Fahim and Khulan invite you into the high-stakes world of gaming for gain

Video games were first introduced as a leisure activity that people may spend time on whenever they had some extra on their hands.

Since the launch of the first video game in 1958, the definition of gaming has become more and more complex. As the decades went by, people changed and so did the world of gaming as it is no longer just pursued as a hobby.

Gaming, from the beginning of the 21st Century, leaned more towards a ‘competitive’ vibe as people had to learn actual skills in a certain game to progress.

 

Since then, video games have even challenged the definition of sports, as some teenage competitors are now more popular than some professional athletes.

What is competitive gaming?

Competitive gaming pits one gamer against another with a win:lose result. Even single player games can be competitive when a person plays against themselves or a given standard. This has led to a new type of sports known as Electronic Sports (Esports).

The growth of Esports has dramatically changed the picture, growing culture from the old school community to what is now a competitive sport that offers diverse profit-generating platforms from merchandising to live events, streaming services, online advertising, and even brand endorsements.

It’s a booming industry with very wide room for growth. Public interest in this area is expanding incredibly quickly. According to NewZoo,

Esports revenue is expected to exceed $1.1 billion in US currency for the first time in 2019.

Companies such as Epic Games, Ubisoft and Activision are the main contributors in this industry, continuously hosting tournaments while expanding their types of games which can then later fall under the radar of competitive gamers.

Types of competitive games

In today’s world, there are a lot of genres which hold the title of ‘competitive’. The most popular ones are First Person Shooter games (FPS), Battle Royale (BR) and Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA).

 First person shooter

 Since the release of the first FPS game in 1987, FPS games have been really popular.

They have mainly gained fame because gamers need to develop skills to decrease their reaction time and also make their aim more precise, which then later increases their chances to win. It also requires good communication skills and map knowledge in order to guarantee the victory.

Examples of competitive FPS games:

> Call Of Duty franchise

> Battlefield franchise

> Tom Clancy’s Rainbow: Six Siege

 

Battle Royale

Battle Royale is a fairly new genre in the gaming world but that doesn’t stop players from getting competitive.

Since the release of the first Battle Royale game in 2013, other companies such as Epic Games, Tencent Games and Activision adapted to this genre and even held competitions so that active players can participate and win various prizes.

Examples of competitive BR games:

> Fortnite

> Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)

> Apex Legends

 Multi-player online battle arena

 MOBA, also known as action real-time strategy (ARTS), is a sub-genre of strategy video games that originated as a sub-genre of real-time strategy in which each player controls a single character, as part of a team competing against another team of players.

MOBA games have been generally popular throughout gaming history, as the games in this genre presently host a lot of tournaments where prizes include a hefty amount of money for the winning team.

MOBA games generally require good teamwork, good communication skills and strategic thinking in order to achieve that sweet victory.

Examples of competitive MOBA games:

> League of Legends

> DOTA 2

> Paladins

 Why are these games popular?

 The world of competitive gaming attracts gamers’ attention mainly because of the rewards it offers. Prizes could vary from old school monetary prizes to products which can enhance your gaming experience.

Prizes usually start as low as $1000 to even $1 million dollars per gamer in Esports. For example, The PUBG Global Championship was the final event of the 2019 World Championship of Esports, where 32 teams compete for a hefty amount of $5.9 million.

 

Another huge reason why people tend to play competitively nowadays is because of the ‘strive’ factor, as playing for fun just won’t cut it for some players – they need something to strive for. Some people strive for the rewards while others want to feel the euphoria of winning in a game.

 

Competitive games can successfully provide these factors for gamers who want to achieve a goal while playing a game.

Drawbacks of competitive gaming

 The three main drawbacks of competitive gaming are health risks, addiction and cheating.

Health risks

Many gamers are spending their time mainly sitting on chairs. Sitting for a long time is a starting cause of numerous health issues such as heart disease, neck/back pain and weight gain.

Addiction

 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), addiction is considered as a gaming disorder. This influences the behavioural pattern of gamers which results in significant isolation from social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning. In fact, back in 2011, a gamer died at an internet cafe after playing for three days straight.

 Cheating

Some players would just do anything to get that sweet victory. Cheating is usually committed when people are on a continuous losing streak or when they would just simply want to ruin others’ day.

Cheating can be performed in various ways. Most popular methods are wall hacks, aimbot and DDOS.

Wall hacks basically give a player the ability to see other players through solid walls while aimbot makes their aim perfect so that no bullets are missed (specially in FPS games). DDOS just lags out the enemy team, which instantly gives the cheater the win.

 So now you know – competitive gaming is big and is only likely to get bigger!