Esports is getting bigger and bigger worldwide, and something extraordinary happens every day. But who has the time to watch every Livestream, follow the latest rumors, and stay up to date?
Meanwhile, many exciting sources of information have developed. In this article, we try to give you an excellent introduction to the world of information in Esports.
We focus on the general Esports fan, who wants to get information about all games. Still, of course, we know that there are also specialized information sources with very detailed information and statistics for many games.
Let’s go!
Note: This article was written in English. Translations into other languages may not provide the same linguistic quality. We apologize for grammatical and semantic errors.
Here are the various available options on the internet from where you can get the best information about Esports.
News Portals And Other Sources of Information on The Internet
The Esports Observer
The first website that offers a wealth of information about Esports is the Esports Observer.
The website is subdivided into the following different categories so that visitors can quickly scroll to what they are looking for. Here are the website’s categories:
- Leagues;
- Legal & Governance ;
- College;
- Facilities;
- Events;
- People & Pop Culture.
The website talks in detail about the recent acquisitions and expansions in this field. This type of information is vital for people interested in the Esports segment as it allows them to keep track of the occurrences.
Here are a few reasons that make The Esports Observer my personal favorite:
- The emphasis on high-quality content;
- Availability of real-time data.
Besides this, it also holds different events and conferences, which provides a meet-up opportunity for Esports professionals and fans.
ESTNN Esports News
The next best platform to derive as much information about the field of Esports as possible is the ESTNN Esports News.
The website is segmented into various categories using which players can quickly get game-specific information.
It also provides tips and tricks for the world-leading gaming titles, including but not limited to:
- Valorant;
- PUBG;
- DOTA 2;
- LOL;
- Apex;
- Warcraft.
ESTNN also provides detailed information about business news and acquisitions of Esports.
The website has a separate streaming news section where all kinds of news about streamers are published. This makes ESTNN the go-to platform for those looking for information on their favorite Esports streamers.
Another great platform to get information about the field of Esports is Reddit.
The Reddit gaming communities are great for getting detailed information about the Esports field. Some of the aspects covered by these Reddit communities include:
- News;
- Discussions;
- Interviews;
- Promotions.
Where Can I Watch Esports?
For now, there are three main ways to watch Esports, which are:
- Watching Online;
- Watching On TV;
- Watching In Person.
Let’s discuss all three one by one.
Watching Online
Watching Esports online is the best and easiest way to stay in touch with this sport. This way of watching Esports gained significant popularity during COVID-19, as offline events were impossible due to Corona measures. This is slowly changing again, but the Esports broadcasts, especially on Twitch, have become so good that this will remain the preferred way to watch Esports for many.
These online matches can be seen on the following platforms:
- PCs or Laptops;
- Smart TVs
- Smartphones.
The best part about this mode is that it is not time or location-bound. Thus you can see your favorite matches even from the comfort of your bed.
You can head over to Twitch or YouTube and launch an official channel like:
- Rocket League;
- Counter-Strike Global Offensive.
Going for the official channels is always a good idea because the platforms mentioned above are brimming with videos from amateur players. Thus, if you want to see the professionals in action, you should go for the official channels.
Many pros also have their Twitch channel and sometimes even stream official online tournaments. This way, you are live from the pro’s point of view and can even directly see his reactions to the game and listen to the team communication. Optimal to learn something for your playing style.
Watching On TV
Another method you can choose for watching Esports is on the TV. This is a relatively new platform for esports, especially in the US, and gained popularity mainly after ESPN 2 joined this industry through its partnership with Evolution Championship Series to show Street Fighter V Grand Finals.
Besides this, TBS, which is an American pay-TV network, has also aired the following:
- Street Fighter V Invitational Round-robin tournament;
- Counter-Strike Global Offensive Premier;
- Injustice 2 World Championship.
All these instances have opened up new avenues for the platforms to get more viewers and for Esports fans who can easily watch their favorite championships on the TV screens.
It is interesting to see that the traditional medium of television is also opening up to esports. The esports organizations and leagues will undoubtedly be happy to take the additional advertising money.
Watching In Person
Watching Esports in person is the oldest method and offers the most adrenaline-pumping experience.
