What does kicking and pressing a button have in common? To the pre-video game generation, this would have been a bewildering question;
they are two entirely different activities after all. However, in this age where it’s become harder and harder to distinguish between video games and reality, this is a profoundly simple yet important question.
If I can replicate a basic physical act virtually by merely operating a controller, what else will I be able to control in the future which promises to bring more drastic developments? We can only pontificate as far as the future is concerned, but we can’t dismiss it.
After all, e-sports is a huge part of this world, and for most people, it IS the only world that they know and care for, yet it didn’t even exist a mere forty years ago.
The humanization of video games
Our ancestors grew up playing all kinds of sports, from football to water polo. It was not only a great form of physical exercise, but it was also an excellent way to relax as it lets you forget the troubles of the world. Plus, the dopamine rush that it gives you makes the whole experience so gratifying.Fast forward to the 21st century, and you can say the same thing about video games, minus the physical exercise of course (it is worth noting that there is no dearth of gamers out there who will claim otherwise). This is what brought about the genesis of electronic sports, or e-sports, which can be best described as competitive video gaming.
What started out as a marvel of technology that you could use to laugh is now responsible for creating a new arena for competition and sponsorships, and for giving people something to be passionate about. Yes, this sounds familiar because e-sports is the new “sport”; it is the humanization of something that was once nothing more than a mundane virtual world.
E-sports and society
ESPN and other sports broadcasting networks probably didn’t see this coming, but they provide coverage of video game tournaments on their sites as well as on TV to the masses. More than 300 million people tune in to follow these competitions with rapt attention.
Gamers get sponsorships from tech companies to energy drinks, while betting on fantasy league tournaments is a societal norm now. Kids now dream of someday winning glory and fame by being adept at using a controller against other people.
Considering that the e-sports market is projected to traverse deep into the billions regarding value, this is a social rocket that is going to continue moving forward.
Pop culture has a new addition: e-sports
If I had a cent for every Fortnite meme I come across; I would die a rich man. Of course, I’d die even richer if I decide to compete in its tournament, which has everyone from kids to mature adults excited.
The exuberance is inevitable; winning tournaments give you rock star status, merely participating allows you to network and get media exposure, and the prize money gets ever more tempting (Major League Gaming: Columbus 2016 offered a whopping $ 1 million). Additionally, video games are so much more accessible than many other things which means that unlike physical sports, age or disabilities are not inhibitory factors.
Indeed, e-sports has spread its roots deep into the minds and hearts of the masses; all the more reason, then, to accept and appreciate it.
