Esports is the term that the gaming industry uses to describe competitive video gaming at a professional level. Short for electronic sports, it emphasizes the fact that video gaming has gone to the same levels as physical sports, with the same level of fanbase. Similar to following football, boxing, or even motorsports, fans from all around the world follow their teams closely on televised tournaments.
With esports being described as easier to relate to by the fans, it spans all types of video games from multiplayer role-playing games, first-person shooter strategy games, to sports games. The esports industry is continually being fueled by new games being added onto the roster, where spectators can bet on their favorite teams and share their successes.
Betting in esports is also becoming increasingly popular. With esports gaining the same popularity as physical sports, the betting industry is slowly catching up with the demand in esports. With its ability to span various genres and interests, more and more fans are getting into esports betting.
VulkanBet is one of the leading esports betting websites where you can place your bets on your favorite esports teams, with competitive odds and easy to use interface.
Here are some of the most popular esports games of all time:
Apex Legends
Despite being one of the newcomers in the esports industry, Apex Legends is quickly becoming one of the most highly streamed games right now.
A free-to-play battle royale game, it’s easy to get into and is fun to play long sessions in. A battle royale game describes an online multiplayer game that has various elements coming from different genres. Survival and exploration are some of the key elements of the game, with a specific focus on the “last man standing” concept of some other games. A large number of players are placed on an island to battle against each other until the last squad remains.
It’s a highly fast-paced game with high levels of excitement, due to the high number of opponents in the game. To increase the likelihood of winning, players should also be skilled in scavenging items throughout the game, to gain power-ups and other resources.
World of Warcraft
One of the older games in the esports genre, World of Warcraft is the most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) in the industry.
In this game, a player creates and develops his character in the fictitious universe. Characters are built by the player, factions are selected, and guilds are formed. It greatly immerses the player in this fictional world wherein there’s a community of millions of players cooperating or battling against each other.
Despite having a slightly smaller following in the past few years, it still remains strong with millions of players and followers online.
Players Unknown Battleground
Another popular game in the battle royale genre, this game is a multiplayer shooter game with a bit of a twist.
Around a hundred players are parachuted onto an island, where they all battle against each other until one player remains. The first order of business is for them to scavenge weapons and other strengthening items, then they all proceed to hunt down their enemies. The main aim is, of course, to kill everyone else, without getting killed themselves.
The maps safe areas shrink down in size as time goes by, compressing all players in a continually decreasing space. As game time progresses, the players are forced into a tighter area to force them into encounters.
The last man standing wins the round. All these gameplay elements contribute to its exciting and addictive nature. A challenging game that’s easy to learn. Many players are getting hooked, which leads to exciting tournaments that are followed by many.
CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
Another installment of a classic series, CS:GO is the fourth iteration of the famous Counter-Strike game series. It still offers the same general gameplay of the original games, wherein two teams are pitted against each other to accomplish a number of objectives.
The two teams are named terrorists and counter-terrorists, and as the name implies, the objectives for the two teams are as expected. The popular modes include the terrorists aiming to plant a bomb in a bomb site, with the counter-terrorists racing to stop them. And another mode wherein the counter-terrorists need to rescue a hostage from the other team. A round is won either when a team accomplishes their respective objective, or when they kill off the opposing team.
This type of gameplay heavily relies on teamwork and strategy, aside from individual skill. Along with its realism, these unique requirements make it one of the most exciting games to play and watch.
Overwatch
Another popular team-based first-person shooter, it offers the same attractions as CS:GO. Instead of the real-life military counterparts that CS:GO offers, Overwatch allows the player to select from a number of characters each with its own strengths and characteristics.
Known as heroes, each character has its own style of play that fits different purposes to aid the team. As a game that heavily relies on strategy and teamwork, it provides a certain level of excitement that’s unique in this genre. Teams have their objectives in each round, like protecting a certain area on the map or escorting a package across the map within a limited amount of time.
To add to the exciting gameplay, players are offered cosmetic rewards in the game that have no gains in gameplay. Examples of these rewards are victory poses and character skins.
DOTA 2
One of the most popular and exciting esports games in the past decade, DOTA 2 is a game where two teams battle it out to destroy each other’s bases to win the game.
Players control their heroes from a bird’s eye point of view, and each unique hero has its own strengths that complement the whole team.
This is another game that greatly needs teamwork and strategy, and millions of viewers follow the international tournaments closely, which makes it one of the most followed esports games today.
Conclusion
Esports is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of sports entertainment, where top players are beginning to earn quite well and enthusiasts are assembling themselves into loyal teams of esports fans.
If you want to see what all the exciting clamor is about, go online and give one of the top esports games a try!
