A tournament that is played annually at the in eSports (also known as electronic sports, esports, e-sports, competitive ( video) gaming, professional ( video) gaming, or pro gaming) is a form of competition using. Most commonly, eSports take the form of organized, competitions, particularly between players. The most common associated with eSports are, (FPS), and (MOBA). Tournaments such as, the, the and the provide live broadcasts of the competition, and prize money to competitors.
Although organized online and offline competitions have long been a part of, these were largely between amateurs until the late 2000s when participation by professional gamers and spectatorship in these events saw a large surge in popularity. Many game developers now actively design toward a professional eSport subculture. The genre of and fighters have also been popular in amateur tournaments, although the fighting game community has often distanced themselves from the eSports label. In the mid-2010s, the most successful titles featured in professional competition were the (MOBA) games and, and the game. Other games with significant earnings include, and. In 2013, it was estimated that approximately 71.5 million people worldwide watched eSports.
The increasing availability of online platforms, particularly, has become central to the growth and promotion of eSports competitions. Demographically, has reported viewership that is approximately 85% male and 15% female, with a majority of viewers between the ages of 18 and 34.
Despite this, several female personalities within eSports are hopeful about the increasing presence of female gamers. Has several established eSports organizations, which have licensed pro gamers since the year 2000. Recognition of eSports competitions outside South Korea has come somewhat slower. Along with South Korea, most competitions take place in Europe, North America and.
Despite its large video game market, eSports in is relatively underdeveloped, which has been attributed largely to its broad anti-gambling laws. The global eSports market generated US$325 million of revenue in 2015 and is expected to make $493 million in 2016; the global eSports audience in 2015 was 226 million people.
Attendees of the 1981 Championships attempt to set the highest score The earliest known video game competition took place on 19 October 1972 at for the game. Stanford students were invited to an 'Intergalactic spacewar olympics' whose grand prize was a year's subscription for, with Bruce Baumgart winning the five-man-free-for-all tournament and Tovar and Robert E. Maas winning the Team Competition. The held by in 1980 was the earliest large scale video game competition, attracting more than 10,000 participants across the, establishing competitive gaming as a hobby. In the summer of 1980, founded a record keeping organization called.
The organization went on to help promote video games and publicize its records through publications such as the Guinness Book of World Records, and in 1983 it created the. The team was involved in competitions, such as running the for and sponsoring the North American Video Game Challenge tournament. During the 1970s and 1980s, video game players and tournaments begun being featured in popular websites and magazines including and. One of the most well known players is, for his listing as holding the records for high scores in six games including and in the 1985 issue of the.
Televised eSports events aired during this period included the American show which ran between 1982 and 1984 airing a total of 133 episodes, on which contestants would attempt to beat each other's high scores on an arcade game. A video game tournament was included as part of TV show, and tournaments were also featured as part of the plot of various films, including 1982's. Online video games (1990–1999) In the 1990s, many games benefited from increasing, especially. For example, the 1988 game was an for up to 16 players, written almost entirely in. Netrek was the, the first Internet game to use to locate open game servers, and the first to have persistent. In 1993 it was credited by as 'the first online sports game'.
Large eSports tournaments in the 1990s include the 1990, which toured across the United States, and held its finals at in. Held a 2nd World Championships in 1994 for the called the. There were 132 finalists that played in the finals in, California.
Mike Iarossi took home 1st prize. Also ran their own World Game Championships in the early 1990s, co-hosted by magazine. Citizens from the United States, the, and were eligible to compete.
Games from the 1994 championships included and. Television shows featuring eSports during this period included the British shows and the, where in one round contestants competed in a video game face off, and the Canadian game show. Tournaments established in the late 1990s include the (CPL), and the. PC games played at the CPL included the series, series, and.
Global tournaments (2000–present) The growth of eSports in South Korea is thought to have been influenced by the mass building of networks following the. It is also thought that the high at the time caused many people to look for things to do while out of work. Instrumental to this growth of eSports in South Korea was the prevalence of the Komany-style /, known as a. The, an arm of the, was founded in 2000 to promote and regulate eSports in the country. During the 2010s, eSports grew tremendously, incurring a large increase in both viewership and prize money. Although large tournaments were founded before the 21st century, the number and scope of tournaments has increased significantly, going from about 10 tournaments in 2000 to about 260 in 2010. Many successful tournaments were founded during this period, including the, the, and.
