From childhood fun to a professional career, eSorts have come a long way.
What makes something a sport? Traditional definitions usually include some physical activity that shows athletic ability or strength. But some sports can take the form of mental 5 competitions. For instance, chess was recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee in 1999. Now, some people wonder if eSports should also be considered sports.
The word eSports is short for electronic sports. It is a form of competition in which professional players or gamers play video games either in teams or individually. Typically, the winners are awarded prize money at the end of the competition.
The first eSports event was in the 1970s, when Stanford University held a competition for the game Spacewar!. Over the next 30 years, video games exploded in popularity. More and more countries, such as South Korea, China, and the United States, started to develop eSports into an industry. In the 2000s, television broadcasts of the competitions, which featured games like Street Fighter III, StarCraft, and Counter- Strike, became popular. In the 2010s, thanks to online streaming services, eSports grew rapidly with more worldwide tournaments, more viewers, and larger prizes. In 2020, the industry made more than US$1 billion for the first time ever.
