Esports Tournaments & Leagues Guide

Esports Tournaments & Leagues Guide

Written by: Gambyl Nation Editorial Team
on January 28, 2021
at 4:11 pm
filed in eSports

< wpimage aligncenterid4690sizeSluglargelinkDestinationnone > <div class=wp block image><figure class=aligncenter size large><img src=httpswwwgambylcomwp contentuploads2021013 5jpg alt= class=wp image 4690><figure><div> < wpimage > < wpparagraph > <a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesports rel=noreferrer noopener>eSports<a> Academy Course 107 < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Contents < wpparagraph > < wplist > <ul><li><a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportsesports tournaments leagues guideLeagues rel=noreferrer noopener>Leagues<a><li><li><a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportsesports tournaments leagues guideOperation rel=noreferrer noopener>Operation<a><li><li><a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportsesports tournaments leagues guideTournaments rel=noreferrer noopener>Tournaments<a><li><li><a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportsesports tournaments leagues guideTickets rel=noreferrer noopener>Tickets<a><li><ul> < wplist > < wpparagraph > Sport the competition of opposing sides to accomplish an arbitrary goal set within a game for the purpose of entertainment and demonstrating physiological fitness Of course eSports dont test physical fitness as the athletic traditional sports do For those traditional sports there is typically one professional league either per sport or per country Esports differs in that it has multiple leagues for each sport game that are for the most part international < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > The general understanding of eSports is competitive video games How does that unfold What systems are in place to operate the leagues Questions like these are what well try to answer in this article < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > However we should make sure everyone is on the same page before we start If youre completely new to eSports heres an <a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportsesports beginners guide rel=noreferrer noopener>introduction<a> This <a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportsesports glossary rel=noreferrer noopener>glossary<a> might be helpful too Also the <a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportsthe most popular esports games as of 2019 rel=noreferrer noopener>most popular games of 2019<a> are good to know <a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportswhat games are played in esports rel=noreferrer noopener>types of games<a> goes hand in hand with that Well keep it basic but knowledge of context can give you an edge After all it might not be very long before the competition is brought to the fans in the form of betting < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Now lets move on to this lesson from Lineups own eSports Academy Lets learn < wpparagraph > < wpheading level3 > <h3>Leagues<h3> < wpheading > < wpparagraph > Credit nexusleagueoflegendscom < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > First the similarities between traditional sports and eSports include the establishment of leagues These leagues are dedicated to certain games and places Each game is considered to be an individual sport Traditionally theres baseball basketball and soccer Electronically theres <a target= blank href=httpswwwlineupscomesportsleague of legends rel=noreferrer noopener>League of Legends<a> Call of Duty and StarCraft 2 < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Furthermore there are specific consoles for certain eSport leagues For example the Call of Duty World League plays Call of Duty Black Ops 3 on the Playstation 4 The console used can be determined by the game such as 343 industries own Halo Championship Series which is only played on Xbox Halo is a franchise that has been exclusive to Xbox despite that soon changing < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > There are leagues such as Ultimate Battle and European Gaming League which are specific to a region Obviously European Gaming League is specific to Europe including the United Kingdom Ultimate Battle is an open league in India that plays some of the bigger titles Additionally Cybergamer is a premier eSports league local to the Oceania regionAustralia New Zealand and so on < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Still eSports by their very nature are international Global matchmaking happens casually for most games so its only appropriate that leagues would be established internationally A noteworthy league of that type is the Electronic Sports League ESL Its based in Cologne Germany and is the largest eSports company in the world Founded in 2000 ESL is the oldest of its kind still operational Furthermore it makes a great example of how leagues work < wpparagraph > < wpheading level4 > <h4>Operation<h4> < wpheading > < wpparagraph > Credit gamespotcom < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > ESL is an organization that hosts hundreds of gaming competitions around the world It has partnered with video game publishers such as Blizzard Entertainment Riot Games Valve Corporation and Microsoft to name a few In order for a game to be played in a competition ESL has to conduct business with the developers Collaboration and cooperation facilitate competitions supporting the players at both the national and international level < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Not only does partnering with the developers facilitate competitions it also increases fame Working with many prominent companies creates an excellent reputation for ESL The fans want to watch their favorite games Publicity especially for ESL has been growing for almost two decades