The proliferation of tournaments included experimentation with competitions outside traditional eSports genres. For example, the September 2006 Worldwide Webgames Championship featured 71 contestants competing in for a $1 million grand prize. In April 2006 the federation were formed by seven prominent teams. The goal of the organization was to increase stability in the eSports world, particularly in standardizing player transfers and working with leagues and organizations. The founding members were,. The organization only lasted until 2009 before dissolving.
The 2000s was a popular time for eSports. Television coverage was best established in, with and competitions regularly televised by dedicated 24-hour cable TV game channels and. Elsewhere, eSports television coverage was sporadic.
The covered eSports until its shutdown in 2009. The channel broadcast eSports competitions from 2007 to 2009. The online eSports only channel ESL TV briefly attempted a paid television model renamed GIGA II from June 2006 to autumn 2007. The channel broadcast eSports matches in a show called Arena Online for the Trophy. The channel hosted competitions in a show called from 2005 to 2008.
Broadcast the tournament for two seasons in 2007 and 2008. Aired prerecorded footage of the 2007 tournament that was held in, US. The originally covered video games exclusively, but broadened its scope to cover technology and men's lifestyle, though has now shutdown. The popularity and emergence of have helped the growth of eSports in this period, and are the most common method of watching tournaments., an online streaming platform launched in 2011, routinely streams popular eSports competitions. In 2013, viewers of the platform watched 12 billion minutes of video on the service, with the two most popular Twitch broadcasters being and.
During one day of The International, Twitch recorded 4.5 million unique views, with each viewer watching for an average of two hours. The modern eSports boom has also seen a rise in video games companies embracing the eSports potential of their products. After many years of ignoring and at times suppressing the eSports scene, hosted.
Spanning over a month, the tournament had over 400,000 participants, making it the largest and most expansive tournament in the company's history. In 2014 hosted an invitational competitive tournament at the (E3) press conference that was streamed online on Twitch. Developers announced in 2014 plans to revive Halo as an eSport with the creation of the and a prize pool of $50,000 USD. Both and have their own outreach programs with their North American Collegiate Championship.
Since 2013 universities and colleges in the United States such as and the have recognized eSports players as level athletes and offer. In 2017, Blizzard Entertainment's collegiate eSports division, unveiled its new initiative to provide scholarships and prizes for collegiate eSports clubs competing in its tournaments worth US$1 million. In 2014, the largest independent eSports league, partnered with the local brand Japan Competitive Gaming to try and grow eSports in the country. Physical viewership of eSports competitions and the scope of events have increased in tandem with the growth of online viewership. In 2013, the was held in a sold-out.
The in, South Korea had over 40,000 fans in attendance and featured the band, and opening and closing ceremonies in addition to the competition. In 2015, the first Esports Arena was launched in as the U.S.' S first dedicated eSports facility. In 2018, the will open the first eSports Arena on the and additional locations are planned to open in the coming decade. Professional leagues In most eSports, organized play is centered around the use of to move sponsored teams between leagues within the competition's organization based on how the team fared in matches; this follows patterns of professional sports in European and Asian countries. However, with rising interest in viewership of eSports, some companies sought to create leagues that followed the approach used in North American professional sports, in which all teams participate in a regular season of matches to vie for top standing as to participate in the post-season games.
Announced the, based on its game, in 2016, with its inaugural regular season featuring twelve teams starting in January 2018. Players that get contracts to play on teams are guaranteed an annual salary and benefits, as well as sharing of the team's revenue and prize winnings; the first season has a total prize pool of US$3.5 million available, with US$1 million to the team winning in post-season. Partnered with the (NBA) to create the, using the game series. It is the first eSports league to be operated by a professional sports league, and the NBA sought to have a League team partially sponsored by each of the 30 professional NBA teams.
Its inaugural season is set to start May 2018 with 17 teams. Classification as a sport. Main article: Labeling video games as is a controversial point of debate. While some point to the growth in popularity of eSports as justification for designating some games as sports, others contend that video games will never reach the status of 'true sports'.
