Article written by Peter Fritz
Esports, or competitive gaming, is something I personally feel has managed to take playing video games to the next level.
Games have always been a great source of entertainment in my opinion and there has always been a lot to play for when it comes to gaming too. You could be looking to complete a game or to get a better score on a specific level than one of your friends, and with this comes a sense of achievement.
However, esports has managed to change all that, by giving us all something to really play for – you can become profitable financially or even turn into a career. Every game has an audience and with that come a range of players, all with differing abilities.
Striving to be the best at your favourite video game is something a lot of people do, but now there’s the chance to prove you are the best and to be recognised for it too.
Take FIFA for example. FIFA is an extremely realistic football simulator which has been around for years. The real-life sport of football is obviously highly competitive, with teams and players all out to prove that they’re the best around, be it in their country, league or on the continent.
Now FIFA, the game, has become one of the fastest growing esports titles around, giving players the chance to face off against others on a weekly basis. The best then get chosen to compete at events around the world – and there’s even a FIFA eWorld Cup.
So, while it is still about striving to be the best you can be at the game, there’s so much more to aim for and to achieve through esports, it can literally be life changing.
Players can become professional; while esports is not a recognised sport in every country, it’s fast growing and shares a lot of elements with traditional sports.
Audiences can now place bets on the results of esports tournaments and league fixtures – and this shows just how serious the industry is. In fact, most established bookmakers will already have betting markets on esports tournaments, although you will find some traditional brands like Betpoint that mainly focus on horse and dog racing.
Furthermore, there are now pro FIFA players who are playing on behalf of professional football clubs such as Manchester City, West Ham United and AS Roma; players are representing some of the biggest brands in the world.
There’s also the chance to earn huge sponsorship deals, and with companies such as Coca Cola getting involved in the esports industry, you can see exactly why it’s not only growing at breakneck speed, but the money being ploughed into developing it has reached staggering heights.
As a top esports player, there’s a career to be made, either as an individual or as part of a team. There’s money and recognition to be earned and many doors will be opened along the way too.
Gaming is a source of fun and entertainment and many people probably dream of being able to play video games for a living, while earning that recognition that says that they are the best around. And with esports, that’s possible.
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