Mapping the World of Esports

With the rise of the esports era, many people have become curious on what goes on within this booming industry. The extensive world of gaming may be overwhelming for beginners, especially with how things work in the esports arena, but learning the basics can help them understand it better.

Esports, which stands for electronic sports, is a form of competitive gaming, particularly among professional players who play individually or go head-to-head in teams. It offers various gaming genres to satisfy every gamer’s interests, such as the common ones listed below.

First-Person Shooter (FPS) Games

FPS games are currently one of the most popular genres in esports. As the name suggests, FPS games involve gunfight simulations played through the first-person point-of-view. With these games, the goal is simple: kill your opponents and fulfill your quest. Oftentimes, these games show the player’s weapon directly in front of the screen, a crosshair for accurate aiming, and a mini-map of the game’s setting as well as health, ammunition, and armor statistics.

Among the well-known FPS games are the Counter-Strike series, Call of Duty series, Overwatch, and Rainbow Six: Siege.

Real-Time Strategy (RTS) Games

Adding to this list are RTS games that focus on tactical skills and quick decisions. A general gameplay of RTS puts the player in control of building one’s own defense with resources that are also acquired in the game. The general objective of this genre is to defend the bases and launch attacks against the opponent. The RTS UI includes a map, terrain, buildings, and units. From this, players can offset a series of commands through mouse or keyboard shortcuts.

Some RTS games include Company of Heroes, StarCraft, and Age of Empires.

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) Games

MOBA games are regarded as a spin-off or variation of real-time strategy games. These are played by two teams with a goal to destroy the tower located at the opposing team’s base. In addition, there are non-playing units, often called minions, that spawn and move along preset paths. Each of these assists the players in fulfilling their objectives.

Typically, the game characters that each team member plays have various abilities and advantages which improve as the game progresses, all adding to the strategic gameplay.

Examples of MOBA games are League of Legends (LoL), Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), Smite, and many more.

Player vs. Player (PvP) Games

As the term implies, PvP games involve two players facing off against each other. In this genre, there are two major subcategories: sports games and fighting or combat games. In sports games, the traditional rules of the sports apply in games such as NBA Live where players follow basketball regulations. As for combat games, the players’ goal is to reduce their opponent’s health to zero or as much as they can before the timer ends.

Popular combat games include Tekken, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat X, and Super Smash Brothers. Meanwhile, popular sports games are FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), Madden, and Rocket League.

The rise of the esports era has gotten many individuals curious about what goes on within the world of gaming. Being familiar with these gaming genres would help aspiring gamers decide on which games are best suited for their interests.

References

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201215-how-online-gaming-has-become-a-social-lifeline

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15554120211017036

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hbe2.221

https://geekinsider.com/understanding-different-types-of-esports/

https://discoveresports.com/what-are-the-game-types/

https://learn.g2.com/esports

http://www.esportsbettingelite.com/learn-esports/what-types-of-games-does-esports-include/