However popularity is not the only reason identified: some have argued that 'careful planning, precise timing, and skillful execution' ought to be what classifies an activity as sport, and that physical exertion and outdoor playing areas are not required by all traditional or non-traditional 'sports'. In a 2014 technology conference, when asked about the recent buyout of popular game streaming service Twitch, president described eSports as 'not a sport – they're a competition.' In 2013 on an episode of the panelist openly laughed at the topic. In addition, many in the fighting games community maintain a distinction between their competitive gaming competitions and the more commercially connected eSports competitions of other genres. Video games are sometimes classified as a. In the hosted by the, an eSports panel was hosted with guests from international sports society to discuss the future recognition of eSports as a recognized, legitimate sporting activity worldwide.
In 2013, Canadian League of Legends player became the first pro gamer to receive an American, a category designated for 'Internationally Recognized Athletes'. In 2016, the French government started working on a project to regulate and recognize eSports. The of the started issuing athletic license to Filipino eSports players who are vouched by a professional eSports team in July 2017. The was the first notable multi-sport competition including eSports as an official medal-winning event alongside other traditional sports, and the later editions of the and its successor the have always included eSports as an official medal event or an exhibition event up to now. Moreover, the, which is the Asian top-level multi-sport competition, will also include eSports as a medal event at the; eSports will be presented as an exhibition event at the as a lead-in to the 2022 games.
Will sponsor exhibition eSport events for and prior to the in. The organization committee for the in Paris are in discussions with the (IOC) and the various professional eSport organizations to consider eSports for the event, citing the need to include these elements to keep the Olympics relevant to younger generations. IOC President Thomas Bach said there were two difficulties in presenting eSports as an Olympic event: that they would need to restrict those that present non-violent gameplay, and that there is currently a lack of a global sanctioning body for eSports to coordinate further.
A summit held by the IOC in October 2017 acknowledged the growing popularity of eSports, concluding that 'Competitive 'eSports' could be considered as a sporting activity, and the players involved prepare and train with an intensity which may be comparable to athletes in traditional sports' but would require any games used for the Olympics fitting 'with the rules and regulations of the Olympic movement'. See also: While it is common for video games to be designed with the experience of the player in game being the only priority, many successful eSports games have been designed to be played professionally from the beginning. Developers may decide to add dedicated eSports features, or even make design compromises to support high level competition. Games such as StarCraft II, League of Legends, and Dota 2 have all been designed, at least in part, to support professional competition. Spectator mode In addition to allowing players to participate in a given game, many game developers have added dedicated observing features for the benefit of spectators.
This can range from simply allowing players to watch the game unfold from the competing player's point of view, to a highly modified interface that gives spectators access to information even the players may not have. The state of the game viewed through this mode may tend to be delayed by a certain amount of time in order to prevent either teams in a game from gaining a competitive advantage. Games with these features include, StarCraft II, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike. League of Legends includes spectator features, which are restricted to custom game modes. In response to the release of in 2016, some games, such as Dota 2, were updated to include virtual reality spectating support.
Online A very common method for connection is the. Game servers are often separated by region, but high quality connections allow players to set up real-time connections across the world.
Downsides to online connections include increased difficulty detecting compared to physical events, and greater, which can negatively impact players' performance, especially at high levels of competition. Many competitions take place online, especially for smaller tournaments and.
Since the 1990s, professional teams or organized have set up matches via networks such as. As eSports have developed, it has also become common for players to use automated matchmaking clients built into the games themselves. This was popularized by the 1996 release of, which has been integrated into both the and series. Automated matchmaking has become commonplace in console gaming as well, with services such as and the. After competitors have contacted each other, the game is often managed by a, either remotely to each of the competitors, or running on one of the competitor's machines. Local area network.
Further information: Additionally, competitions are also often conducted over a or LAN. The smaller network usually has very little and higher. Because competitors must be physically present, LANs help ensure fair play by allowing direct scrutiny of competitors.
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This helps prevent many forms of cheating, such as unauthorized hardware or software. The physical presence of competitors helps create a more social atmosphere at LAN events. Many gamers organize or visit, and most major tournaments are conducted over LANs. Individual games have taken various approaches to LAN support. In contrast to the original, was released without support for LAN play, drawing some strongly negative reactions from players. League of Legends was originally released for online play only, but announced in October 2012 that a LAN client was in the works for use in major tournaments. In September 2013, Valve added general support for LAN play to in a patch for the game.
