Global esports explores the recent surge of esports in the global scene and comprehensively discusses people's understanding of this spectacle. By historicizing and institutionalizing esports, the contributors analyze the rapid growth of esports and its implications in culture and digital economy. Dal Yong Jin curates a discussion as to why esports has become a global phenomenon. From games such as Spacewar to Starcraft to Overwatch, a key theme, distinguishing this collection from others, is a potential shift of esports from online to mobile gaming. The book addresses why many global game players and fans play and enjoy online and mobile games in professional game competitions, and therefore, they investigate the manner in which the transfer to, from and between online and mobile gaming culture is occurring in a specific subset of global youth. The remaining focus identifies the major platforms used to enjoy esports, including broadcasting and smartphones. By analyzing these unexamined or less-discussed agendas, this book sheds light on the current debates on the growth of global esports culture.

Understanding Esports: An Introduction to the Global Phenomenon places professional Esports, a rapidly growing industry, in both the cultural and athletic landscape. This book explores how the rise of professional gaming has shaped—and been shaped by—media trends, interpersonal communication, and what it means to be classified as an athlete. Ryan Rogers has assembled contributors from a variety of backgrounds and experiences in order to provide a broad view of the history, experience, and impact of professional gaming. Scholars of media studies, communication, sports, and cultural studies will find this book especially useful.

The definitive guide to the modern world of competitive gaming and the official history of Esports™. Almost overnight, esports—or competitive video games—have exploded into the largest entertainment and sporting phenomenon in human history. The Book of Esports answers: What exactly are esports, and how did they become so popular so quickly? Why did blockbuster video games like League of Legends, Fortnite and Starcraft succeed? Where exactly is all this video gaming headed? What do gamers and college students need to know to position themselves for success in the industry? How do you create a billion-dollar esports business? What strategic choices drive success in the modern gaming industry? Can video games really get your kid into college? (All expenses paid, of course...) Whether you are a lifelong gamer, a curious Fortnite parent, or a businessperson seeking to understand the marketing opportunities of this multibillion-dollar phenomenon, The Book of Esports charts the rise of this exciting new industry, for the first time ever crafting a comprehensive overview of esports and its implications for human competition—and even the future of humanity itself. Gaming luminary and Harvard MBA William Collis has painstakingly translated esports’ mysteries into a detailed and accessible testament for today. Featuring select interviews from the biggest names in the industry, The Book of Esportsweaves tales of trust, betrayal, and superhuman reflexes into predictive frameworks, explaining exactly why our industry looks the way it does, and how all this growth—and more—is inevitable as the divide between man and machine blurs into oblivion.

Learn about the rapidly expanding esports industry in Esports Business Management. Written by esports executives and experts and endorsed by the International Esports Federation, Esports Research Network, and the United States Esports Federation, this is a comprehensive introduction to the world of esports.

This book takes a multidisciplinary approach to the question of esports and their role in society. A diverse group of authors tackle the impact of esports and the ways in which it has grown within the entertainment industry around the world. Chapters offer a coherent response to the following questions: What role do esports play in the entertainment industry? What communication skills can be learned through esports? What do the media gain from broadcasting esports? What is the relationship between social networks and esports? What are the main marketing strategies used in esports? What effect does communicative globalization have on the development of esports? What is the relationship between merchandising and esports? What do communication experts think about esports? Offering clear insights into this rapidly developing area, this volume will be of great interest to scholars, students, and anyone working in game studies, new media, leisure, sport studies, communication studies, transmedia literacy, and digital culture. The Open Access version of this book has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003273691/esports-media-angel-torres-toukoumidis

The global gaming market, due to numerous technological advancements in social media networking and live-streaming video, has exploded in recent years. However, this newly acquired popularity has left many industry professionals pondering a difficult enigma: How does this affect the professional world? Implications and Impacts of eSports on Business and Society: Emerging Research and Opportunities provides innovative research exploring the immersion of competitive electronic sports and applications within global marketing, business, and society. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as social networking, sponsorship branding, and risk management, this book is ideally designed for sports and entertainment practitioners, communications professionals, marketers, business consultants, researchers, professionals, and students seeking current research on potential business opportunities in the eSports industry.

Competitive gaming, or esports – referring to competitive tournaments of video games among both casual gamers and professional players – began in the early 1970s with small competitions like the one held at Stanford University in October 1972, where some 20 researchers and students attended. By 2022 the estimated revenue of the global esports industry is in excess of $947 million, with over 200 million viewers worldwide. Regardless of views held about competitive gaming, esports have become a modern economic and cultural phenomenon. This book studies the full history of competitive gaming from the 1970s to the 2010s against the background of the arrival of the electronic and computer age. It investigates how competitive gaming has grown into a new form of entertainment, a sport-like competition, a lucrative business and a unique cultural sensation. It also explores the role of competitive gaming in the development of the video game industry, making a distinctive contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the history of video games. A History of Competitive Gaming will appeal to all those interested in the business and culture of gaming, as well as those studying modern technological culture.