Esports is a sport based on competitive activity using video games. May also be called computer or electronic sports.

The beginning of the history of esports
In the 1970s, Stanford University hosted the first Spacewar computer game competition. This event took place in one of the computer laboratories of the university, and the first participants and spectators were lured there with free beer. In 1980, about ten thousand gamers from the United States competed in the Space Invaders championship.

In the 1980s, e-sports mainly developed on the basis of the newly introduced video game consoles. Since the release of Nintendo and the Sega Genesis, many companies have begun to invest heavily in introducing people to video games.

The 90s became a serious breakthrough in the distribution of computer games, the advent of the Internet gave a serious impetus to the development of video games. Participants got the opportunity to organize Quake or Warcraft competitions among themselves.

The rapid development of eSports
In the 90s, a whole series of tournaments took place, professional leagues appeared, such as the Cyberathlete Professional League, Professional Gamers League. Their goal is to spread eSports around the world, regularly holding competitions in the most popular Counter-Strike and Quake games.

In South Korea, in the early 2000s, there was a real cybersort boom. Students, schoolchildren and the entire young population choose Internet cafes as their favorite vacation spot. South Korea is one of the first countries to systematize esports at the legislative level.

International level competitions
Esports competitions are held annually in many countries around the world. Games are broadcast directly over the Internet, thus attracting a huge audience. The World Cyber ​​Games tournament, which has been held annually since 2000, is considered the eSports Olympic Games. Competitions held by game manufacturers are considered prestigious – The International for Dota 2 or the League of Legends World Championship.
In 2016, the World Esports Association was established.
It is assumed that by 2020 the annual turnover of e-sports will exceed $ 5 billion, which is more than in hockey or basketball.
These days, esports brings in a lot of money, and spectator interest continues to grow. The largest prize pool in the history of esports was won by the Chinese team Wings Gaming in 2016 – $9.1 million, and the largest prize pool for the game Dota 2 was more than $20 million.

eSports in Russia
In 2001, eSports was officially recognized in our country, and Russia was the first in the world to do so. In the beginning, this sport held on and developed only thanks to enthusiasts and gamers, caring fans of games. But since 2003, the situation has changed dramatically, a professional league, cybersport organizations have appeared, championships and tournaments have begun to be held.
In 2014, one of the universities in Russia launched the study program “Theory and Methods of Mind Sports (e-sports)”.

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