{"id":148299,"date":"2024-01-18T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/?p=148299"},"modified":"2024-01-18T17:17:22","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T17:17:22","slug":"what-makes-video-game-esports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2024\/01\/what-makes-video-game-esports","title":{"rendered":"What makes a video game an esport?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2023//08//F4f3rpFbIAAvc6Q-large.jpeg/" alt=\"valorant champions 2023\" class=\"wp-image-142976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/F4f3rpFbIAAvc6Q-large.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/F4f3rpFbIAAvc6Q-medium.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/F4f3rpFbIAAvc6Q-medium_large.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/F4f3rpFbIAAvc6Q-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/F4f3rpFbIAAvc6Q.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">VALORANT&#8217;s season finals, VALORANT Champions 2023, in Los Angeles, US. Image credit: Riot Games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbdd6b6e\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Despite its growing popularity and cultural relevance in 2024, esports is still surprisingly hard to define.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbdd73d7\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The relationship between gaming and esports \u2014 where one stops and the other begins \u2014 is often murky, and as a result there\u2019s a myriad of interpretations for what counts as esports. To define what makes a video game an esport, one first must go back to the basics.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbdd7b51\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Esports (a portmanteau of \u2018electronic sports\u2019) is sometimes colloquially referred to as competitive gaming. However, not all competitive gaming is considered esports.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"keep-reading \"  id=\"kr-67cf7bbdd8b37\">\n  <div class=\"heading\">Keep Reading<\/div>\n  <ul class=\"d-flex flex-column\">\n          <li id=\"post-137539\" style=\"order: 1;\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//04//how-do-esports-players-make-money/" target=\"_blank\">How do esports players make money \u2014 and how much?<\/a><\/li>\n          <li id=\"post-141080\" style=\"order: 2;\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//07//popular-counter-strike-esports-events/" target=\"_blank\">What are the most popular Counter-Strike esports events?<\/a><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbdd9c5a\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Even in video games that <em>are<\/em> considered esports (like League of Legends and Counter-Strike), online ranked matches played between ordinary gamers are typically not considered esports by many people. This stands in contrast to traditional sports, where even friendly matches between amateurs are widely considered to be sports activity.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbdda400\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>While exact wording differs, \u2018esports\u2019 is most commonly defined as organised video game competitions played for spectators. These are usually online virtual tournaments, or in-person events, played for online spectators and\/or a crowd.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddab6f\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>However, complicating matters further, not all games that feature competitive modes or competitive gameplay are considered \u2018esports titles\u2019 in popular conception. Rather, the label of \u2018esports title\u2019 is typically reserved for games which have sustained, established esports scenes surrounding them. This usually takes the form of regular leagues, tournament circuits or other competitions that attract sizable audiences.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddb302\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>For example, Minecraft allows for player-vs-player (PvP) combat, which players in theory can compete in \u2014 but Minecraft is not generally considered an esports title because the competitive scene in the game is minor.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddba70\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Meanwhile, League of Legends is indisputably a dominant esports title as the game\u2019s esports ecosystem consists of various tournaments and leagues that scale from national to global events, with some of its tier-one competitions attracting millions of spectators.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddc228\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Additionally, whether the video game has a core focus on competitive game modes is another common (though not an essential) criteria. Counter-Strike, Dota 2, VALORANT, Street Fighter and other leading esports titles all have competitive player-vs-player game modes as their core gameplay, for which there are numerous popular tournaments and leagues. Nonetheless, modest esports scenes have developed around some games without competitive PvP game modes at their core.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2024//01//shutterstock_2150257059-2-1-large.jpg/" alt=\"shutterstock esports\" class=\"wp-image-148314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2150257059-2-1-large.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2150257059-2-1-medium.jpg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2150257059-2-1-medium_large.jpg 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2150257059-2-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/shutterstock_2150257059-2-1.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image via: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-heading-67cf7bbddcb87\" class=\"esi-heading \">\n  \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span id=\"how_big_of_a_competitive_scene_does_a_game_need_to_become_an_esports_title\">How big of a competitive scene does a game need to become an esports title?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddd325\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Ultimately, the question of how big an esports scene has to be before it is considered an \u2018esports title\u2019 is subjective, and varies according to the whims of popular opinion. While the subjective elements above are informally agreed by many, the consensus of which games count as esports titles changes over time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddda94\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Indeed, as esports has grown as an industry and as a phenomenon, the concept has arguably broadened to become more inclusive. These days, many games not considered esports titles are developing esports communities of their own.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbdde33f\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Unconventional forms of competition like speedrunning (where players compete to complete a game or piece of in-game content in the quickest time possible) are increasingly being seen as esports. An example of that is <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//12//wow-race-world-first-esports/">World of Warcraft\u2019s Race to World First<\/a>, where players race to beat computer-controlled characters rather than each other.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"709\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2021//12//FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-1024x709.jpeg/" alt=\"Farming Simulator esports\" class=\"wp-image-76325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-1024x709.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-300x208.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-768x532.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-1536x1063.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-100x70.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-218x150.jpeg 218w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-696x482.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-1068x739.jpeg 1068w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760-607x420.jpeg 607w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FSL_Season2_Poznan-e1603910450760.jpeg 1560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Farming Simulator League LAN event. Image credit: Farming Simulator League<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddecf2\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Niche, not-traditionally-competitive games <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////issuu.com//esportsinsider//docs//esj_13_1_//14/">are developing dedicated esports communities<\/a>, including <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2021//12//farming-simulator-esports/">Farming Simulator<\/a> and even <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//07//geoguessr-esports/">GeoGuessr<\/a>. As chess is more frequently played and broadcast online, the 1500-year old game is also <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2022//02//michael-brancato-departs-twitch-to-join-chess-com-as-vp-of-esports/">increasingly being seen<\/a> as an esport.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddf491\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>So what makes a video game an esport? Technically, competitive player-vs-player video games with significant esports infrastructure form the core of what are considered esports titles. But players have found ways to make almost any form of video game competitive, as evidenced by the breadth of examples above.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf7bbddfc02\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Ultimately, it is up to how the fanbases that surround each game, and the wider esports community, choose to frame it that determines when a video game becomes an esport.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VALORANT&#8217;s season finals, VALORANT Champions 2023, in Los Angeles, US. Image credit: Riot Games Despite its growing popularity and cultural relevance in 2024, esports is still surprisingly hard to define. The relationship between gaming and esports \u2014 where one stops and the other begins \u2014 is often murky, and as a result there\u2019s a myriad &hellip; <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//01//what-makes-video-game-esports/">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":142976,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","esi_template":"default","excluded":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16333,106,16332],"tags":[40],"class_list":["post-148299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-esports-101","category-latest-news","category-originals","tag-esports"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What makes a video game an esport?<\/title>\n<!-- Added by HTTrack --><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /><!-- /Added by HTTrack -->
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