In the past 20 years, video games have seen a massive surge in popularity, and mainstream acceptance. Long gone are the days when people looked down upon video games as nothing more than toys made for children. Nowadays, most people have played games in one form or another. Whether it be the complex, intense games developed for console or PC or the simplistic, match-three puzzle mobile games that have gained prominence in the past few years, it is incredibly rare that a person can be found that has never played a single game in their entire life.
One of the biggest developments in the gaming world, as of 1999, is the development of competitive gaming, called eSports. Comprising of teams playing a wide variety of multiplayer games against each other, eSport tournaments are gaining major popularity in video game culture. These events have seen a surge, especially in the past two years, with many online betting sites opening their doors to eSports fans. Sportsbooks like Bitcasino now allow eSports betting on their platform, and many other online bookmakers have followed suit.
The question remains, however, “What are the most popular games played in the world of eSports?” The following three games are some of the most popular franchises and properties in the world of competitive gaming in 2022.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
What began as an early mod for Half-Life, grew into an unstoppable, mega-hit franchise in its own right. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, is one of the biggest games in the world today, and by far one of the most popular in the world of eSports. First released in 2012, CS: GO is available to play on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
The game sees two teams, one comprised of terrorists and one comprised of counter-terrorist fighters. The game consists of multiple maps, features numerous weapons, and players must incorporate both terrain and arms in their strategy, if they want to achieve victory.
Some of the most popular events in eSports are focused around CS: GO, and the game is still played massively by amateur players and fans from all over the world.
League of Legends
League of Legends is a multiplayer, online, battle arena (or MOBA), and also holds the distinction of being the biggest, and most popular game in the world today. Dozens of colorful heroes, deeply entrenched with lore and character, are featured in the League of Legends roster, and their stories make the game all the more engaging, as players can connect to the characters, instead of just picking them for their mechanical benefits.
The popularity of League of Legends is likely to grow further in the oncoming future, as the franchise has seen multimedia success. With the release and subsequent success of the Netflix-original show, Arcane, the LoL property is bigger and more popular than ever.
The most popular, and most successful League of Legends tournament in the world is The League of Legends World Championship, which has, in recent years, become the most prestigious and most successful video game tournament in the world, and is played in various countries, all around the world.
Starcraft
Created by Blizzard Entertainment, StarCraft is one of the biggest and most successful franchises in the video game world. In fact, in many ways, the original StarCraft is the epicentre of the eSports boom, which today we take for granted.
The franchise tells a story, told over two core games (StarCraft and StarCraft II), a series of spin-offs, including StarCraft: Ghost, Insurrection, Retribution, and the yet-to-be-released FPS spin-off, Ares. Apart from the success, the franchise has enjoyed in the video game world, it has also seen massive success in literature, as a number of StarCraft novelizations have been released, which follow the game’s story.
StarCraft is one of the best-selling PC games of all time and holds several records in the Guinness Book of World Records, among them including the record for most copies of a game sold. It has won numerous awards, among which are included several Game of the Year awards. Of all the StarCraft games released, only Insurrection has been met with negative reviews by the public, and the franchise is certainly one of the most successful in the gaming world.
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