Competitive gaming is a serious business. This can be demonstrated particularly by the amount of money that tournaments and players can generate, particularly in the category of esports that are increasingly being played at a professional level.
Back in 2007, when the Championship Gaming Series took place, players alone earned around $5 million, while the actual prize fund was set at over one million. Later in 2017, a $24.6 million pool was generated at another international event, while this year, $110.6 million was paid out in prize funds for esports out of 3,765 tournaments. By the end of this year, esports should bring in $1.5 billion, with little sign of slowing down.
A Brief History of Esports and Fantasy Football
People have been entertained by gaming for years, especially when players go head to head and try for the win.
The beginning of gaming stems back to the 50’s, when the first Tic Tac Toe game was invented by Alexander Douglas, a computer scientist. Later in the same decade, a tennis game for two players was launched, which made use of an early version of the joystick.
It was then in the ’60s when the first esports tournament was held, and the game Spacewar! was released by Steve Russel along with his colleagues at MIT. The game was basic and involved two players fighting head to head using spaceships against the Earth’s gravitational field.
Another esports tournament was arranged in the 70s by the AI lab at Stanford University, which involved 24 participants and played games like Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics. Such competitions were limited to educational institutions as these were the only places with the right technology for play. However, the first TV console was brought out in 1972 by Magnavox Odyssey, followed by the release of Sea Wolf in 1976, which featured a high score list. In 1979, Asteroids and Starfire were released, this time featuring a personalized high score list.
The 80s were another exciting period for esports. The Twin Galaxy’s National Scoreboard was launched in 1982, then a year later, the US national video team was formed, followed by the North American Video Game Challenge being hosted. In the late 80’s as the internet started to get established, Netrek was launched, a multiplayer strategy game in a Star Trek-style universe.
The 90s was the true age of the web, which meant an era of online gaming and connected players. Some highlights of the decade include the rise of the PC game and the Video Game World Championships and Nintendo World Championships. At the time, thanks to hardware becoming more affordable and powerful, private households were becoming increasingly interested in gaming, which was helped through technological developments in networks and PCs.
In 1997, the world’s first true esport event took place, the Red Annihilation Tournament for Quake, attracting as many as 2000 participants. Then, the Cyber Athlete Pro League was formed. One year later, the real-time strategy game Brood War became available, experiencing massive popularity. As the millennium happened, various other tournaments took place, like the Electronic Sports World Cup and Major league gaming.
Fantasy Football. Fun Past Time or Profit to be Made?
Fantasy football started off in 1962 when part-owner of the Oakland Riders football team Bill Winkenback, met a number of his friends in a New York hotel to create the first fantasy league, which was named the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League.
Real NFL and AFL players were assigned to each franchise based on their performance, with the chance to accrue points while competing. There were between 10 and 12 teams in total, each one following a similar format.
A weekly roster was set up for all team roles, then one week before the regular NFL season, drafting took place where each side chooses one player in turn. The second round of selections also took place. It’s possible after drafts have ended for teams to make changes either through trades or a waiver wire, allowing players to be selected that aren’t on either roster.
As the NFL kicks off their season, NFL Fantasy Football also starts, with each team getting one head to head game per week. The team collecting the most points wins, then by the end of the season, the team with the best record qualifies for playoffs by week 14. There are several different playoff schemes. However, one of the most common is where the team with the top two records has the first choice while the other 4 groups join forces to advance a week later.
The remaining two teams advancing to the fantasy championship then go head to head, and one is crowned the league champion.
From University Computer Lab to every day, Esports is Now Accessible to All
Since the launch of the first Tic Tac Toe program back in the 50s, it’s safe to say that gaming and esports have come a long way. Thanks to continual technological innovation, esports is no longer tournaments confined to university computer labs. They’re now very much mainstream and accessible for everyone, thanks to the internet’s invention and more affordable yet high tech computer equipment in our homes.
The result? Tournaments with serious prize funds up for grabs. Equally, fantasy football has come a long way, as well. Nevertheless, it still retains its basic premise that it started in 1962.