Casual players at the 2013 in, eSports tournaments are almost always physical events in which occur in front of a live audience. The tournament may be part of a larger gathering, such as, or the competition may be the entirety of the event, like the. Competitions take several formats, but the most common are or, sometimes hybridized with. Competitions usually have referees or officials to monitor for cheating. Although competitions involving video games have long existed, eSports underwent a significant transition in the late 1990s.
Beginning with the in 1997, tournaments became much larger, and became more common. Increasing viewership both in person and online brought eSports to a wider audience. Major tournaments include the, the North American league, the France-based, and the held in. For well established games, total prize money can amount to millions of U.S.
Dollars a year. As of 10 September 2016, Dota 2 has awarded approximately US$86 million in prize money within 632 registered tournaments, with 23 players winning over $1 million. League of Legends awarded approximately $30 million within 1749 registered tournaments, but in addition to the prize money, provides salaries for players within their. Nonetheless, there has been criticism to how these salaries are distributed, since most players earn a fairly low wage but a few top players have a significantly higher salary, skewing the average earning per player.
In August 2017, Valve's premier Dota 2 tournament, was held and broke records by having the largest prize pool to date for an eSports tournament, amounting to over US$24 million. Often, game developers provide prize money for tournament competition directly, but sponsorship may also come from third parties, typically companies selling,.
Generally, hosting a large eSports event is not profitable as a stand-alone venture. For example, Riot has stated that their headline League of Legends Championship Series is 'a significant investment that we're not making money from'. There is considerable variation and negotiation over the relationship between and tournament organizers and broadcasters. While the original StarCraft events emerged in largely independently of Blizzard, the company decided to require organizers and broadcasters to authorize events featuring the sequel StarCraft II. In the short term, this led to a deadlock with the.
An agreement was reached in 2012. Blizzard requires authorization for tournaments with more than $10,000 USD in prizes. Offers in-game rewards to authorized tournaments. ESport competitions have also become a popular feature at gaming and multi-genre.
Teams and associations Professional gamers, or 'pro gamers', are often associated with gaming teams and/or broader gaming associations. Teams like, and consist of several professionals. In addition to prize money from tournament wins, players may also be paid a separate team salary. Team sponsorship may cover tournament travel expenses or gaming hardware. Prominent eSports sponsors include companies such as and. Teams feature these sponsors on their website, team jerseys and on their social media, in 2016 the biggest teams have social media followings of over 1.27 million. Associations include the (KeSPA), the (IeSF), the, the (IEGC) and the (WESA).
Traditional sports athletes have shown interest in eSports, examples being 's ownership of and 's investment in. Some soccer teams, such as in Germany and in France, have ownership in eSports teams.
Further information: Pro gamers are usually obligated to behave ethically, abiding by both the explicit rules set out by tournaments, associations, and teams, as well as following general expectations of good. For example, it is common practice and considered good etiquette to chat 'gg' (for 'good game') when defeated.
Many games rely on the fact competitors have limited information about the game state. In a prominent example of good conduct, during a 2012 StarCraft II game, the players Feast and DeMusliM both voluntarily offered information about their strategies to negate the influence of outside information inadvertently leaked to 'Feast' during the game. Players in some leagues have been reprimanded for failure to comply with expectations of good behavior. In 2012 professional League of Legends player Christian 'IWillDominate' Riviera was banned from competing for a period of one year following a history of verbal abuse. In 2013 StarCraft II progamer was fired from for insulting his fans on the internet forums.
League of Legends players Mithy and Nukeduck received similar penalties in 2014 after behaving in a 'toxic' manner during matches. Team Siren, an all-female team, was formed in June 2013.
The announcement of the team was met with controversy, being dismissed as a 'gimmick' to attract the attention of men. The team disbanded within a month, due to the negative publicity of their promotional video, as well as the poor attitude of the team captain towards her teammates. There have been serious violations of the rules. In 2010, eleven StarCraft: Brood War players were found guilty of, and were fined and banned from future competition. And were denied prize money for collusion during the.
