We are hearing more and more about 'esports', but basically, what is it?<br>This term has been on many people's lips for several years, but it is entirely possible that you have missed it, which is perfectly normal. And yet it is a true social phenomenon.
The numbers are crazy. 99.6 million. That’s the number of viewers who watched the latest League of Legends World Championship final. Almost as many as the iconic Super Bowl final in the United States.
Esports (the spelling recommended by France Esports) is a form of entertainment that is drawing in more people around the world.
Esports are video game competitions, but not necessarily sports games. Yet it carries all the codes of a traditional sport: hours of practice, matches followed by a large number of supporters, and especially its star players. Esports competitions are fairly similar to classic sports competitions. They feature leagues with several teams, like a football or handball championship, as well as direct-elimination tournaments similar to tennis competitions.
The most popular game is League of Legends.
League of Legends even has its Lionel Messi. His name is Faker, real name Lee Sang-hyeok. He is South Korean. South Korea is the esports nation; there, it’s even a national sport. Competitions are broadcast on four different television channels and dedicated stadiums are packed. To watch esports on French TV, you need to subscribe to BeIN, and the show lasts only 30 minutes on Monday evenings.
France also has a team, Vitality. It competes in the European League of Legends Championship's Ligue 1 and does fairly well in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the shooter game. PSG even partnered with the Chinese team LGD to form a team on Dota 2, the second most popular MOBA in the esports world.
Some players can make a living from esports. For example, Epic Games recently announced a cash prize of 3 million dollars for its upcoming world championships. Each participant automatically gets 50,000 dollars.
As always, here’s a bit of vocabulary:
An event, literally. It’s the name given to tournaments. They last from two days to a month (with rest days) for the longest ones. These are the competitions most watched on Twitch and YouTube.
A professional player, these are the stars of esports. Some are raised to legends. Others fade into oblivion. Cabochard, Hans Sama, and the Bordeaux-born sOAZ are all recognized players on the League of Legends professional scene. PtitDrogo and YoGo are known for StarCraft II, a real-time strategy game.
A regional tournament. They grant their winner access to a Major and give an idea of the level of the teams that face off during the event.
The most important tournaments. Win one and you’ll go down in history! A Major is the event that keeps you up until 4 a.m. on a Thursday. The finals of these tournaments are watched by tens of millions of people.
A prize pool. It is the money you win after a tournament victory. These rewards can range from a few hundred euros to several millions, depending on the tournament (and the organizer's budget).
Esports is increasingly taken seriously; the Olympic Committee is even considering giving it a place on the Paris 2024 Olympic program. One thing is certain, it will not be in official competition. The IOC has ruled:
“It’s premature; some electronic games are not compatible with Olympic values and therefore cooperation with them is excluded.”
Perhaps in 2028?