While most people in the United States focus on football or baseball, there is one upcoming field of sports that has taken the world by storm – Esports.
For those of you who have never heard of it, “esports” stands for electronic sports and is a competition centered around video games instead of physical sports. Esports are played as individual or team-based on multiplayer video games. The video game varies depending on what competition you watch or the team you may join.
In 1972, esports got its roots when the first home console became common according to Southern Illinois University. The first nationwide competition took place in 1980 with over 10,000 people watching highly skilled players play Space Invaders. Later on, in 2006, Halo 2 became the first televised esports tournament.
In recent years, esports has become extremely popular and an area for revenue. Platforms such as YouTube or Twitch have contributed to the hundreds of millions of viewers in esports competitions. The sport has also generated $54.1 billion in 2022 according to the influencer marketing hub. This number is projected to grow to $72 billion by 2027.
Covid-19 has also contributed to the number of viewers of the sport. When typical sports were no longer viable due to social distancing; esports continued to grow. Eventually, in February 2020, the esports team was introduced to SVSU and started competing the following fall. The esports competitions feature Super Smash Bros, Valorant, Overwatch, League of Legends, and Rocket League.
The Esports team at SVSU has a dedicated space inside the Student Life Center with high-end gaming setups for the teams; the setups are also available to the public during open gaming hours. To find times for open gaming hours, stop in the Student Life Center.
Additionally, the esports community is a great way to make friends and get involved on campus.
Kyle Smith, a freshman secondary education major involved with SVSU’s e-sports team remarked, “The esports team has been very welcoming and it felt great to be able to make friends and have friendly faces that I see around campus,” he said. “As a freshman who didn’t know anyone up here, it was super nice to be able to have a way to make friends like this.”
