Esports Series: Part 1 of "What is Esports?"

The new Leader of Sports Entertainment is globally connected and belongs to those born in the 21^st century. Esports knows no limits or boundaries, doesn’t require a; body type, age limit, weight or height requirement or a genetic trait to earn your right to play. It doesn’t recognise colour, creed, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic and or job status. Fun, passion, energy and fast paced action fuels the crowds. If you wanted an access all areas no barriers to participation sport, then this is it. 

This is Esports!  

Image Credit: https://www.riotgames.com/en/work-with-us/disciplines/esports-operations 

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In Part 1 of this series I will be giving my background to how I got into Esports and where I am at now. Then with a brief overview of what is Esports, the games played, origins of Esports and how it has become so big!! 

My first experience of Esports

I must have been still at secondary school, somewhere between 2011-2013 when I heard of mates who were paid to play games and or had international rankings in games or game modes. I was unaware at the time I was taking part in Esports (or the beginning of it). A couple of examples of this; I went to a computer café in my hometown called "Game the World" for one of my birthdays. This was me and about 15 friends all playing call of duty amongst ourselves or playing online. Still recall the first gamer tag I used, “Noobinator” haha. Now the place has closed due to the rise of next gen consoles and the easier access to online gaming not needing dedicated venues to go online. There is a reddit thread (linked below) which talks about the early days of gaming in Northern Ireland and Ireland; 

https://www.reddit.com/r/northernireland/comments/4zwoy1/anyone_here_remember_game_the_world/

After getting more involved into this, those same friends of mine we created our own “clan” by the tags NwG (North West Gaming). Granted I wasn’t as active in competitive gaming as some of them but it was a sense of being part of a team, a community and having an identity. Accepted by your peers based on your skill and or experience in a game or game mode. 

Then when I came to university (2013), this came more and more apparent from seeing it in in a range of platforms through different social circles. LAN parties in halls where a common thing or finding common ground with freshers over what computer/console games they liked. Fast forward a few years (2016) after doing my undergrad in Sport Science, Esports was always on the radar through the sheer scale and popularity. This can be attributed to more people online streaming and using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and the most common one for Esports (Twitch) to show gamers playing and interacting with their fans.   

Now in 2018, with my job working at Teesside University Students’ Union, I work with the Esports Society whom are the second biggest student group on campus. This signifies the popularity of the culture surrounding Esports. From attending a conference in the summer of 2018, listening to relevant individuals who have helped to create and promote the UK University Esports scene. I was surprised that no one was buying into the sheer scale and market for this area. Especially as an area for research and education. 

Thankfully after many meetings at Teesside University, myself and a few members of staff created the UK’s first MA in Esports to launch in 2019. This is focusing on the sports reporting/journalism, events management, marketing and business, data analytics and the Esports athlete. Not a degree to make people into professional players. 

Programme Team that defended the idea of an MA Esports (from left to right); 

• Gordon Marshall, Associate Dean (International) 

• Myself Andrew Richardson President Activities

• Sarah O’Brien, Principle Lecturer Programmes 

• Andrew Bingham, Principle Lecturer (Learning and Teaching) 

• Mick Stockton, Head of Communications, Arts and Media. 

*side note I will be doing a separate article all about the course at Teesside University which I will back link into this post at a later date over the Christmas period*

We got such huge praise by both students and staff that we are now the UK's first MA in this field; 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=582569495527497&set=pb.100013233540865.-2207520000.1545245327.&type=3&theater

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6476843345879527425/

What is Esports?

Esports means “Electronic Sports” and incorporates all games that are hosted by a machine electronically. Esports can be scaled and available to anyone, anywhere around the world if they have a game with a computer (or similar device) and an internet connection. This can be 1-1 style games with your friends to local area network (LAN) parties with up to 20-30 people playing. More commonly found in Esport Bars or Arenas. Then all the way up to international events such as the Esport leagues and competitions streamed worldwide for large cash prizes. 

I was asked what is Esports to me and my reply was; 

It is a sport for all, the fastest growing network and community the entertainment industry has ever seen. In an educational sense it is the new Sport Science. Everyone wants to do it as it is what we all love doing. That is turning a hobby or an activity into a passion and into a job.

Andrew Richardson, President Activities Teesside University Students Union (TUSU) and Co – Founder of the MA Esports at Teesside University.  

