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Gaming, e-sports, or electronic sports are terms used for the competitive arm of playing games on your computer. Most of these video game competitions involve genres that are real-time strategy, fighting, first-person shooter, and multiplayer online battle arena.

Known by many as computer gaming, those involved prefer calling it e-sports. eSports do not fit in the definition of a real sport as it is not primarily a human physical activity, but is included on this list of sports as some people believe it should be.

There is also the similar mixed-reality esports, which is a mix of augmented reality with sports performance.

The first recorded video game competition was held at Stanford University on October 19, 1972. The competition was called “Intergalactic spacewar Olympics.” The grand prize for this was a one-year subscription to Rolling Stone. There are numerous competitions and tournaments which are organized every year; these include the World Cyber Games, the Intel Extreme Master, and Major League Gaming. Just recently, ESPN hosted a competition for the NFL-based video game Madden.

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Most of these competitions feature the popular video games Stracraft and Warcraft III. These competitions are often televised locally and internationally. Most of these competitions follow the single or double elimination, but sometimes they are hybridized in the group stages. In these competitions, there are referees and officials to monitor cheating between participants.

The MOBA (which stands for multiplayer online battle arena) has taken young PC players by storm, with a format that emphasizes teamwork and emulates many aspects of traditional sports.

eGaming is very popular in South Korea, where many of the world's best proponents hail from, and where there is even a large professional league.

There is beginning to be a crossover between gaming athletes and the real sporting world. Several UK Premier League football teams have signed up FIFA online players to represent them in egaming tournaments.

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Similar Sports

• Esports (mixed-reality) — athletes compete against each other remotely via virtual reality platforms.
• Robot Sports — sporting competitions involve robot machines battling other robots, often replicating the rules and equipment of sports (not a 'real' sport, as there is no human involvement).

eSports at Major Events

• eSports at the Olympic Games (eSports was a demonstration sport at the Rio Olympics)
• eSports was a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games, and will be a medal event at the 2022 Games
• eSports event held alongside the Commonwelth Games

Related Pages

• All about esports
• e-sport tournaments — a list of major international eSports tournaments
• Is Esports Considered a Sport?
• Do you think esports should be added to the Olympic Games program [poll]
• About Mind Sports
• Discussion about what is a sport?
• List of questionable sports
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports