The Popular Game Genres Played In Esports

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Esports is now the most significant factor in the development of the gaming industry. From the evolution of games being played in competitions, the ever-growing community of pro gamers and fans, to coming closer in being a part of the Olympics by its committee, esports is definitely at its best state right now. It has also become more profitable because of the more extensive coverage provided by different TV and internet streaming outlets, which has attracted many sponsors, bookmakers, and betting fans.

As its community grows, the expansion of esports as an industry is expected to continue to the future. A considerable part of this future depends on the games that are being played in the present. Developers continue to enhance the gaming experience of every gamer as part of sustaining the progress of esports.

These times are definitely the best to get into gaming and even explore the world of esports. Opportunities are as many as ever, and the possibilities keep on growing every year. To learn more about competitive gaming, take a look at the popular game genres played in esports.

Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas

Multiplayer online battle arena games, or MOBA for short, have become one of the most popular genres played in esports competitions. One of the reasons why is because of its gameplay mechanics that allow teams consisting of five players max to battle one another. The early versions of these games were mostly “spin-offs” or derived from real-time strategy games, but currently, there are now MOBAs that came from original ideas.

In MOBA games, two opposing teams play against each other, with each player controlling a character. Team members must play co-operatively to achieve the game objective and win. Each character has various skills and abilities that can be improved throughout the game thru items, defeating non-player characters, and defeating a character controlled by a member of the opposing team.

The most highly featured MOBA games in esports tournaments today are the following:

• Dota 2

Dota 2 was released in 2013 as a sequel to its first installment, Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which was released a decade before. Dota 2 was developed by Valve Corporation and is a free-to-play game exclusively for PC. Apart from being one of the leading MOBA games in esports, it’s also one of the most popular games in the world regardless of genre. Many of its fans who play casually like to make moneyline bets, which is the most common type of wager placed in casual games and small tournaments in markets and communities like Dota 2 betting Philippines.

• League of Legends

League of Legends (LoL) is one of the most played games on PC in Europe and North America. Developer Riot Games released it in 2009 and has successfully made its name in mainstream entertainment and eventually in esports. It’s played by two opposing teams composed of five members each, with each member controlling a ‘champion.’

First Person Shooter

First-person shooter (FPS) games have been around for ages and are still one of the best game genres that exist. In this genre, players see the game from the character that they chose or created, and they use guns and other weapons to complete objectives and engage in combat. This genre comes in different formats of single-player, multiplayer, and co-op.

These are the popular FPS games played in esports tourneys:

• Counter-Strike Global Offensive

Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CSGO) is the current version of the popular Counter-Strike game series. It features two opposing teams, namely Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists. Players choose which side they want to play with and then form a team or compete against other players individually. Terrorists normally have the objective of planting bombs and capturing hostages while counter-terrorists are tasked with saving hostages and preventing bombs to explode.

• Call of Duty

Being one of the most well-known video game series’ of all-time, Call of Duty (COD) has also established itself as one of the most competitive FPS games in esports. Originally, COD was released for Microsoft Windows until later versions were developed for consoles and now it also has one for smartphones. It’s current version COD Warzone is a highly popular game played in PC and consoles by streamers.

• Overwatch

Overwatch is one of the most recent FPS games to make it to the esports scene. It was released in 2016 by Blizzard Entertainment and was rated as one of the best new games of that year. It’s a team-based game played online where players have to work together to accomplish the game mode’s set objectives.

Fighting games

Fighting games are usually played in a one versus one format. Players compete against each other using characters to simply defeat their opponent in combat. Fighting games involve timed rounds wherein the winner is determined by the number of rounds won by a player. A player wins a round if he or she manages to knock out the opposing character or deal the most damage before the time limit expires.

The following are the popular fighting games played in esports competition:

• Street Fighter

Street Fighter is a fighting game franchise released by Capcom in 1987. It’s one of the classic games that are still beloved by many gamers across the past and present generations. The latest version of this game, Street Fighter V, was released in 2016 and has been featured in numerous esports contest globally ever since.

• Tekken

Tekken is up there as one of the well-loved fighting games of all-time. Its most recent version, Tekken 7, was released in 2017 and has been a part of the esports scene in that span.

Sports games

Sports games are not as prevalent as the other genres of games played in esports, but it’s one of the earliest genres that was part of building it to the industry that it is today. Sports games are games developed mainly to give sports fans an opportunity to experience playing their favorite sport in the virtual realm.

The following games are the ones that are heavily featured in esports tournaments:

• NBA 2K

The NBA 2K franchise is the most beloved sports game franchise in history. The NBA itself made their own 2K league to give gamers that are the best in playing 2K a platform to showcase their skills and make a profit from it. Players from all over the United States take part in the NBA 2K League, which was founded in 2017 and is broadcasted live on the streaming platform Twitch.

• FIFA Football/Soccer

The FIFA series developed by EA Sports is also in the same category as NBA 2K in terms of popularity. Since its release in 1993, there have been over 20 versions made of this game. Many esports athletes have made their names by playing this game and it will continue to be one of the most influential sports games ever created as it still headlines many esports tournaments in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Conclusion

As previously mentioned, there’s no better time to get into esports than now. With these influential genres of games consistently headlining tournament globally, it’s truly an exciting time to be an esports fan, athlete, and bettor. Ultimately, you’ll be able to find the genres that you will love and support and will make your time and money worth it.

 Author’s Bio:

Luther Abrams is an online game and sports enthusiast who spent his younger years playing and watching basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, and badminton games, among the many others. Today, as an early retiree, he continues to write about his love and passion for sports. On most days, he also loves to play ball with his two kids.