A Comparative Study of the Growth of Electronic Sports in the World and the Important Global E-Sports Achievements

The foundation of today's most popular esport titles such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Overwatch is skill-based competition (Brockmann 2011; Jonasson and Thiborg 2010; Taylor 2012). These games are designed to reward those who master specific roles and acquire in-depth game knowledge. Nowadays, a growing number of players commit intensely to develop these skills and abilities in order to outperform others and fulfil their gratification needs (Murphy 2009; Llorens 2017). But this isn't where video games started off. There is a clear difference between single-player games and multi-player (esport) games in terms of their motivators. And while this may not be the most controversial thing you've read all day, it's still an important fact to acknowledge before diving into detailed explanations. For many, playing competitive video games is no longer just about having fun (Snavely 2014). Recent ecosystem developments in esports have proven that players from all skill-levels seek competitive environments and are looking for new ways to improve their game play. For example, start-ups such as Gamer Sensei and DOJO Madness have raised significant amounts of funding since 2016. Their platforms help players improve their skills either by connecting them with mentors and trainers or by giving them access to game-specific analytical tools. There have also been numerous investments in online tournament platforms for non-pro players. Below are just some of this year's investments. All of these platforms give casual, amateur, and semi-pro gamers the opportunity to participate in competitive play and connect with other like-minded people. And while every year several large-scale offline tournaments fill out stadiums and draw mass media attention, the majority of e-sports is still happening online every day, away from the big screens (Jenny et al. 2017). E-sports is not just about the top 1%. An example of Riot Games' player storytelling. Furthermore, the continuous professionalization of the industry, including coverage of tournaments and storytelling around individual players, has undoubtedly played a major role in conveying the aspirations of many players (Seo 2013; Seo and Jung 2016). The industry seems to be growing around the world in virtually every aspect. More and more people play and watch e-sports games, an increasing amount of start-ups focus on providing competitive environments to non-pros, and companies produce storytelling content about the careers of young pros.