Esports beginnings

According to the definition in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, an Esport is “a video game played as a competition for people to watch as entertainment”.
The term is often perceived as modern and recent, but few know that the concept, as we know it, existed since the 1970s and evolved throughout the decades to become the Esports of today.
So where did it all begin?

Well the first two-player game ever made was “Tennis for Two” in the mid 1950s, and that was considered as the first step for competitive gaming.
Moving to the sixties, scoring systems were starting to get implemented and therefore competitive spirits were rising. So tournaments were needed.
“Spacewar!”, a game launched in 1962 with a pretty simple concept: just two people with a ship fighting, was a revolutionary game for the gaming industry, and it continued receiving awards up until 40 years after launch.

Indeed, with its rising popularity, the first ever Esport tournament was established.
It was on October the 19th, 1972, that the first ever video game tournament was held. Participants in the sci-fi rocket combat game “Spacewar” gathered to compete at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab in Los Altos, California, which was one of the few locations in the world at the time with hardware advanced enough to operate the game. The winner of the world’s first video game tournament received a free subscription to Rolling Stone and the bragging rights of holding the title of “the Intergalactic Spacewar Champion of 1972”.
The tournament’s organizer Stewart Brand ended up being featured on the Rolling Stones magazine with a 9,000-word feature in the December 1972 issue, which not only praised the tournament but also started popularizing video games since not many people even knew that video games existed.

LAN vs Online

On one side we have LAN, with a stable network thats provided by the organizers, a high competitive integrity since all the players are present in one place, and reduced online risks and attacks which are usually associated with online play. Not to mention that it offers a full immersive experience with live audiences and cheering, elaborate productions, themed sets and arenas, and a livelier atmosphere.
LAN tournaments are considered safer and more cheat-proof since a controlled environment is provided with strict security measures to ensure fair play and prevent unauthorized interference.

On the downside though, LAN can be costly for participants, as they need to cover expenses related to travel, accommodation, and event tickets. Many do not have the privilege of being able to attend these tournaments.
Arenas tend to get quite loud and noisy as well, which hinders communication between players as they are not able to hear each other. Not to mention that finding an appropriate venue that can accommodate a large number of players, spectators, and production equipment is not an easy task. The venue must also meet technical requirements for networking and power.

Moving on to the opposing side, online tournaments offer the experience from the comfort of your home with little to none expenses. It is more accessible to a wider range of players and spectators, as they can participate from anywhere with a stable internet connection. This reduces the financial and geographical barriers to entry.
It is cost effective to event organizers as well since they don’t have to rent venues or provide physical infrastructure. Online tournaments have high adaptability and can mold to unforeseen circumstances, and we can notice that pattern with the past Covid-19 pandemic, where we witnessed a rise with online Esports with March’s viewership on the popular video game streaming platform Twitch rising by 23 percent, which amounts to about 1.2 billion hours of video games watched.

Unfortunately, internet access can be quite poor or limited depending on the area, which causes issues with lag or disconnections, which can significantly affect the fairness and competitiveness of the matches.
Also, online tournaments rely on player’s honesty and anti-cheating softwares which are not always accurate, therefore there is always a risk of cheating or unsportsmanlike conduct.
Add to that, production and broadcasting teams are required to deliver a professional and engaging viewer experience. Coordinating these aspects remotely can be complex and tedious.

Creating an interactive and engaging experience for online viewers, including live commentary, viewer chat, and social media engagement, is crucial to a tournament's success and must be conceptualized beforehand.

So we’re back to the question: which is better?
The answer is simple really. It depends on the user’s preference!
As we’ve seen some forms of tournaments are simply more accessible or convenient to certain people therefore they will make their choices accordingly.
Both forms are still implemented nowadays so that says something about their viability.

No matter the form, Esports have taken its spot among regular sports and have accumulated a wide fanbase that spans all over the globe.