It is entertainment in the purest form and feeds into our deep biological roots which we crave action, excitement, attachment, identity and sense of belonging to a team (or community). It should be said early on, not all Esports games are inherently violent, there are some games who target specific audiences such as FIFA (football or soccer to the Americans), Madden NFL (American Football) and FORZA (racing cars) games. 

Image Credit: http://www.gamescover.net/2018/05/fifa-19-wallpapers.html

Image Credit: https://www.dualshockers.com/pittsburgh-steelers-receiver-antonio-brown-madden-nfl-19s-cover-athlete/ 

Image Credit: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/12/01/mobil-1-car-pack-forza-motorsport-6/ 

However, there is a significant portion of the market with shooter style games. These are scaled down to reduce the realism of violence to increase the accessibility value of it for all ages. An example of this would be one of the most popular games in the current market called “Fortnite”.  Traditional shooters with a higher degree if violence would include Counter Strike, Call of Duty (COD) and Halo.

Image Credit: https://www.turkmmo.com/black-ops-4un-battle-royale-haritasi-fornitein-haritasindan-buyuk-gibi-gorunuyor-h92585.html 

Image Credit: http://widescreenwallpapersbox.blogspot.com/2011/05/counter-strike-source-hd-wallpapers_6002.html 

Image Credit: https://readyuplive.com/2017/12/halo-partners-mlg-2018-hcs-season/ 

The games are not just limited to shooters or sports games. There are real time strategy (RTS) games which require quick reactions and forward thinking/planning. Games include; StarCraft, Halo Wars, Age of Empires and Total War. 

Image Credit: https://faceplantreview.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/starcraft-2-playing-nice-with-others/ 

Image Credit: http://info-about-games.blogspot.com/2011/05/age-of-empires-3.html 

Image Credit: http://www.push-start.co.uk/game-review/game-review-halo-wars-2/ 

Image Credit: https://www.gamingdragons.com/no/game/buy-total-war-warhammer-2-steam-key.html 

DOTA 2 and League of Legends are multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, and proving to be very popular.

Image Credit: http://www.picswalls.com/pic/dota-2-wallpapers/ 

Image Credit: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/league-of-legends/images

Other top games include massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). The best example of this is the infamous World of Warcraft which lines and stories from the game have appeared in tv shows. One such example is South Park doing an entire episode based on the game. 

Image Credit: https://www.planwallpaper.com/world-warcraft 

Now Esports isn't just these massive venues where people play in front of thousands in stadiums and millions worldwide. It goes all the way to the bottom for friends trying a new game for the first time at their house linking up computers or playing against rival groups in their local area. Fun is consistent throughout Esports and is all relative to the level of the individual in their games.

“Gaming is now mainstream, and it’s gained the acceptance of everyday people” - Joost van Dreunen, CEO of Superdata Research and Professor of Gaming at NYU) (Reference from WIRED magazine article entitled; Gaming prepares to level up). 

Esports Origins

Esports goes as far back as the 1970’s with tournaments and competitions held in arcade centres. It has only been the past decade that Esports popularity has grown exponentially thanks to the likes of TWITCH, Disney and ESPN showcasing and promoting their events. Games are offering an increasingly large prize pool for their winners, DOTA 2’s £16 million is currently the record. The first known video game competition took place in 1972 at Stanford University for the game "Spacewar". The next big event was in 1980 held by Atari for the "Space Invaders Championship". This attracted 10,000 people across the United States, creating the market and culture for gaming. 

Is Esport a Sport?

I personally think it is as it meets the following standards; 

• sport can be played by anyone 
• very accessible 
• local - regional - national - international events 
• national governing bodies 
• international governing body 
• attracted and is still attracting major sponsors to help fund it
• rapidly growing in size (players and spectators)
• rules and regs for the competitions (for their various modes)
• its entertaining and on multiple platforms to be viewed 
• internationally accepted by all countries 

There is already a paper on this which can be found here: 

http://thesportjournal.org/article/recognizing-esports-as-a-sport/

Feel free to discuss in the comment below if you think it is a sport or not!!!

Why is the market so big for Esports? 

