Video games have been around for decades, yet they were never as accessible as they are today. Early ones were only available through big arcade machines where players would stand in line and wait for their turn to play. When the first console Atari was released, it became a perfect Christmas present, as kids could finally play at home.

There were also gaming competitions at that time, although the events were not as nearly as popular as they are today. It was just regular tournaments at the local arcade, whereas the esports industry today has pretty spectacular tournaments and amazing prices. Here we will go over the evolution of gaming throughout decades and then speculate how the future of eSports will look like.  

The 80s’ and 90s’ 

Most of the iconic titles and franchises came out during this time period, and they stuck around even today. Titles like Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Zelda, Warcraft, Pokemon, Pac-Man, and Mortal Kombat. At that time, the games also became available on PCs so, more and more people started playing, which poised this form of entertainment to go into a more competitive direction.

The 2000s’ 

At this time, more complex games started to emerge, and also there were more advanced consoles available on the market. Moreover, in the late 2000s,’ the mobile gaming industry started to boom, and we also start seeing games that incorporate online play, which became a standard that shaped the industry, and it also became a foundation for esports events. 

Mobile Games and Online Play

This is how many people got into gaming and how this hobby evolved into a casual form of entertainment. It also gave birth to the iGaming industry, which includes casino games. In fact, many of the best Pay n Play casinos providers have both browser-based and mobile versions of their apps. Moreover, a lot of casinos began to add some of the old-school arcade games to their offer or, simply, they used themed slots after some famous titles. This was done in order to be more appealing to a younger audience and also because a lot of casino players are old-school gamers. 

Free mobile games also changed how games were monetized, as almost all of them have an in-game shop where players spend their real money to buy boosts, items, or cosmetic features. This also led to some popular titles like Counter-Strike being labelled as gambling. Some of the in-game store items or loot boxes had items that could be traded and basically sold for real money. 

Unlike online casino platforms, CS was not under the same regulations, which caused a lot of problems. You can click to realcasinoscanada and any other platform that offers gambling content and check how they are regulated. Having a game that kids play where you can basically win real money didn’t look good, so the monetization models were heavily modified afterward. However, there are still ways to earn money via gaming, and that is by becoming a professional esports player or a streamer. 

eSports

Thanks to online play and different streaming platforms, competitive gaming and professional players became huge. This also resulted in eSports events gaining more audience and becoming a more lucrative hobby. Nowadays, professional players are moving to the US in order to make a fortune simply by doing what they like or coaching others. Moreover, video game genres like MOBA and battle royale were specifically designed to become eSports hits. This is why DOTA 2, League of Legends, Fortnite, and PUBG have a massive player base and cult following. 

Another factor that we should not overlook is hardware capabilities. Designers and developers are always going to be limited with what playing platforms like consoles and PCs can run. Today, these devices are far more powerful, and devs can add all sorts of engaging features and even increase the skill cap for certain titles. This makes the whole gaming experience more entertaining and eSports content more impressive, as pro players get to master new moves. 

Conclusion

As we can see, the development of hardware or infrastructure for gaming strongly impacts how this form of entertainment is perceived. It actually transferred this hobby into a full-blown sports event. It also made it easier for big game developers to get funding for more ambitious projects and create content for more engaging competitive play. It’s certain that this brach will continue to evolve, and we are all hyped to see what new games that are looming on the horizon will look like.