Electronic sports, also known as esports, is a version of sports competition that involves the use of video games. With the advancement in technology, you can now live stream a game or tournament and watch all the action unfold live before your eyes without having to be physically present at an event.
From first-person shooters to multiplayer online battle arenas, there are many different types of games that are played competitively in tournaments all around the world.
Top tournaments have even become so popular with fans that online betting operators have introduced esports betting to their catalog of sporting events to place a bet on. Adults can place bets on their favorite players or matches for games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2.
Mixing entertainment with leisure
Imagine live streaming an esports tournament from the comfort of your chair at home where you don’t have to leave your own home. Live streaming esports is a great alternative to attending sports events where you might struggle to get good seats, deal with a crowd of wild fans, and keep straining and stretching your neck as you struggle to get the right angle to view the game. With esports, you get to enjoy the entire game without any distractions or interruptions.
Your home also provides leisure and freedom that an arena does not. What if you forgot to bring some food to the game? You would have to struggle to squeeze yourself through the multitude of people just to get some popcorn, then going through the same tedious process to get back to your seat. Live esports allows you to quickly grab some food from your fridge and kitchen and continue enjoying the game.
It’s an alternative sports activity to bet on
As esports tournaments become more and more popular, with audience numbers rising each year, it’s easy to see the advantages that it has for online iGaming operators. Just like with the popularity of big sporting events like the Premier League and the NFL, big esports events can bring in both audience numbers and betting numbers.
If fans of football, rugby, and tennis, are also fans of video games, then there are plenty of tournaments available for them to watch. Hugely popular games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 are just some big games right now with plenty of matches that online operators have esports betting available for.
Watch some professionals play the games that you own
Another benefit of watching live stream esports tournaments is that video game enthusiasts can watch how the professionals do it. In this story from casino review site ThePOGG they describe some of the most successful game franchises that have most certainly been spurred on by the esports industry.
If there is a level or goal in the game that is just too difficult, audiences can get inspiration on how to solve it. If they own games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Rainbow Six, these are actually some of the top games that were played last year and which had some of the highest total esports winnings in 2020.
At the start of the year, The Esports Observer highlighted the top twenty esports games of 2020 by total winnings, with CS:GO, Dota 2, and League of Legends making the top three.
Although total price money was a lot lower than the previous year due to the ongoing pandemic, the numbers were still eye-watering. In 2020, the total prize pool for CS:GO was $14.75m, with the Dota 2 and LoL coming in at $8.87m and $8m. Fortnite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Rainbow 6, Overwatch, PUBG, Hearthstone, and Rocket League were the other games that made the top ten list, all making from $2.63m – $7.87m in total prize money in 2020.
