The world of E-sports
PoligonThe very first computer game was Pongand consisted of two sticks on each side that sent a dot between them. The game was a very simple digitization of the sport of tennis. A lot has happened since then. Both for hardware and software, the market has changed considerably. The biggest development is how TV and computer games have taken a place among the public.
Championship in games
The idea of competitions in games is nothing new. For a long time there have been tournaments in both chess and Monopoly . A more recent addition is championships in digital games, what we call E-sports. Contrary to what you might imagine, E-sports is a team sport. The teams work together to get to the top and be crowned the winner.
Of course, there are some variations depending on the exact game in question. Not all E-sports teams play the same game. The genres vary between classic sports games, shooters and fantasy-inspired games. Common is that the games require an internet connection and are played with many players.
Together in the arena of digital games one also finds some more unexpected participants. For example, nowadays you can participate in poker tournaments over the internet. Instead of going out on the roads, you can visit an online casino . In Sweden, there are a large number of online casinos, including ComeOn, which offer live casino directly in the browser.
Welcome to the Olympics
How far can you really go with E-sports? All the way to the Olympics it turns out. It is still a relatively new decision by the Olympic Committee. Last year was the first time a tournament was held at that level. The entire competition was held virtually but was still part of the Summer Olympics.
A big advantage of E-sports is that there is no need to gather all the players in one place. If you have a good computer and solid internet connection, you can play wherever you are. This does not mean that everyone can start participating in major championships. Many teams depend on sponsors and financial support.
The reason is that games are expensive. A good gaming computer can easily cost well over SEK 20,000, on top of all the usual living expenses. Few people have the luxury of being able to focus entirely on their gaming. It can be compared to being a musician, it is not enough to have an instrument and be able to play. To succeed, a variety of other things are needed on top of that.
Big steps forward
The view of digital games and gamers in general has changed enormously in the last twenty years. As personal technology has become commonplace, acceptance has also increased. Age and gender don't matter either, anyone can play if they want to. The threshold can be relatively high, often based on financial assets and how much time one has.
However, the same can be said about most sports. If you look at sports that require a lot of equipment, you quickly reach similar sums. A good computer can also be used for many other things, not just games. After all, it doesn't hurt to have a computer that can handle a lot.