Playing video games is currently one of the most popular activities among children, teenagers, and adults. Games are now used to earn money as a profession or job. It’s no wonder that young people successfully set their feet through online game matches.
Esports tournaments have evolved into a venue for online game enthusiasts to demonstrate their abilities. Of course, they will compete with each other for the championship title. There are a variety of game genres in Esports tournaments, and the games competed in Esports have, of course, become the most popular games in the world for the time being.
If you want to know what the most popular games in the world are right now, you can dive into our post below. Before we begin, we’ll explain what Esports tournaments are, how they work, and why they’re so popular. Here you go!
What Is Esports, and Why Is It Profitable?
The term “E-sports” stands for “Electronic Sports,” which allow gamers to play games in a branch of the most popular game in the world. Esports tournaments do not use physical strength; they instead rely on the strategy and intelligence that the gamers have to use their own skills to compete with others.
The gamers who compete in the esports tournament will use each other’s computer without face-to-face contact. Well, the interface between humans and computers will mediate input from players and teams as well as output from the eSports system.
Recently, there are a number of new games and also online game competitions that are held with spectacular production costs. However, it is such a proof why esports tournaments are very exciting and popular among gamers. With rewards in the form of money and promising facilities for gamers, that’s why esports tournaments are such a big deal for professional gamers to earn money.
Initially, many investors are hesitant to invest in esports since they think esports are not profitable and risky business. But with lots of enthusiasm from both professional and seasonal players, esports today is actually growing and becoming one of the most promising businesses for investors.
Reportedly, the global esports enthusiasts have reached about 385 million people in 2017, consisting of 191 million esports fans and more than 195 million were seasonal participants. In 2020, the esports enthusiasts were growing, approximately 50%, with a total of 286 million people.
Apart from being a hobby, playing games is now used as a way to earn income, but of course with effort and hard work. So, if you decide to seriously play games and become a professional gamer, then try to take part in local-scale eSports matches to improve your skills.
10 Most Popular Games in the World in Esports Tournament
If you want to try participating in an esports tournament, it’s best for you to know what the games that are commonly competed in are. Thankfully! We’ll show you the 10 most popular esports games in the world. Here they are:
1. DotA 2
One of the most popular esports games in the world is DotA 2 with the MOBA genre that is very exciting to play. In fact, MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) has been the most popular game genre in terms of participation and viewership.
One of the biggest DotA 2 tournaments held in Germany is “The International” that is likely become the gateway for gamers to gain surprising prizes with a nominal prize of up to hundreds of million dollars.
This world-class online game tournament was successfully attended by 18 teams with the participation of the best players from around the world fighting for prizes, with a total of more than $16 million. The team that managed to come out as champions last year is Team Liquid that then has the right to take home the first place prize of $10,862,638.
2. League of Legends
With a very large number of players, League of Legends has become the most popular MOBA game in the world. This game allows you to fight other players up to 5 vs. 5, who are randomly selected by the system as your friends and opponents in the game. To make your gameplay more interesting, you can also invite your friends through the “Party” feature, so you can play it with your friends or other team members.
Last year, a tournament called “League of Legends World Championship” managed to break the record for the number of spectators by reaching 60 million. With a total prize of $5,000,000, this championship series was won by the Samsung Galaxy Team, which managed to bring home the first prize of $1,540,000.
3. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
In recent years, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has become one of the top esports games in the world. This game is the newest series of these game series that is divided into two teams facing each other; between terrorist and counter terrorist.
Both teams have their own duties: the terrorist team should plant a bomb or hold hostages, while the counter-terrorist team has to prevent the bomb from being planted, save the hostages, and also deactivate the bomb.
It is no surprise that CS: GO has competed in various online game tournaments such as the Intel Extreme Masters championship, the World Electronic Sports Games, Dreamhack Master, and so on. That said, these tournaments have produced professional CS:GO teams.
4. Overwatch
The next most popular esports game in the world is Overwatch, a team-based Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter (FPS). Released in 2016, Overwatch was developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment and can be played on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows.
To play this game, you need to choose a team with 6 other players each and also one character from the game’s 20 characters, called a hero. Each hero has a unique playing style divided into 4 role categories, including attacker, defense, tank, and support, making it more fun to play.
One of the popular Overwatch tournaments between countries is the “Overwatch World Cup,” which is organized by Blizzard Entertainment. This tournament has 32 country representatives from all over the world. The gamers who can participate in this tournament should be among the Top 100. Overwatch Contenders, Overwatch League, and other tournaments are still being held.
5. Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a popular first-person shooter game. Yeah, this game allows you to carry out missions in each session, and surviving the attacks of the opponents is a must. Reportedly, Call of Duty has sold more than 250 million copies in 2016.
Call of Duty has its own online game tournament called “Call of Duty World League” that acts as a qualifier for the annual “Call of Duty Championship.” It is known that the respective championships offer a total prize pool of $4,200,000 and $1,500,000, respectively. The team that won this championship last year is “Optic Gaming” from the United States. In addition, there are also so many tournaments held for Call of Duty.
6. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a game-based MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). To play this game, you need to control the hero character and explore the area, fight with monsters, complete quests, and also interact with other characters or players.
Since it has become one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world, World of Warcraft has an annual online game tournament held specifically for this game, i.e., the “World of Warcraft Arena World Championship.” This tournament rewards the winner with a total prize of $280,000 and a place in the main event at BlizzCon after winning the qualifying tournament in their region.
7. StarCraft II
Another popular esports game in the world is StarCraft II, which has several series titles including Wings of Liberty, Legacy of the Void, Heart of the Swarm, and Nova Covert Ops. This game allows you to destroy all the war equipment owned by the enemies with the abilities and strategies that they carry out in each campaign or mission.
