The technological revolution has brought about enormous changes to the world around us. Whether you are looking to chat with your friends, order a pizza, watch a movie or simply get a day’s work done at the office, the chances are, you do it differently today than you would have done 10 or 20 years ago.
The big news is that the changes are not done yet. Gaming is a huge part of everyone’s life today, whether you are into sports games on a console, casino games on your mobile or social media games like Farmville on Facebook. The point is, gaming is something that everyone under the age of 50 or so is involved in to a greater or lesser extent, and is one of the most mainstream pastimes around.
Improvements in virtual reality technology mean that gaming is ready to take the next step from a technological perspective, but there are even bigger changes afoot. The rise of eSports has turned the simple, or not so simple, computer game into a global phenomenon, complete with TV deals, big name backers and online betting facilities.
What’s it all about?
This is the bemused, dazed question that falls from the lips of anyone trying to understand a new sport for the first time. Take an American to a cricket match, or a Brit to an NFL game or just about anyone to an Aussie Rules Football game and you will get a similar question in pained tones.
There are watchers and doers in any sport, and eSports are no exception, but having said that, the majority (but by no means all) of fans are also keen gamers. Again, this makes sense. Most NFL fans like to throw a ball around in the park from time to time, and so on. Given the rate of growth that eSports are experiencing, it comes as no surprise that there is no shortage of eSports guides available on the net to help the newcomers along.
Here we look at some of the most popular games, and how you can get into the crazy world of eSports.
MOBAs
There is no strict rule saying that only certain games can be played as eSports, and in many respects that is one of the most exciting factor about the whole industry. The number of games out there is phenomenal, and as eSports gain in popularity, so will the range of genres being covered.
Today, however, eSport is in its infancy, and the focus is very much on MOBAs. For the uninitiated, the acronym stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena – in other words, the most popular eSports games are ones like League of Legends, Defense of the Ancients and Counter Strike: Global Offensive.
Games where players storm jungles and post-apocalyptic industrial zones armed with machine guns and rippling muscles are the order of the day, and they have never been more popular. In case you are thinking this is all sounding somewhat macho, it is worth noting that the majority of gamers are actually female.
A little background
You would not want someone to tell you the plot of a movie before you attend, and similarly there is no need to go into depth regarding the inner workings of gameplay, so we will just touch on the basic concepts that are common to all the popular MOBAs.
The essential setup consists of two teams of three to five players, depending on the game. The teams face off against each other from their own base, separated by some kind of no man’s land, where can be found paths, fortifications and usually some other hostile features.
This no man’s land also contains creatures known as either “creeps” or “minions” – these are mostly mindless creatures that attack anything, but some can be controlled and utilized as weapons during gameplay.
The objective of each team is to capture or destroy something from the opposing team’s base. Like a sports team, each player has a defined role to play. This might be to defend the base, to distract or shoot opposing players or to manage the overall strategy.
Like most games, players have the opportunity to “level up” during gameplay, by killing enemies and collecting treasure. This allows them to build up their character and score even higher.
How to watch
eSports are currently streamed online via a number of channels, and there is also some television coverage starting to appear from satellite providers such as Sky.
Of course, there is nothing like attending a live event, and these are becoming ever more common in cities across the globe. The biggest event is the World Championship, which will be hosted in Busan, South Korea towards the end of the year. What better way to take in a new city and a new sport? See you there!