Competitive eSports is on the rise and they come with a lot of controversy. The main subject of this controversy is if eSports should even really be considered a sport. Many argue that playing video games cannot be considered participating in a sport because someone who sits and plays video games is not immersing themselves in physical activities.

   The first tournaments for eSports started as early as the 80’s. The first competition was for the Space Invaders Tournament in 1980 and sparked, for years to come, competitive eSports. As the years progressed, so did the popularity of eSports. Within the turn of the century, the first major gaming league was founded (Cyberathlete Professional League) and later that year, it held its first tournament with a prize pool of $15,000.  

   During this time eSports revolved around first person shooters, sports games, and arcade-style games; however, there was also a new genre hitting the competitive scene. RTS (Real-Time Strategy) gaming has been on the rise, with games such as “StarCraft: Brood War” leading the way.

   As the growth of eSports continues towards the present day, many other gaming leagues such as MLG (Major League Gaming)   became very popular. Popular games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-strike: Global Offensive are paving the way for a new generation of eSports gamers today. Many of the prize pools for such games can have a set prize pool; however, some can also be crowdfunded. Dota 2, for example, had a base prize pool of $1,600,000 but, with the contributions of dedicated fans, it inflated over a thousand percent and has now become $18,429,613.

   Even though many could argue that eSports is not really a sport, they cannot deny that its fan base has grown significantly. ESports must be considered a sport because the core of every sport is classified as an individual or a group of individuals competing for some sort of prize or a victory.

   Fellow QHHS student Daniel Franco had this opinion on the subject: “Personally, I feel like eSports is a real sport. Players, such as myself, compete for prizes, ranks, etc. The fact that people still think the eSports is not a real sport is saddening because it has such a huge fan base that think differently. Just last year, during the League of Legends Worlds Tournament, 36 million people watched the event.”

   Although some people are still in denial that eSports is really considered a sport, it is only gaining popularity as time goes on. Personally, I think that eSports is a real sport because, although it may seem easy to get into the scene, it is a cut throat competition just to even get in. All popular games in eSports require precise movements and complete concentration, just like sports do in real life.