What is Esports?

Esports stands for electronic sports. It involves competitive video gaming played among professional gamers, teams or individuals, competitively for viewers. It is very similar to traditional games involving real players, with many audiences watching the game and betting on the team that will win. The Esports games are live-streamed, with millions of viewers watching these matches or tournaments worldwide. The competition is in a virtual environment. This industry does not only include traditional sports like FIFA and NBA2K, but even Dota, Counter-Strike, and League of the Legends.

Twitch is a live game streaming service that allows fans to watch their favourite games. Most of the viewers come from Asia, Europe, and North America. Some colleges offer Esports scholarships. South Korea is one of the first countries to legalise this sport.

Different Types of Esports Games

There are many types of video games played in an organised competition virtually. For a game to become a successful Esport, it should be fun to play so that its viewers find it enjoyable. Some of the most common ones are:

● Sports Games
● Fighting Games
● Digital Card Games
● Racing Games
● First Person Shooter
● Third Person Shooter
● Real-Time Strategy
● Multiplayer Online Battle Arena

How is Esports Played?

Today the Esports industry is valued at over a billion dollars. Many Esport organisations have contracts with players to form teams. These teams practise and play against each other organisations’ teams to win massive prizes. Individual players can stream without joining any organisation, but the cash prize may not be huge. Tournaments could be held in person or remotely, using high-speed internet connectivity.

Every Esport tournament is different as they have different games. It purely depends on the audience size and the popularity of the game. Also, the rules for participation and elimination vary, like:

Open or Closed
All comers are allowed in open tournaments. In closed tournaments, only the winners of qualifying events can participate.

Double Round-Robin
Each participant should play all players involved twice.

Swiss
The sign-up numbers determine the number of rounds. Players with similar skill levels or scores get matched against each other.

Single or Double Elimination
Single elimination happens when a player gets eliminated after one loss. And when a player gets eliminated after losing twice, it is called double elimination.

Esports in India

In India, the Esports industry is growing. The most common types of Esports played here are:

● RTS (Real Time Strategy)
● MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena)
● FPS (First Person Shooter)
● Battle Royale
● Card games
● Fighting

Online gaming is one of the main reasons for the survival of the Indian economy during this pandemic. With internet access and reasonably priced smartphones, many Indians bet on Esports. In fact, during the lockdown, video games were the only form of entertainment for sports lovers. The growth of this industry is also due to E-commerce platforms like Flipkart and Amazon that provide affordable gaming products. Apart from this, the telecommunication providers work round the clock to provide affordable high-speed data connectivity.

How do you bet on Esports?

The Esports betting industry though new, is growing fast worldwide. To place the bets, the bettors should understand the game and the team’s performance. Bets placed can involve real money on an online betting site, between individuals arranged privately, or using skin gambling and loot boxes. Some of the common types of bets are:

Tournament Winner Bets: bettors can place bets on who would win the tournament. Match Winner Bets: are bets placed on the outcome of individual matches.

Over or Under Bets: are placed on whether an Esports series will cross or go below a particular number. Most Esports have best-of-3 or best-of-2 and best-of-5 matches.

Odd or Even Bets: are placed on the total of the two scores. One has to guess if the total would be an even or an odd number.

First Kill or First Blood Bets: is an essential type of bet. Bettors guess which player or team would get to make the first kill.

Most Kills Bets: are bets placed on a team or a player that will have the most number of kills.

Correct Score Bets: are placed on a predicted score. If the score is accurate, bettors will win some profits.

You need to find a betting site with your desired game on it. Register on their site to have a verified account. Then select your preferred payment method for making deposits and withdrawals. Do check their welcome bonus offers. After making your first deposit, search for the match you want to place your bet on. You could check their payout and accordingly choose the game. When placing a bet, you must fill out a slip by clicking the odds you wish to bet on and mention the bet amount. Most of these slips calculate your possible winning amount. After you click the ‘place bets’ button or icon, you must sit back and wait until the results are declared.