For many of us, video games are a source of entertainment and relaxation. However, for some others, it is a culture. This culture has led to the popularisation of electronic gaming championships. Nowadays, e-sports and gaming now count as financially rewarding careers, allowing you to monetize your time, passion, and skill. It has also seen the development of enjoyable individual and multiplayer games.
Asides from being financially rewarding to the players, esports also provides an avenue for fans and gaming enthusiasts to make money via betting. Esports tournaments are now well organized, featuring teams or groups of professional players and amassing many viewers across Asia and other continents. This article by Evelyn Balyton considers the popularity and financial rewards associated with esports in the Philippines.
Esports tournaments and games are of various types, some of which will be considered below.
- Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Games: Popularly known as (MOBA), these types of events are the most popular and financially rewarding. It involves a team of gamers playing against each other online to secure victory. The popular MOBA events include League of Legends and Dota2: The International.
- First Person Games: First-person games are feature individual players with assigned missions. While players compete against one another online, it is done from a personal standpoint and not as a team. Some of the popular FPS games are PUBG, Halo, Call of Duty, and Apex Legends.
- There are also fighter and sports-themed games like Mortal Kombat, Madden, and NBA 2K.
The Rise Of Esports
The first esports tournament dates back to the Space Invaders Championship, which was held in 1972. The tournament had 10,000 players. Sixteen years later, the Starcraft tournament came along, recording a milestone of more than 30 million viewers, a considerable number of which were sourced from Twitch. By the 21st century, esports tournaments became commonplace, with the Electronic Sports World Cup, Valve, and Major League Gaming. Valve and Major League Gaming are now one of the foremost hosts in the world of electronic gaming.
Organized by Valve, Dota2 International is now the biggest esports gaming competition in the world. Beginning in 2011, the tournament has been held every year since, except in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The strategy-themed game features groups of individual players who battle to destroy the other team’s ‘ancient’ to win the game. This year’s edition will take place in August and features a prize pool of $40million. This happens to be the biggest esports prize pool in the history of electronic gaming.
The rise of esports tournaments is perhaps due to its online feature. You can play with your friends without them being physically present or close by. This makes it more fun as you can meet with other players online and build a virtual gaming network. The MOBA games especially foster communal networking, letting you meet individuals with similar interests.
As viewership increased, bookmakers also began to come into the scene to give fans additional thrills and an opportunity to make a profit. Dota 2 betting sites are now viral due to considerable odds and live streaming.
Where Does The Money Come From?
Looking at the prize pools of esports tournaments, you may wonder where the financial input comes from. However, a significant lump of these goody bags comes from sponsorship and advertisements. Big corporations take advantage of esports’ popularity and viewership to promote their business and products by sponsoring the events. Companies like Red Bull and Mountain Dew are some of the more popular sponsors of esport tournaments.
Other sources of esports income include broadcast rights. Due to the demand, broadcast and media rights are keenly contested, with some organizers even launching their youtube channels and streaming platforms. Valve has also announced that fans will be able to donate to their favorite teams in the upcoming Dota 2 International event. As of 2019, the esports industry reached the billion-dollar mark, with an opportunity to reach even higher milestones. It is safe to say that what really drives the esports market is its large followership.
Esports Betting
As with other famous sports tournaments, esports fans also engage in predictive analysis and betting. This is due to the passion and alluring nature of the game. In the Philippines, Dota2 is one of the most popular esports among punters. Several Dota 2 betting sites operate in the country, allowing Filipinos to wager on their favourite teams. They also provide live streaming services in the Philippines, improving accessibility to esports games.
While there are many options, the best Dota 2 betting sites usually have mobile apps, ensuring that you stay connected on the go and take advantage of live games. Given the rising tide of esports betting in the Philippines, punters need to bide their time and wager bets at trustworthy platforms.