The initial series of StarCraft was released in 1998. This real-time strategy game can now be played on Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. With its popularity, StarCraft has many world-class tournaments. What is pretty famous is the “Global StarCraft II League” tournament that was held in South Korea, with a total prize of $3,100,000.
8. Halo
Halo is another fun FPS game that is played in esports tournaments. With sci-fi themes, this game centers on an interstellar/galactic war between humanity and a group of aliens called the “Covenant.”
Halo will require you to focus on the point of view of the game character, the player. You also need to switch to a third-person perspective when only using a vehicle. By selling more than 65 million copies, there is no doubt that Halo has a prestigious online tournament, i.e., the “Halo Championship Series.” This tournament was held in 2016 with a total prize pool of $2,500,000. The team that won this tournament is the Counter Logic Gaming Team, which took first place.
9. FIFA
Just like the FIFA World Cup in real life, the FIFA game is already very popular at the global level. With its popularity, FIFA has an annual tournament called the “FIFA eWorld Cup” that is officially organized by football governing body FIFA and its partner EA Sports.
This virtual World Cup allows millions of gamers to compete against each other for the title of “Best FIFA player.” It is known that the “FIFA eWorld Cup” has been named by the Guinness World Records as the largest online gaming tournament in the world. According to reports, the winners’ prizes totaled $200,000
10. Street Fighter
As the name implies, Street Fighter is a nostalgic game that was first released in 1987 and that you might have found in arcade game stores anywhere. Street Fighter V is the last series of the world’s most popular game that was released in 2016. This fun game allows you to use fighting moves to defeat your opponent. You must also select one of the 16 available characters, which include Ken, Ryu, Chun-Lin, and others.
Talking about esports tournaments, Street Fighter has held a tournament called Capcom Cup that focuses on matches from this game series. Well, the 32 best teams have competed in the eSports Arena in California, United States, with a total prize pool of $500,000.
Okay, those are the ten most popular games played in Esports tournaments around the world. Of course, if you want to be a professional gamer and win the tournament, you need to improve your skills in only one game so you can focus on your goal of being the winner.
How to Become an International Esports Player?
You may wonder how to become a participant in the most popular international esports tournament. Of course, being an international eSports player is not easy. You definitely have to carry the title of national champion in your country first. It’s a very big challenge for you to be a participant in the biggest video game tournament.
With hard work and enthusiasm to achieve goals, it is not impossible for you to become one of the participants in a prestigious world-class tournament. Of course, you should prepare yourself now by improving your skills in a game you’ve mastered. Basically, the more often you spend time practicing, the bigger the chance you have to qualify as a team in some international tournaments.
Another thing you should do is have a high-spec device, such as a PC or laptop. However, the supporting device will function properly and allow you to play the game and practice a lot. Make sure to choose a mouse with a high response rate that can help you play the game easily and perfectly.
The greater your level of preparation prior to playing, the greater your chances of winning the competition. In fact, one of the reasons why the players lost in the eSports tournament was due to the device’s condition and cleanliness.
3 Smart Tips for Playing Online Game Tournaments
Of course, there are some tips and tricks you should know before participating in an online game tournament, especially if this is your first time competing in an online game tournament. No worries! We’ll show you some smart tips that can help you easily pass the tournament. Here they are:
1. Never use cheats in a tournament
Even though it is fun to use cheats in a tournament that allows you to quickly finish the game in a short time, using cheats in an online game tournament is unfair. In addition to harming other players, if the organizer finds out you are using cheats, of course you will be disqualified, and maybe you will not be allowed to take part in the next tournament.
If you use cheats, it may imply that you are unable to train your mind to use an appropriate strategy to win the game. Without doing anything and without determining the best strategy, you may end the match by coming out as a winner, but your skill is a big zero.
Otherwise, if you do not use cheats, the games you are playing will truly challenge you, making you feel more excited and tense. The tournament can also force you to be creative in utilizing the intuitive intelligence that you need to complete and win the game.
2. Focus on a game you master
If you want to win an online game tournament, you definitely have to focus on a game you like and master. In other words, not all game tournaments can be entered; simply wanting the prize is a completely wrong thought.
Mastering one game will be much better than mastering various types of games, but only moderately. If you have determined a game that is fun for you and you have talent in it, of course, you may have to continue to practice a lot in it. The more you practice, the more likely you are to win the tournament.
Keep in mind that participating in an online game tournament does not only require energy; you also need to prepare some strategies. Don’t act without a plan, and don’t let other players know your strategy. If you made the first fatal mistake, it may be hard for you to change your strategy in the future.
3. Equip your gaming device with high-quality
There is no doubt that there are certain pieces of equipment that a gamer must have. However, the quality of your gaming equipment will affect your performance when participating in a tournament. Of course, equipping your device with high-quality components is a must.
The game platform is one of the requirements you must meet.This used game platform must meet high specifications and provide consistent performance on both mobile and PC platforms. If you use a high-spec device to participate in an online game tournament, your gameplay will run smoothly and perfectly.
Okay, those are the three things you can do before entering an online game tournament.
Conclusion
If you want to become a professional and competitive gamer, you really must put in a lot of effort by practicing more and more. In addition to gaining prizes in every tournament, you also need to motivate yourself to make your country proud in the esports field.
What you should do is concentrate on a game that you’ve mastered so that you can easily achieve your goal of becoming the best player in the game. If this is your first time stepping foot in esports, you can choose one of the world’s top esports games that we have mentioned above. Being a professional gamer can also be a promising path for your future. Good Luck!!!
AUTHOR BIO
On my daily job, I am a software engineer, programmer & computer technician. My passion is assembling PC hardware, studying Operating System and all things related to computers technology. I also love to make short films for YouTube as a producer. More at about me…
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