esports, also known as electronic sports, is a form of competitive gaming. Players and teammates battle it out in a large variety of available games, competing to see who's the best. The sport has technically been around as long as video games, with a verses/battle option, but it's only been the last couple of years that competitive gaming has really become a part of society.
There are now several online games that hold annual competitions where players from around the world compete against each other, and those without set competitions simply hold their brawls during conventions or inside their chosen online game.
Though there's no definitive list, popular competitive games include "Overwatch," "League of Legends," "World of Warcraft," and "FIFA."
'Overwatch' World Cup
The "Overwatch" World Cup was first held in 2015. This year, 32 countries qualified for entry at the beginning of the year, but only eight are still in the running. This is eSports on a global scale, and the countries left standing are Australia, Canada, China, France, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The tournament commences Friday, November 3, 2017, and is due to end Saturday, November 4, 2017. South Korea are the defending champions from 2016, and everyone is wondering if they can retain their title, or if a new country's team will take their place.
Team members are chosen by voters in their country, and only the top six will make up the World Cup team each year.
'League of Legends' Worlds
"League of Legends" hosts not only a World Championship, but also several other competitions; including All-Star, Rift Rivals, and the EU/NA Challenger competitions, among others. The World Championship for LoL started back in late September with the play in group matches and is still going strong with the competition.
The Knockout Stage is due to start this Saturday, November 4, 2017. This year, Worlds took place in China, with a 24 team-tournament that included teams from all 13 LoL professional leagues.
World of Warcraft Championship
In the case of "World of Warcraft," their Arena World Championship has been going since 2008, with EU winners Nihilum.
This year, WoW brought in extra qualifier cups in North America and Europe to give other teams a chance to show their gaming prowess, and unlike other eSports championships, "World of Warcraft" has open signups - you don't need an Arena rating to sign up for this amazing event. 12 teams qualified as the 2017 Arena finalists, and like the other MMORPGs that are currently competing, we're waiting for the results with bated breath.
'FIFA' World Cup
"FIFA" is currently gearing up for its 2018 World Cup, and qualifying matches have been well under way for a while now. Round one took place in October 2015, and Round three is expecting to finish up soon. The championship is taking place in Russia next year between June 14 and July 15, with the five teams that qualify from Round three going head-to-head.
ESports Olympics
The International Olympic Committee has been debating the idea of adding eSports to the Olympic roster. They are expecting to make an appearance in the 2022 games that will take place in Hangzhou, China. The main concern of the Olympic governing body is that for them to accept eSports as an Olympic game, they "must not infringe on the Olympic values."
According to a report by the BBC which was shared on Facebook, "Competitive video gaming generated £400m in revenue in 2016, has a global audience of about 320 million", and is only expected to grow over the coming years as it increases in popularity.
ESports career
ESports is a growing career opportunity. Since its rise in popularity, it has created thousands of new jobs across the world with a diverse skill set, and a chance for passionate gamers to turn their hobby into a career.
ESports boasts a wide range of available career choices, which include transferable skills. For instance, it's possible to get a career as a Pro Gamer, but you could also work in the sales sector of eSports, or as a content creator, or perhaps work at events. Colleges and Universities are also upping the ante, eSports is now a readily available course choice in a lot of educational facilities; getting students ready for a new generation of careers.
