What is esports?

Electronic sports is no longer a speculative term; it’s a well-established multi-billion-dollar industry with recognizable figureheads, ambassadors, and fandoms in the hundreds of millions.

Competitive video gaming had a grassroots origin and first appeared in Asia, but it gradually became a global phenomenon with cultural, economic, and business implications. So, what is esports today, and is it a real sport? Casino Guru sets out to find out.

What is esports, and where did it start?

Nerds and autodidact esports historians may bicker over where and when esports originated, but it is generally agreed that South Korea had a huge role to play in floating and then executing the concept of competitive video gaming.

StarCraft, one of the most challenging games to master (even for AI), was first televised in the late 1990s, and it gradually became more serious, as audiences built, merchandise opportunities were explored, more talented players emerged, and business successfully codified commercial success into the spectacle of clicking a mouse really fast.

South Korea televised the first StarCraft match in 1999, albeit these ecraniztions had a niche appeal, submerged in other cable programs or late-night programming hours. StarCraft became an overnight commercial success, selling 1 million units of the game in the country alone by November 1999, following its release in March that same year.

From that point on, StarCraft continued as a cultural phenomenon in South Korea, fueled by local PC bangs, dedicated Internet cafés where players could gather, train, and compete.

The launch of dedicated broadcasts by OGN and MBCGame, along with the formalization of professional competitions in the StarLeague, gave both the game and esports in general a major boost, establishing StarCraft as the first true televised esport and turning professional gaming into a viable career.

Esports has been around for a long time

Of course, South Korea was not the first nation to have figured out that games can be played competitively, if not for a financial reward, then at least for bragging rights.

Competitive video gaming has had its flashes of popularity, with Atari hosting a 10,000-person tournament for Space Invaders in the United States in 1980, an event that is largely credited as the single-largest esports tournament.

Even before that, academia types were trying to kickstart esports competitions (although they didn’t know that was what they were doing). Famously, Stanford University hosted the Stanford Spacewar event, with the winner securing a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine.

While StarCraft really took off as an esports in the East, Western crowds had games such as Quake and Doom, and tournaments at LAN events naturally started taking off rapidly, with frequent events.

However, the West did not quite have the same broadcasting initiatives as South Korea, but first-person shooter games were very popular and attracted big crowds in LAN competitions.

Early esports formats and leagues

Two of the most prominent esports leagues in the West were known as World Cyber Games and Major League Gaming, both of which are now defunct. The reason for this is simple: market forces.

Both WCG and MLG attempted to emulate the sports ecosystem in establishing governing bodies and pinnacle events, but that proved too counterintuitive for a competitive video gaming that was, and still is, too disparate.

Some leagues have had better success, however. KeSPA started in South Korea back in 2012 and is still going today, more than a decade after it was launched. Even more crucially, however, Europe helped birth some of the largest and best-recognized global esports leagues.

The Electronic Sports League (ESL) was founded in 2000 in Germany, before it rebranded to ESL Gaming in 2015. It remains one of the largest electronic sports hosts worldwide.

BLAST Premier, a Denmark-headquartered company operating in both North America and Europe, was founded in 2020. But independent leagues are not the whole story. In fact, game developers and publishers have spearheaded dedicated leagues and contests.

Valve’s Dota 2 and Counter-Strike competitive seasons feature Major and Minor events hosted in partnership with third-party companies, including BLAST Premier.

Riot Games has hosted global leagues for specific regions, and also hosts the League of Legends World Championship.

When was the term esports first used?

There is no official record of when the term "esports" (or e-sports as it was stylized previously) emerged. The consensus is that it happened in South Korea as a clear reference to competitive gaming’s skill-based nature and players’ achievements as competitors.

The term just grew organically, with accidental mentions in mainstream media outlets, and became the cant of the community.

Are esports a real sport?

Esports is considered a real sport, although not every country around the world has granted it such status. China, South Korea, and Germany have recognized esports as a form of athletic competition.

In the United States, while the activity is not formally recognized as "sports," there are college-level competitions and programs that are increasingly popular. Students enrolled in these programs are treated as athletes if they compete.

When did esports really explode on the global scene?

It is difficult to pinpoint this. Counter-Strike, StarCraft, Halo, and Warcraft tournaments have been going strong for years, when, in 2011, Valve, the creator of Dota 2, said that the company was hosting an event called The International, meant to bring together the game’s global elite. Now, Dota and Dota 2 have been a true gaming phenomenon with millions of players worldwide, but what set the event apart was not just the title’s inherent popularity.

Rather, it was the eye-watering prize pool set at $1,600,000 for the inaugural event. This was unheard of, and teams were really out to win the accolade, with Ukrainian team Na’Vi becoming the inaugural winner in a hotly-contested Best of 7 showdown against Chinese powerhouse EHOME.

From that point on, The International would reach a $40-million prize pool in 2021, before slowly scaling to $3,000,000 in 2025.

Regardless, the introduction of such huge prize pools incentivized other publishers and developers, including Blizzard and Riot Games, to loosen their purses and plow more money into prize pools, establishing a clear incentive for talented video gamers to seek esports as a viable career path.

Where is esports at today?

Today, esports stands as a global entertainment powerhouse with deep economic, cultural, and competitive roots. The industry is on track for continued expansion, with over 640million viewers expected by 2025, spanning both dedicated and occasional fans, nearly double the audience seen just a few years ago. Revenue streams are equally robust, led by sponsorships and media rights, which together form the bulk of esports income, and are projected to help the market grow into the multi‑billion‑dollar range as consumption and investment rise.

Professional players now enjoy substantial salaries, with averages around $138,000 globally and top performers in major titles earning up to nearly half a million dollars annually or more — not including prize winnings and sponsorship deals. Tournament prize pools remain eye‑catching too; events like The International and premier regional finals offer multi‑million‑dollar purses, attracting elite talent worldwide.

Asia‑Pacific continues to dominate viewership, while North America leads in revenue and active professional participation. Beyond players, the ecosystem now supports tens of thousands of full‑time roles in coaching, production, and content creation, reflecting esports’ evolution into a sustainable, mainstream competitive sector.

Conclusion: Esports in a nutshell

Esports has evolved from niche tournaments in university labs and late-night cable broadcasts into a global entertainment juggernaut, where millions watch, cheer, and compete. What began as casual competition in PC bangs and LAN parties has become a full-fledged industry, with professional players, massive prize pools, and cultural clout. Whether or not it fits the traditional definition of sport, esports is undeniably a spectacle of skill, strategy, and digital adrenaline.

What is esports FAQs?

Is esports a real sport?

Yes, esports is broadly considered to be a real sport by most observers. Competitive video games require skill, deep understanding, and reflexes that are trained rigorously, with only a few video gamers attaining greatness.

How popular is esports today?

Very popular. Esports has a fan base of anything between 470 million and 650 million people globally. The figures are aggregated from all video games, as esports is not a single discipline, but a multitude of competitive games with strong organic ecosystems.

Where did esports originate?

Esports didn’t appear overnight; it has roots in both the West and the East. Early competitions like the 1972 Stanford Spacewar! The tournament and the 1980 Space Invaders championship in the U.S. set the stage. But it was South Korea that truly professionalized esports, with televised StarCraft matches in the late 1990s, PC bangs fostering talent, and leagues like OGN and MBCGame turning gaming into a career path.

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