The most popular games in eSports

Unlike traditional sports, where weather forecast can impact the holding of a sports event or prevent a particular physical practice, electronic sports do not depend on weather conditions. The sun, snow, or humidity do not influence the game or impact the player. If, for example, the weather forecast for Florianópolis predicts rain for the next 15 days, this does not make an eSport tournament in the region unfeasible. 

Apart from weather conditions, let's see which video games are dominating the scene. It is important to underline that these games have national and international tournaments, often organized by the game developer. In the list of most popular eSports, we find titles like:
 

* League of Legends

* Counter Strike

* Dota 2

* Valorant

* Rainbow 6

* StarCraft 2

* World of WarCraft 3 (WoW)

Also with considerable expression, we still have Call of Duty, Fortnite, Minecraft, or Tekken 7. Nevertheless, from this list, four of them lead the popularity table, almost worldwide:
 

1. League of Legends (LoL)

2. Counter Strike (CS)

3. Dota 2

4. Valorant
 

What differentiates these four games from the rest? Why are they so popular? Why do so many people follow all the tournaments?

There are plenty of answers and many factors to explain this phenomenon. 

The fact that they are games recognized worldwide counts. The marketing by the developers around the games also helps explain this trend. The local and global tournaments, organized professionally, are another aspect to consider. 

We might even try to explain the success of these games with the millions of spectators watching each event, both in the arenas where the games take place, and through streaming. 

Another fundamental aspect for the size and importance of these games is associated with the prize pool of each tournament. The cash prizes for the top-ranked amount to millions of dollars and are astronomical sums that make any player, amateur or professional, dream.

Therefore, there are plenty of reasons to explain the success of these electronic games. Still, perhaps as the most determining factor, is the number of players and fans, of each of these games, spread around the world. The fact that it is a game with millions of users playing and with millions more watching the tournaments, makes the game quite attractive. Anyone who follows, even less frequently, the iGaming industry, knows about these games and is familiar with their famous tournaments.
 

League of Legends (LoL)

Let's focus on this game. League of Legends has been on the market since 2009. It is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), developed by Riot Games. Its constant updates have kept the game on the list of most popular, with introductions and innovations that captivate all players.

Riot Games is responsible for the various national and international tournaments, energizing each event and leveraging sponsorship for professional teams.

For example, in Brazil, there is the CBLoL, with various phases throughout the year. This type of tournament occurs in different geographical areas, all managed by the game developer, with very attractive prize pools. The best teams from each country move on to the continental Masters. And, the winners of the masters reach the League of Legends World Championship, known as Worlds.

This is just one example of the structure of electronic games, which has led so many people to connect to the eSports industry. The same happens with other games, such as Valorant or Dota 2, with tournaments sponsored by their developers and with a huge group of fans worldwide.

We will see if in 2024 these continue to be the public's favorite games.