In 2012, League of Legends team Azubu Frost was fined US$30,000 for cheating during a semifinal match of the world playoffs. Dota 2 player Aleksey 'Solo' Berezin was suspended from a number of tournaments for intentionally throwing a game in order to collect $322 from online gambling. In 2014, four high-profile North American Counter-Strike players from iBuyPower, namely Sam 'DaZeD' Marine, Braxton 'swag' Pierce, Joshua 'steel' Nissan and Keven 'AZK' Lariviere were suspended from official tournaments after they had been found guilty of match-fixing. The four players had allegedly profited over US$10,000 through betting on their fixed matches., worth an estimated US$2.3 billion in 2015, had come under criticism in June and July 2016 after several questionable legal and ethical aspects of the practice were discovered. Performance-enhancing drugs Reports of widespread use of (PEDs) in eSports are not uncommon, with players discussing their own, their teammates' and their competitors' use and officials acknowledging the prevalence of the issue. Players often turn to such as, and, drugs which can significantly boost concentration, improve reaction time and prevent fatigue., a drug used to treat, is reportedly popular because, like stimulants, it enhances mood and motivation. Conversely, drugs with calming effects are also sought after.
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Some players take, which blocks the effects of, or, which is prescribed to treat, in order to remain calm under pressure. According to Bjoern Franzen, a former executive, it is second nature for some League of Legends players to take as many as three different drugs before competition. In July 2015 Kory 'Semphis' Friesen, an ex- player, admitted that he and his teammates were all using Adderall during a match against in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament, and went on to claim that 'everyone' at tournaments uses Adderall. The unregulated use of such drugs poses severe risks to competitors' health, including, and, in the case of stimulants,. Even over-the-counter which are marketed specifically toward gamers have faced media and regulatory scrutiny due to deaths and hospitalizations. Accordingly, Adderall and other such stimulants are banned and their use penalized by many professional sporting bodies and leagues, including and the.
Although (IeSF) is a signatory of the, the governing body has not outlawed any PEDs in its sanctioned competitions. Action has been taken on the individual league level, however, as at least one major league, the, has made use of any drugs during matches punishable by expulsion from competition.
Although not all players use drugs, it is common to see gamers use energy boosters or drinks. They commonly drink caffeinated drinks or use energy pills.
Player exploitation There has been some concern over the quality of life and potential mistreatment of players by organizations, especially in. Korean organizations have been accused of refusing to pay competitive salaries, leading to a slow exodus of Korean players to other markets. In an interview, League of Legends player Bae 'Dade' Eo-jin said that 'Korean players wake up at 1pm and play until 5am', and suggested that the 16 hour play schedule was a significant factor in causing.
Concerns over the of players intensified in 2014 when League of Legends player Cheon 'Promise' Min-Ki attempted suicide a week after admitting to. To combat the negative environment, Korean League of Legends teams were given new rules for the upcoming 2015 season by Riot Games, including the adoption of minimum salaries for professional players, requiring contracts and allowing players to stream individually for additional player revenue. Players must handle their own treatments and carry their own medical insurance, which is opposite of the norm with professional sports teams. Since most eSports play requires many actions per minute, some players may get injuries, causing hand or wrist pain. Economics and offer guaranteed for players.
Despite this, online streaming is preferred by some players, as it is in some cases more profitable than competing with a team and streamers have the ability to determine their own schedule. The International tournament awards US$10 million to the winners, however teams that do not have the same amount of success often do not have financial stability and frequently break up after failing to win. In 2015 it was estimated by SuperData Research that the global eSports industry generated revenue of around US$748.8 million that year. Asia is the leading eSports market with over $321 million in revenue, North America is around $224 million, and Europe has $172 million and the rest of the world for about $29 million. Global eSports revenue is estimated to reach $1.9 billion by 2018.
The number of female viewers has been growing in eSports, with an estimated 30% of eSports viewers being female in 2013, an increase from 15% from the previous year. However, despite the increase in female viewers, there is not a growth of female players in high level competitive eSports. The top female players that are involved in eSports mainly get exposure in female-only tournaments, most notably Counter-Strike, and StarCraft II. All-female eSports teams include and. Media coverage. Desk commentators providing pre-game analysis for a Dota 2 tournament in, News reporting The main medium for eSports coverage is the.
Coverage of eSports by general news organizations is generally sparse; most reports come from news organizations with a technology or video games focus., RankR eSports, Esports Nation (ESN), and ESFI World are among the few independent news organizations specifically dedicated to eSports. Other typical sources for information include video game developer's websites, websites of professional teams, and independent community websites. However, in the mid-2010s, mainstream sports and news reporting websites, such as, and started dedicated eSports coverage. ESports tournaments commonly use commentators or casters to provide live commentary of games in progress, similar to a traditional. For popular casters, providing commentary for eSports can be a full-time position by itself. Prominent casters for StarCraft II include and. The Associated Press' 2017 AP Style Guide officially spells the word 'esports', dropping the capital 'S' and the dash between 'e' and 'sports'.
