The world of professional video gaming is a quickly spreading phenomenon not only in the USA but on a global scale, with millions of followers and billions of money at stake. Due to its competitiveness, it has become the world’s most prominent form of entertainment today.
Electronic sport, popularly regarded as Esports, is an organized video game competition. Teams often compete in tournaments against one another for a financial reward. FIRST COMICS NEWS spoke with Tim Harrison, a betting expert at BetZillion, about how to bet on Esports online, its history, and its advantages for players from the USA and other countries.
Brief History of Esports
Esports has been around for a while but only recently gained popularity. Video games became accessible to the general public thanks to technological advancements. Also, Esports became a significant sport thanks to improvements in hardware and visuals and the global spread of the internet.
On October 19, 1972, the first recognized video game competition occurred at Stanford University. The participants played the game Spacewar, with a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine as the grand prize.
The Esports contest gained popularity in the 1980s, with more than 10,000 people participating in the Space Invaders Championship, which helped video games come out of the closet. Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat competitions and tournaments became increasingly popular in the early 1990s.
Later that decade, Golden Eye and other first-person shooters gained popularity, which paved the way for:
- StarCraft,
- WarCraft,
- Overwatch,
- Call of Duty,
- and Halo Series.
When the popular StarCraft 2 PC tournament debuted in 1998, it attracted over 50 million online spectators, 17 million of whom watched it on Twitch. As a result, Esports took off properly as the 2000s came around.
Following the debut of Major League Gaming in 2002, tournament hosts, including the World Cyber Games and the Electronic Sports World Cup, made their debuts. Major League Gaming is regarded as one of the most prestigious Esports hosts in the world.
In 2006, Halo 2 hosted the first broadcast Esports event on the USA Network. It wasn’t until Twitch’s launch in 2011 that Esports broadcasting began to pay off since players could interact directly with their viewers.
League of Legends became one of the most well-known Esports games ever in 2014 after Amazon acquired Twitch, and it continues to be so now. The first League of Legends World Championship occurred in 2011 at DreamHack in Sweden. In 2013, the Championship was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the organizers sold out the venue completely a few minutes after the ticket went on sale.
Popular Esports Games
Players can choose from a wide variety of esports games. But some are bigger and more well-known than others.
Some of the most well-known and played Esports games are:
- League of Legends,
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,
- Fortnite,
- Dota 2,
- Hearthstone,
- Call of Duty,
- Overwatch,
- Rainbow Six Siege,
- Rocket League,
- NBA 2K.
Esports Betting
If you want to know how to bet on Esports online, the process is straightforward and very similar to sports betting. You must search for a betting site that supports Esports, then register with the bookmaker from list of american bookmakers. After successfully opening the account, deposit money into it.
You can start betting on Esports games after making a deposit. However, accurate predictions require researching the Esports competition and Teams/Players.
You might then place a bet based on your predictions. After submitting the bet slip, you must wait for the outcome to determine whether you won the game. Check this guide to know more about wagering on Esports – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e3Bjn5yYzk.
Benefits of Esports
While some people might see gaming as an addiction that adds nothing to one’s life, it can be beneficial in various ways. Let’s briefly analyze the benefits of Esports to gamers.
Enables Socialization
One of the benefits of Esports gaming is that it facilitates communication between users and others globally and has even produced lasting relationships. Some even discovered life partners through this means.
It Helps to Relieve Stress
Esports gaming helps users to disconnect from the outside world. As a result, when people are playing games, they forget about or set aside other issues and keep their minds occupied with what they enjoy.
Also, Esports gaming helps to reduce anxiety since it diverts your attention from troubling thoughts and gives you time to relax.
Teaches the Ability to Solve Problems
Playing Esports games gives the ability to solve problems. People brainstorm solutions to difficulties in real life by using the same problem-solving techniques they use in games. Also, online gaming is a stimulant and prepares people for real.
Helps Players Take Risk
While playing Esports games, gamers learn to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a situation before acting. You have to plan your moves and gameplay according to the circumstances, which is also beneficial in real life.
Helps to Focus and Concentrate
Since playing video games requires intense focus and concentration, having this capacity also makes it easier for people to concentrate when not playing. Esports exercise the brain in the same way playing football or cricket keeps a doctor’s body in shape.
Mental and Physical Agility
With Esports, you can become more agile both mentally and physically. Online gaming enhances mental and physical agility by synchronizing the mind with movement and controllers. In a nutshell, it synchronizes your brain and body movements.
Impacts on Physical Health
Physical health improves when you are free of stress and tension. A good diet and regular exercise are also necessary for enhancing gameplay, just like elite athletes who follow a set of eating, sleeping, and exercise schedules, which affects general health.
Hand-eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is a vital skill in Esports, just like every other sport requires. Players must be able to use both hands simultaneously to perform various tasks. For instance, when playing games like League of Legends or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the mouse and keyboard must work in perfect unison to complete two very different tasks.
Conclusion
Esports has become a global phenomenon in that games are now frequently watched in a planned area. USA bookmakers provide odds on every aspect of the game, as thousands of Esports games get played daily. These games are divided into competitive leagues and tournaments, just like traditional sports, with viewers tuning in in numbers to see superstar esports teams and players via live streaming services like Twitch TV, YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming. Additionally, bettors enjoy a whole lot of benefits in Esports. However, too much involvement in it can become harmful if you lack discipline, hence, the need for balance.
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