Weve seen how big eSports has become and its not going to stop growing for a long time < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > ESL has the budget to hold competitions at renowned venues across the globe pleasing current fans and catching the eye of soon to be fans Beneath the ESL there are nine official Pro Leagues each dedicated to a specific game They are all cross continent competitions with finals in London Cologne and Los Angeles access to locations doesnt determine whether or not someone can watch the competition because of streaming sites namely Twitchtv < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Weve seen what the biggest prize pools have been The advantage of a league as broad as ESL is that it has the budget to put up larger prize pools The leagues of eSports are not particularly loaded despite the crazy amount of revenue and popularity Therefore its important that teams in those leagues acquire sponsorships < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > That aside a crucial part of an eSports league is its countermeasure for cheating From our example league came the ESL Wire Anti Cheat software It adopted Wargamings Battle API which exposes player and game data through the API application So even for online events the matchmaking that utilizes ESLs software more accurately matches competitors based on skill Just like traditional sports players of eSports are capable of using performance enhancing drugs Stimulants like Adderall are particularly desired Policies that prohibit that sort of thing are a necessity for eSports leagues and strict enforcement of said policies is required < wpparagraph > < wpheading level3 > <h3>Tournaments<h3> < wpheading > < wpparagraph > Credit esportsinsidercom < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Lets continue with our example ESL This giants famous competitions include the Pro Leagues ESL Play ESL National Championships and Intel Extreme Masters To review the Pro Leagues are given to the different titles Theres an Overwatch Pro League a Hearthstone Pro League a Mortal Kombat X Pro League and so on In the future ESL will undoubtedly acquire more titles and more partnerships with developers < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > ESL Play provides tournaments and ladders for all games and all skill levels The ESL Open is the first cup on the league ladder and is open to everyone Beginners can enter the world of eSports through it Thats where new talents can be found and drafted the other competitions like ESL Major have prerequisites for participation unlike the Open < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Another tournament under ESL is the Intel Extreme Masters IEM the product of ESLs partnership with Intel However the league is owned by Turtle Entertainment The way this league unfolds starts with plenty of offline qualifiers Those who qualify for the finals are put into two groups of six The top two of those advance The first place member of each group advances directly to the semifinals the second and third place members go to the quarterfinals < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > There are continental championships for this tournament the American Championship European Championship Asian Championship and finally the World Championship These championships begin with the Group Stage There two single elimination groupseach with four teamscompete and the top three teams from each group move on to the Playoffs The Playoffs have a Double Elimination Bracket A team that wins the Semifinals advances to the Upper Bracket Final If a team wins that it earns a spot at the Grand Final < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > Ever see the movie Dodgeball A True Underdog Story The one where Ben Stiller had the handlebar mustache and was the megalomaniac owner of Globo Gym The one where a veteran in a wheelchair says if you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball The format of these tournaments is just like the tournament in that movie < wpparagraph > < wpheading level4 > <h4>Tickets<h4> < wpheading > < wpparagraph > Credit redbullcom < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > As of today <a target= blank href=httpswwwstubhubcomesports ticketsgrouping1506468 rel=noreferrer noopener>StubHub<a> puts up tickets for the IEM tournament in the pass layout The two day pass for July 20 21 is priced a $70 The Saturday only pass is up for $86 The Sunday only pass is going for $295 The business reasoning for the prices tends to be that the day of the final match is most expensive especially if someone only canwants to attend that day Thats where most of the viewers arebut the die hard fans that want to be there every single day are able to do so for a reduced price < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > This system is what urges people interested in eSports to become invested Traditional sports function very similarly if not the same way Its a good business plan However this specific example is IEM the longest running competitive gaming tournament which is part of ESL the longest running and largest eSports league there is Ticket prices may vary from site to site too < wpparagraph > < wpparagraph > For instance the events <a target= blank href=httpswwwintelextrememasterscomseason 14chicagotickets rel=noreferrer noopener>website<a> has the Saturday only pass for $40 the Sunday only pass for $50 the two day pass for $75 The events very own website puts out solid prices Obviously IEM is able to price its tickets the way it does because of its renown Esport competitions almost always have free seating with the ability to purchase premium tickets thatll place you closer to the stage Again there are plenty of methods to access the tournament besides attending the live event Streaming is always a viable option < wpparagraph >