There are many reasons as to why Esports has boomed. Here are my reasons as to why it has with some points to back them up; 

• Accessibility 

It is a sport for all ages, genders, shapes and sizes. Cross social and economic class which makes it so accessible for anyone to do. All you need is the game, internet connection and a computer/console. Plus it is relatively cheap in the long term compared to most other sports/entertainments. 

• Array of jobs

People can be; esports players, commentators (shoutcasters), event managers, technical directors, venue staff, marketing and promo team, reporters, sports journalists, data analysists, computer tech support, animators/developers etc. A breadth of jobs within this field with more I haven't even listed. 

• Modern 

Its the in thing now, fast, entertaining and delivered right to you. No need to go to a venue to watch it can be all watched on your phone or iPad or computer. 

• Cross sector 
  

This isn't just one sport and one sector of the market. It pulls in aspects of all the economy and social networks. It sells and promotes itself like a NFL or NBA sports teams, its connected all electronically meaning a wider and far reaching audience that spans the globe. Business and investors can promote Esports teams by injecting cash into them to get them going while they advertise their products to a global audience. 

Sport Science can play a role to in trying to speed reaction times of athletes so they make decisions quicker in real time. The Entertainment industry have a new string to their market, where games are immersive and people like watching others play the game as part of that entertainment package. So they expect to have access to bars, food, parking, room service, hotels and all inclusive trip to see their favourite gamer. 

• International 

It's big in the USA, but even bigger in Asia with an estimated 66 million alone watch or play Esports in South East Asia. In South Korea it is their National Sport where one can go to jail if they cheat in a game. 

• Multiple platforms to play on

Not limited to computers but on, consoles, tablets, VR and phones. 

• Fastest Growing Sport

Currently there are 430 million people worldwide who play or watch football (soccer). Esports are just 5 million behind them. That's how fast it is growing. 

• Cuts through Time Zones 

It is the only sport where it is not limited to by location and time zone. Players can play each other in their own homes or dedicated arenas and with the power of the internet they can play each other without having to travel to just play someone. Now down the line this may become an issue with media companies trying to get the rights over games and times to be shown at (for monetary revenue gain). 

 “Whether gaming reaches the one trillion mark or not in the near future, there is no doubt gaming has and will continue to play a huge role in reshaping the media and entertainment landscape” - Chris Wood, Head of UK Technology Sector (Reference from WIRED magazine article entitled; Gaming prepares to level up).

That's it for the first part of the Esports Series. I hope this gives you a nice introduction to it :) 

Future Articles I am Writing on Esports

These are the next articles I am writing for the blog on the topic for Esports (not in the order listed); 

• Esports Economy (how big and financial viable Esports really is)

• Doping in Esports (how one could dope and cheat in Esports)

• Monthly Reviews in Esports (each month I am doing a post linking all the major news stories around Esports).  

• MA in Esports at Teesside University (what the new course is all about)

Thank you for reading

Merry Christmas

Kind regards

Andrew

Andrew Richardson, Founder of Strength is Never a Weakness Blog

I have a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science and a Merit in my MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and I passed my PGCE at Teesside University. 

Now I will be commencing my PhD into "Investigating Sedentary Lifestyles of the Tees Valley" this October 2019. 

I am employed by Teesside University Sport and WellBeing Department as a PT/Fitness Instructor.  

My long term goal is to become a Sport Science and/or Sport and Exercise Lecturer. I am also keen to contribute to academia via continued research in a quest for new knowledge.

My most recent publications: 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1752928X19300216

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1752928X19301076 

My passion is for Sport Science which has led to additional interests incorporating Sports Psychology, Body Dysmorphia, AAS, Doping and Strength and Conditioning. 

Within these respective fields, I have a passion for Strength Training, Fitness Testing, Periodisation and Tapering. 

I write for numerous websites across the UK and Ireland including my own blog Strength is Never a Weakness. 

I had my own business for providing training plans for teams and athletes. 

I was one of the Irish National Coaches for Powerlifting, and have attained two 3rd places at the first World University Championships, 

in Belarus in July 2016.Feel free to email me or call me as I am always looking for the next challenge. 

Contact details below; 

Facebook: Andrew Richardson (search for)

Facebook Page: @StrengthisNeveraWeakness

Twitter: @arichie17 

Instagram: @arichiepowerlifting

Snapchat: @andypowerlifter 

Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-richardson-b0039278 

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Richardson7