Oct
2019
The Evolution of E-Sports
My topic of discussion for the paradigm shift essay and TED talk will be the evolution of E-Sports. This topic is about how gaming has changed from a pointless hobby to a career with millions of dollars in prize money.
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Source: Rift Herald
How This Story Should Be Told
This topic is too large in the present day to ignore. This deserves an explanation of how this all happened. From friends getting together at their houses to having LAN parties to significant tournaments, the E-Sports community has grown exponentially over about 45 years.
Where It All Started
People want to prove that they are the best at a game, so they challenge their friends to a friendly competitive game. However, there are stakes to be held. They said that the winner gets $20. Then they decide to hold a tournament with all of their friends with an entry fee and prize pool. The word gets around that there is a $1,000 tournament, and everyone wants the chance to win. Where do sponsors go to get advertised? At places where massive amounts of people gather. All of a sudden, people from all around the world are battling in teams for millions of dollars in prize money. Sponsors from major companies like Mountain Dew and every gaming company there is brought a lot of money to the games. Not only do the players want to succeed, but the fans want them to win, as well.
The Community
Source: Dot Esports
Once the word gets around that huge tournaments are being held with all of the best players around the world, people are going to want to watch in a massive arena. The arena owners now are making vast sums of money to hold these tournaments. The community grows around competitive play and brings attention to the games that are being played in competitions. Recent large games include Fortnite, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike who all hold multi-million dollar majors. This attracts the younger generation because they can make money by playing games that they enjoy.
Platforms
Most tournaments in E-Sports are on a computer, but other platforms like Xbox and PS4 exist for games like Call of Duty and its tournaments, which were widely popular in the early 2000s on consoles. I grew up with the generation of console gaming, eventually moving on to the computer platform. Even my father grew up with gaming when the atari came out, and he would play all of the best “Pong” players. Although we have very different backgrounds, my background had evolved from the growth of his.
Why Even Talk About This?
Who cares if you can make a little bit of cash from playing video games? It’s not just about that. It’s also about the technological advancement in CPU’s and GPU’s that gaming has forced. Everyone always wants the best graphics and internet speed, so they will pay top-dollar for those who can provide. It’s time to recognize the change in the way people have viewed the gaming community and open their eyes to the future of E-Sports.
mxo5216
October 18, 2019 at 5:52 pm (5 years ago)This is a great topic to write your paradigm shift on. It is a super interesting shift that we have watched happen during our lifetime, and I cannot wait to see how you explore it.
Sara Jimenez
October 18, 2019 at 5:58 pm (5 years ago)Interesting paradigm shift you pointed out. I think it would be really interesting to contrast/compare the e-sport culture to actual sport culture and how our generation may be more engrossed in technology than the physical action of playing a game or being engaged in competition. It boggles my mind to see the culture that e-sports have created and the effects that they may have had on the young people of today.
bld5414
October 18, 2019 at 6:04 pm (5 years ago)I think this is a really great topic, especially in terms of the technological aspects. Personally, I have never been into gaming that much, so it is so fascinating for me to see how large events like this are, and how they are not just individuals playing on their own.
Sashank Sridhar
October 18, 2019 at 6:10 pm (5 years ago)I was shocked to see the reach of E-sports while watching the ‘Patriot Act’ episode on the video game industry. It might be worth checking out if you haven’t seen it already. Now, with the emergence of lucrative competitions and high-pressure environments, the perception of e-sports as a pastime is long gone. You could perhaps highlight how attitudes about gaming in general are changing with the advent of streaming platforms like Twitch.