It is similar to how 'e-Mail' transformed with usage to 'email'. Internet live streaming Many eSports events are online to viewers over the internet. With the shutdown of the Own3d streaming service in 2013, is by far the most popular streaming service for eSports, competing against other providers such as Hitbox.tv, Azubu, and. Dreamhack Winter 2011 reached 1.7 million unique viewers on Twitch. While coverage of live events usually brings in the largest viewership counts, the recent popularization of streaming services has allowed individuals to broadcast their own gameplay independent of such events as well.
Individual broadcasters can enter an agreement with Twitch or Hitbox in which they receive a portion of the advertisement revenue from commercials which run on the stream they create. Another major streaming platform was 's MLG.tv. The network, which specializes in content but hosts a range of gaming titles, has seen increasing popularity, with 1376% growth in MLG.tv viewership in Q1 of 2014. The 2014 broadcast at 's X Games event drew over 160,000 unique viewers. The network, like Twitch, allows users to broadcast themselves playing games, though only select individuals can use the service. For several years, MLG.tv was the primary streaming platform for the professional scene; famous players such as and have signed contracts with the company to use its streaming service exclusively.
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In January 2016, MLG was acquired. Also relaunched its livestreaming platform with a renewed focus on live gaming and eSports specifically.
For, coverage was also simulcast on 's streaming service. In December 2016, announced a deal with 's technology division BAM Tech for the company to distribute and monetize broadcasts of League of Legends events through 2023. BAM Tech will pay Riot at least $300 million per-year, and split advertising revenue. Match televised on in, Especially since the popularization of streaming in eSports, organizations no longer prioritize television coverage, preferring online streaming websites such as. Continues to broadcast as an eSports channel in South Korea, but was taken off the air in 2012. Riot Games' Dustin Beck stated that 'TV's not a priority or a goal', and DreamHack's Tomas Hermansson said 'eSports have been proven to be successful on internet streaming services.' On the night before the finals of in August, broadcast a half-hour special profiling the tournament.
In 2015, ESPN2 broadcast Heroes of the Dorm, the grand finals of the collegiate tournament. The first-place team from the received tuition for each of the teams players, paid for by Blizzard and Tespa. The top four teams won gaming equipment and new computers. This was the first time an eSport had ever been broadcast on a major American television network.
The broadcast was an attempt to broaden the appeal of eSports by reaching viewers who would not normally come across it. However, the broadcast was met with a few complaints. Those living outside of the United States were unable to view the tournament.
Additionally, the tournament could not be viewed online via streams, cutting off a large portion of viewers from the main demographic in the process. In September 2015, partnered with. In December 2015, the partnered companies announced two seasons of the, a league based in North America including 15 teams from across the world competing for a $1,200,000 prize pool each 10-week season. The tournament, filmed at Turner's studios in, is simultaneously streamed on online streaming websites and on Friday nights. In January 2016, publishers of the Call of Duty and StarCraft series, acquired.
In an interview with about the purchase, Activision Blizzard CEO explained that the company was aspiring to create a U.S. Cable network devoted to eSports, which he described as 'the ESPN of video games'. He felt that higher quality productions, more in line with those of traditional sports telecasts, could help to broaden the appeal of eSports to advertisers. Activision Blizzard had hired former ESPN and executive to be CEO of the company's eSports division., the largest private television broadcaster in, broadcasts eSports across the country. TV 2 partnered with local Norwegian organization House of Nerds to bring a full season of eSports competition with an initial lineup of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and StarCraft II. In April 2016, announced a collaboration with Riot to hold an invitational League of Legends competition between two universities from the collegiate, as part of Riot's collegiate championships. On 17 January 2017, Big Ten Network and Riot announced that it would hold a larger season of conference competition involving 10 Big Ten schools., a global information company known for tracking viewership for television and other media, announced in August 2017 that it would launch Nielsen eSports, a division devoted to providing similar viewership and other consumer research data around eSports, forming an advisory board with members from, and to help determine how to track and monitor audience sizes for eSport events.
See also. References.