Esports has finally come to enjoy its time in the sun, and everybody and their dog has heard of the phenomenon of competitive gaming recently. However, those with only a passing familiarity with the sector may reasonably suppose that the world’s most popular video games are also the most popular esports.
However, esports represents a unique lineage of titles and game genres that are distinct from the big name console franchises. From MOBAs to battle royales, it can be confusing to know what sort of esport you may be interested in playing or watching. To help you make this decision, let’s take a run down of the major players.
MOBAs (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas)
Games like League of Legends are among the most instantly recognizable esports in the world today. In fact, no other title commands the same kind of interest, sponsorship and prestige as Riot Games’ preeminent franchise. For example, OddsChecker, which provides and compares industry promotional offers on esports events, finds League of Legends to be the most widely patronized of the esports it covers.
MOBAs suit players that enjoy tactical gameplay and teamwork and are a good fit for fans of related genres like real-time strategy games. Alongside League, Dota 2 is typically considered the most prominent example of this sector.
However, even mobile gamers can get in on the action. Popular titles such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang have ascended the rankings of the world’s most popular esports today.
Tactical FPS
Tactical First Person Shooters are the cream of the crop when it comes to high speed thrills. Players need the right combination of fast reaction times, high accuracy and great situational awareness in order to excel.
Unlike some other popular esports genres, anybody can pick up and play a tactical FPS quickly with no previous experience. We can’t guarantee that you’ll be racking up kills quickly, but the basic ‘run and gun’ format is one that most people find easy to grasp.
This is what makes the likes of the CS:GO majors and the Call of Duty League some of the most widely spectated esports events in the world.
Hero Shooters
These games are a novel synthesis of other popular esports genres – they combine the gun-toting chaos of tactical FPS’ with the unique champion or hero characters that are closely associated with the MOBA genre.
As such, Hero Shooters represent a nice blend of these disciplines and would suit a player that finds tactical FPS’ to be a bit too serious, or a MOBA player who wants more action from their games than those titles typically offer.
There are a number of popular hero shooters that are worth checking out, from Overwatch to Apex Legends. Recently, Riot Games’ VALORANT has become incredibly popular, and many consider it to be the best example of the genre today.
Battle Royales
In truth, battle royales refer more to a game mode, rather than a distinctive genre. Really, you can find battle royale games across a range of genres, from first person shooters to third person assault courses and even racers.
What battle royales all have in common though, is their last man standing game objective. Typically, most battle royales drop a large number of players – often between 100 and 150 – on an equally large map, and have them battle it out until only one player or team survives.
While battle royales have been around for a while in various forms, the game-mode really rose to popularity with its addition to the popular ARMA 3 mod, PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds.
Today, PUBG remains one of the world’s most popular battle royales, and it has helped inspire many more to follow in its footsteps, from the cartoonish capers of Epic Games’ Fortnite, to the gritty arena combat of Call of Duty: Warzone. Definitely try this type of game out if you like the idea of emerging the victor in your very own royal rumble.