Video games, and screen activities in general, are taking an increasingly important place in the daily life of young generations.
The success of eSports is proof of this ongoing revolution. This initially niche activity is now enthralling crowds all over the world. But, in the end, can esports become the new norm in sports?
The Development of eSports from Its Creation Intil Today
Video game competitions were born with the advent of network gaming in the 90s and 2000s. As early as 1998, we see the creation of the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), a structure specializing in the organisation of tournaments of video games.
But long before, in 1972, a Spacewar tournament organized at Stanford University had brought together many amateur players.
Since then, esport has continued to develop thanks to licenses such as Counter-Strike (1999), Fifa (1994), Starcraft (1998) or League of Legends (2009).
It attracts more and more players and audiences, so much so that in 2015, the record Prize Money for the winner of a tournament (The International on Dota 2) reached a total of 9 million dollars.
The Characteristics of eSports
To know if esport is a real sport, it’s simple, you just have to see if the characteristics of this discipline are in agreement with that of the traditional definition of sport.
A Framework and Specific Rules
When we discuss esports, we often forget an essential element. eSport is not a discipline like football, tennis or swimming, it is a category of disciplines in the same way as ball games, athletics or gymnastics.
Indeed, there are as many esports disciplines as there are games involved. The rules or goals are not the same on LOL, fighting games like Street Fighter or sports games like FIFA.
Each game is different and requires specific training for pro gamers. There is also co-op eSports.
