E-Sports on the Rise

E-Sports on the Rise by Shariefa Jhan S. Jadji

The pandemic had the physical sporting world fall into a slump while the e-sports is making its way picking up the steam. Today, the e-sports industry remains unscathed and the number of online players has been growing since the global crisis had the people locked up in their homes.

As stated by The LA Times, 8 million people log in every day to play online games and this number is nowhere getting down because of the pandemic. According to Forbes, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice has reached a million views which makes it the most-watched tournament in the e-sports history. Steam also recorded a total of 20.3 million concurrent gamers. Call of Duty: Warzone had 15 million players recorded for the first three days since it got launched.

Looking back, the first e-sport event happened way back in October of 1972 at Stanford University wherein the students competed on a video game called "Spacewar.” The pivotal moment for Filipino online gamers came in 2016. In this year, the Philippines’ TNC Gaming, which also represented Southeast Asia in the tournament, thrashed European powerhouse team OG at The International Dota 2 Championships at the Seattle Center in the US. In the following year, TNC took home P18 million after winning in the same event. Now, the sponsorships are streaming in and the top players of the country are taking note. In 2017, under the Office of the President, the Philippine Gaming and Amusement Board allowed professional e-sports players to receive athletic licenses, providing recognition to professionals in the industry. Stakeholders, such as game creators and publishers, e-sports associations, and corporate backers, are contributing their support through sponsored leagues. “E-sports right now is in its nascent stages...we are at a renaissance period where everything is falling into place when it comes to the development of e-sports,” Globe Head of Games Mr. San Diego said in an interview.

The popularity of e-sports escalated as time passed by. Its biggest benefit right now is the ability to switch remotely and give a 'safe space' for players who find online games as their resolve. The internet is proving to be a sanctuary for this domain, and many major tournaments have followed an online-only model. With this pandemic, e-sports will undeniably continue to reach for the greater heights.