The question of esports being recognised as a real sport has long been a hot debate topic. While most of the countries have second thoughts on video games being a real thing, some have already seen and embraced their great potential.
Let’s dive deeper to see what’s behind the debates revolving around esports gaming.
Esports: Sport or Entertainment
Players around the globe state that as a form of entertainment video games are still seen as being outside the sports mainstream. However, this doesn’t hinder the industry growth. More and more people have dabbled in this form of entertainment with thousands of recognised tournaments and events annually.
Although it’s hard to be ranked among already established traditional sports, such as rugby or football, esports brings an equal amount of excitement to the crowds. It has all the excitement and skills-requirement of traditional sport. Moreover, a number of countries have officially recognised esports gaming as a real sport.
Others claim that it doesn’t have the required history and background to be ranked among the traditional sports. However, video gaming is surely not the new kid on the block. Game aficionados know that esports competitions have been around since the early 70s. Since then the industry is just getting bigger, targeting more and more people and organizing competitions that are understandably a lot more exciting to watch. The truth is like any other sport the esports scene has grown and changed drastically over the years, you can even now buy your own Racing Simulator.
Esports games now have a fair amount of media attention and attract sponsorships from the likes of Rockstar, Mountain Dew, and Red Bull GmbH.
Countries that have Officially Recognized Esports as a Sport
There’s a lot of discussion about esports status among traditional sports. Although there are a great number of countries that define esports as a series of gaming competitions, there are some that categorise it as a professional sport.
Top among the pioneers of esports developers and promoters is South Korea. Together with the International Sports Federation (ISF), the Korean Esports Federation has been supporting the recognition of esports. In addition to South Korea, the following countries have so far granted official recognition to esports: the United States, Germany, Italy, Nepal, Denmark, Brazil, Finland, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.
The greater part of the recognition belongs to the esports games titles such as NBA 2K and FIFA, which replicate real-live traditional sports.
The official recognition of esports will bring numerous benefits to the industry and especially to gamers. Esports teams will be able to receive national honours, have access to funds to get financial support from authorities and more.
Major Esports Tournament to Follow
While esports may not be a traditional sport for some countries, it is a great opportunity for gamers all around the world, to claim prestigious prizes during some of the most high-profile esports tournaments. Among the best-known tournaments, you may want to follow are the following:
- ESL One (the Electronic Sports League)
- League of Legends World Championship
- CS:GO PGL Major Championship Stockholm
- Dota 2 Pro Circuit
- FIFA Club World Cup
- PUBG Global Championship
- Free Fire World Series 2021
The Most Popular Esports Games in 2021
Whether it’s a traditional sport or competitive gaming, esports is becoming more and more mainstream, with each gaming season. The twitch viewerships are booming, so is the number of top esports games in 2021. There are both new games and the old favourites that have been updated with new features.
Among the industry toppers are the following games:
- League of Legends
- Dota 2
- Apex Legends
- Counter-strike: Global Offensive
- Fortnite
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Dead by Daylight
A Huge Spike in Esports Betting
With the Industries’ popularity surging in the last couple of years, esports betting is also gaining momentum.
Everyone knows what esports betting is but not all of them know where to start from. There is a huge range of esports betting markets and strategies to beckon to both amateur and professional bettors. You can think bigger than just backing the favoured esports team or champions. You can opt for straightforward bets as well as upgrade your betting skills to predicting the winner of the series of a game.
Nearly all online betting platforms cover esports gaming and are ready to support you with the information you need to wager. You can check available esports betting opportunities and get better insights from the displayed odds.
Bets differ from game to game, each brings new opportunities and rewards. However, there’s one strategy that can be applied to all of them—the research. Before you place your bet, make sure you know the markets, odds and any other info that will help you make informed decisions.
Whether it’s sport or competition, esports has been propelled to a whole new level. Everyone wants to be part of the new and exciting industry, some by watching, others by trying their skills as bettors or gamers. Let’s stay tuned and see where the industry is going and how it will be categorised in the future.
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