What is esports? A comprehensive guide to competitive gaming

Esports, an abbreviation for electronic sports, is the term used to describe competitive video gaming.

It has grown into a widely popular spectator sport across the globe, involving numerous titles and big prize pots.

Here is a look at all you need to know about the expanding world of esports.

History

The history of esports is more elaborate than many might think with the first notable video game competition taking place back in 1972, when Stanford students competed in the game 'Spacewar!'.

But it was really on the cusp of the millennium when things started to change.

In 1999, the original Counter-Strike was released and this would go on to become one of the biggest games in the esports world.

A year later, South Korea licensed professional players for the first time and Seoul played host to the first ever World Cyber Games in 2000.

The development of streaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch only accelerated the growth of competitive gaming and online gaming became popular thanks to titles such as Call of Duty and Halo.

The next big advance was the emergence of Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games (MOBAs) such as Dota 2 and League of Legends, which today remain at the forefront of the esports scene.

Biggest Games

The biggest games which have an esports league are the following:

League of Legends

Counter Strike 2

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Valorant

Dota 2

Apex Legends

Rainbow Six Siege

Call of Duty

EA Sports FC 2025

Rocket League

Arena of Valor

Overwatch

PUBG: Battlegrounds

General esports rules

Within esports, there are general rules which most competitions abide by. These include:

• Do not use obscene or offensive language
• Do not engage in hate speech or harassment
• Players must be of a certain age to take part in cash prize tournaments
• Player names and team names cannot be offensive
• Play fair and follow the rules of the tournament

How much money is in esports?

Revenue generated by esports

The esports industry is growing exponentially and its global market revenue was forecast to reach nearly $1.9billion in 2025.

Among the biggest sources of this revenue are sponsorships, advertising and media rights with the biggest competitions broadcast to huge audiences worldwide.

There is big money on offer across all of the biggest esports titles but Dota 2's 'The International' remains the most lucrative with the 2021 edition's prize pool set at $40million.

Other titles to have paid out big amounts include the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals with $30million and Dota 2's Riyadh Masters 2023, which offered up $15million.

Dota 2 is therefore considered as the esport which generates the most revenue.

Common esports Terms

Aggro

There are plenty of terms specific to esports and one of the most notable is 'aggro'.

This term is used to refer to a player's aggression or the attention of in-game enemies.

Bot

Bot, meanwhile, is used in the world of esports to refer to a computer-controlled character that plays with or against other players in a multiplayer game setting.

Buff

Buff refers to any kind of boost or enhancement to an in-game character's stats or powers.

FPS

While MOBA means Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, a tag for games such as League of Legends, FPS means First Person Shooter, referring to games like Call of Duty.

Camping

This term is used to describe esports players who choose to station their character in one place rather than roaming a map in a bid to heighten their chances of survival.