Players compete in the Call of Duty World League Championship 2019 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles Competitive gaming has become a lucrative industry, in which many gamers compete for large cash prizes. (more) esports video games Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/sports/esports Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/sports/esports Also known as: electronic sports Written by Frannie Comstock Frannie Comstock is a writer based in Chicago. Frannie Comstock Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 13, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents In full: electronic sports (Show more) Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What are esports? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Esports, or electronic sports, are online gaming competitions in which amateur and professional gamers participate individually or on teams through organized leagues, often with monetary prizes on the line." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " When did esports gain prominence? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Esports gained prominence about the cusp of the 21st century and swiftly grew into an organized form of gaming akin to traditional sports leagues." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was the first cited instance of an esports competition? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The first cited instance of an esports competition was in 1972 at Stanford Universityu2019s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory for the Intergalactic Spacewar! Olympics." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What are some popular esports genres? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Popular esports genres include multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), real-time strategy, fighting, and simulated sports." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What challenges do esports competitors face? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Esports competitors face challenges such as insufficient infrastructure, lack of access to dedicated servers, cheating, use of performance-enhancing drugs, game fixing, and instances of discriminatory language." } } ] } Top Questions What are esports? Esports, or electronic sports, are online gaming competitions in which amateur and professional gamers participate individually or on teams through organized leagues, often with monetary prizes on the line.

　　When did esports gain prominence? Esports gained prominence about the cusp of the 21st century and swiftly grew into an organized form of gaming akin to traditional sports leagues.

　　What was the first cited instance of an esports competition? The first cited instance of an esports competition was in 1972 at Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory for the Intergalactic Spacewar! Olympics.

　　What are some popular esports genres? Popular esports genres include multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), real-time strategy, fighting, and simulated sports.

　　What challenges do esports competitors face? Esports competitors face challenges such as insufficient infrastructure, lack of access to dedicated servers, cheating, use of performance-enhancing drugs, game fixing, and instances of discriminatory language.

　　esports, online gaming competitions in which amateur and professional gamers participate individually or on teams through organized leagues, often with monetary prizes on the line. Competitive gaming gained prominence about the cusp of the 21st century and swiftly grew into an organized form of gaming akin to traditional sports leagues. The first cited instance of an esports competition was in 1972, when players convened at Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory for the Intergalactic Spacewar! Olympics, in which they competed for a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. In 1980 a more mainstream contest, the National Space Invaders competition, took place ...(100 of 1071 words)

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