Esports tournaments take video games to the next level – they’re like the gamer version of an athletic championship. Professional players meet in packed arenas or stream online to massive audiences, competing to win prize money and brand sponsorships. The competitions are hosted by some of the world’s most prominent video game companies, backed by global brands and watched by millions.
Whether or not you consider them sports, esports are big business. Players spend hours practicing and mastering their craft, just like football players or ballet dancers. They are coached, managed and trained by professional organizations – and, just like traditional athletes, they can be the subject of scandal and controversy.
The biggest esports tournaments are backed by billion-dollar corporations and can attract millions of viewers — both live online or at events in person. Some are dedicated to specific games, like the Overwatch Champions Series. Others, such as the International, are open to teams of up to 80 professional gamers who compete in Dota 2, a strategy game made by Valve.
Esports also have their own governing bodies, which act on a national or regional basis to promote and regulate the sport. These governing bodies may have oversight responsibilities for particular esports or simply serve as a trade organization and public face for the sport. Other governing bodies, such as the ESA, work to provide an international structure for regulating esports. And yet other groups, such as Frosty Faustings in the US, draw huge crowds for older fighting games that aren’t quite as mainstream as Overwatch or Fortnite.