counter Strike. Counter Strike: Global Offensive, the fourth main title in the series, pits teams of players against one another in an objective-based game. Currently, there are many different tournaments available today with hundreds, if not thousands of players. The main set of tournaments, which are sponsored by Valve, are known as the Majors, and are the premier events for this game, but the competition isn’t just limited to those tournaments. Millions of dollars are on the line in these competitions, and they are some of the most fun to watch.
Hearthstone
Who knew a card game could be so popular? This free-to-play collectible card game based on Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft franchise has truly grown since it was first released in 2014. Today, it boasts competitive play around the globe and generates millions of dollars in prize money for whichever card player comes out on top. If you love card games, and you hold a soft place in your heart for the Warcraft universe, this is a great title to get involved in, especially if twitch play isn’t for you. While this may have been an experiment for the company, it has turned into a huge success, and more and more competitive games are being hosted by Blizzard and other companies every month.
Dota 2
You can’t have a list of competitive esports titles if you don’t include Dota 2. While it may not have as many tournaments, it definitely generates the most money, according to Esportsearnings.com. Dota 2 is a standalone sequel to Defense of the Ancients, which was a mod of Blizzard’s Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Today there are dozens of tournaments with players looking to collect thousands of dollars if they come out on top. So far, this game isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, so it’s safe to say this one will stick around and continue to grow for quite some time.
Getting Involved
Have you ever considered getting more involved in eSports? But you’re not sure where to begin. There are lots of ways you can participate. You can work hard and become a player, or you can sit back, relax and watch these elite gamers go to work on each other like never before.
Watching Tournaments Online
If you prefer the entertainment of it all, you could always watch some of these tournaments as they happen. There are many services out there that will allow you to view tournaments online through streaming sites such as YouTube and Twitch.
Going Pro
Of course, you may not be satisfied with just sitting around watching these gamers go at each other. If you want to get involved, you are going to have to play your heart out. These gamers spend hours developing their skills and if you want to hang with them, you are going to have to get good at whatever game you choose to play competitively. To do that, you will need a lot of practice and ideally a top tier gaming laptop or PC to play on. If you want to compete with the big dogs, you will have to put in the hours to show.
Parting Thoughts
Competitive eSports continues to grow and become more popular in 2017 and beyond. This growth is expected to continue and currently shows no signs of slowing down. If you love video games and sports, we have no doubt that you will love to watch these elite gamers go head to head on some of the most popular multiplayer games ever created.
