Looking at the difference between esports and gaming

Esports and online gaming are two words that are often used interchangeably. But esports and online gaming are not the same.

Esports

What is esports?

The word esports is the combination of two words. The E stands for electronic, which is added as a prefix to sports.

Sports, as we know, is playing games where two teams compete against each other in a physical challenge in order to win a particular title or prize. Esports is the same but in a virtual world. Instead of playing in a playground or a field, people play using devices and other electronic equipment, giving the gameplay a whole new dimension. 

Betting on esports

The difference between regular online games and esports exclusively is that of the audience. 

Fans of esports don’t necessarily need to be players of the game as well. Esports fans might or might not wish to play the games. 

Then what do these fans do? Esports fans bet on their favorite teams on various esports online betting sites. It is very easy to take part in online bettings, and anyone can do it. Esports online betting is so popular in itself that there are hundreds of free guides available on the internet that will teach how to begin with online betting.

Evolution of esports industry

So esports is not just about the game being played itself. A whole new aspect is added to it when online betting comes into play. 

Esports has evolved a lot since they were first introduced. What started as a mere source of entertainment has now become an abundance of organized leagues. 

The growing popularity of esports is a result of the dedication and hard work of the developers, the teams, tournament organizers, and of course, the audience. It is said that the fanbase of esports is now as large as that of Major League Baseball. 

Online Gaming

What is online gaming?

Gaming, as the name suggests, includes the practice of playing a video game. The games range from single-player to multiplayer and might or might not have a competitive angle to them. Whereas in esports, the competitive aspect of gaming is a must. 

But even online gaming, which involves competition, can not directly be counted under esports. To qualify as an esports, there are a lot of factors that need to be included in the characteristics of an online video game.

There’s a considerable difference in esports and gaming in terms of audience, practices, investment, market value, and a lot more other factors. Gaming is as simple as playing a match of candy crush on your mobile; that is gaming. Any game that you play on your device counts as gaming. Video games are big business as well, but it does not necessarily involve online bettings.

Video games as esports

All esports start as video games initially. Then as the game’s popularity increases and the investment in it increases, the developers and the investors study its market potential, and that is how it is further developed into an esport.

Most video game developers design their games wishing for it to get hit as an esport in the gaming market, but not all games make it. Only the games which are not only exciting to play but also exciting to watch qualify as esports as the key factor is always the audience/fanbase. The games should be easy to follow by a beginner and not complicated or difficult to understand. The games must have enough engaging variables to keep things exciting.

Why are video games preferred over esports

Video games are a safe play. There’s no risk of money as such. It’s only a matter of winning or losing the game, nothing more than that. This is why some people prefer online video gaming instead of getting into the world of esports. 

Video games are also preferred because there are no two teams required. There is no constraint as to a certain no. of players required. There’s a wide range of video games available in single-player as well as multiplayer modes.

At the end of the day, esports and online gaming are related to playing games yet the words must not be used interchangeably. The difference is not complicated: Esports is nothing but online video games with different competitive and organized characteristics, making them different from market aspects.