Due to the massive popularity of this segment, various Esports venues have been opened throughout the world that is jam-packed during major events.
However, due to the pandemic, such events are not very frequent, and most Esports fans currently have to resort to the options mentioned above to watch Esports. But I am confident that there will soon be big events with spectators again. And since the fan scene in Esports has also developed a lot in terms of live events, these fans make the big offline events a particularly great experience.
Where Can I Find Esports Communities?
Esports, like traditional gaming, are played in groups, and it becomes more entertaining when you enjoy it with your friends.
It is enjoyed in schools and colleges where different types of Esports communities exist.
The internet offers the best chance for Esports players to join different types of communities. Discord is an excellent platform for this purpose.
Here is how Discord provides various Esports gamers and fans with a perfect platform to join and interact with a community of like-minded people.
Every halfway known team has its Discord server, so you can quickly get all the information about your favorite team at any time and exchange and discuss with other fans about current events.
Generation Esports
Generation Esports is another excellent platform with a huge community of Esports fans and players.
Esports.net
The next place where you can find and join an Esports community is Esports.net.
Thanks to its large community, it provides detailed insight into who is likely to participate in upcoming events and who has the best chance of winning them.
The community at Esports.net is extremely diverse and covers a large number of gaming franchises, including:
- LOL;
- FIFA;
- Fortnite;
- Apex Legends;
- StarCraft II;
- Overwatch.
It is also an excellent platform for Fantasy Esports.
Community Gaming
Community Gaming is another fantastic platform that provides a diverse range of tournaments and events to interested players.
This community also provides opportunities for winners to win large sums of money.
Which Regular Esports Events Should I Not Miss?
Here are some of the regular Esports events that you must not miss.
League Of Legends World Championship
The League Of Legends World Championship is one of the hottest Esports events in the world. Riot Games, the game developer of this world-acclaimed title, organized this championship.
This championship was introduced 11 years ago and has been one of the most anticipated annual events each year.
The number of participating teams started from 8 in 2011 and has increased to 22 last year.
The championship venues keep rotating around the world but what makes the League of Legends World Championship extremely exhilarating is its global online audience which hit the record 99.6 million mark in 2018.
The International
The International is Dota 2’s worldwide Esports championship. It is one of the renowned Esports events of the world and has a pool prize money of around $40 million.
This event was also initiated in 2011 with 16 teams. However, the number has risen to 20 by now.
FIFAe World Cup
The FIFAe World Cup is the world’s oldest Esports event as it was introduced in 2004.
Previously it operated under the FIFA Interactive World Cup and FIFAe World Cup titles.
It is one of the most famous online gaming events, and in 2013, the FIFAe World Cup reached around 2.5 million participants.
This championship is also vital because it provided the first-ever medium through which PlayStation & Xbox players competed against each other.
The FIFAe World Cup winner gets a prize of around $250,000, whereas the runner-up is rewarded around $50,000.
Global viewership of the FIFAe World Cup has put the championship in the limelight for the past several years.
Intel Extreme Masters
The Intel Extreme Masters was founded in the year 2007. It has a large prize pool of around $1 million for the CS: GO, which explains why it has earned a global reputation as one of the best regular Esports events in the world.
Other games that are included in the Intel Extreme Masters include:
- Quake Live;
- World Of Warcraft;
- Dota.
There are numerous other events, so you can certainly look forward to the first big offline events of the still fairly new Esports title Valorant, organized by Riot Games. Unfortunately, Valorant was released practically at the beginning of the pandemic, already enjoys a significant player and fan base, and could not hold an offline event yet because of the pandemic. However, this will probably change now with the VALORANT Champions Tour.
Final Thoughts
Esports is a great thing and has made great development and will become even bigger in the future. All statistics and forecasts show that. If you’re interested in the evolution of the gaming industry compared to the rest of the entertainment industry, you should check out this article.
As a former professional gamer and an avid Esports fan, I always try to follow Esports developments in my free time and enjoy watching live broadcasts. But you can’t watch everything live because my free time is finite, and since you still want to stay informed about everything, Esports’ development of information sources is also significant. And also, for the hardcore fans who need every statistic and every result 5 minutes after the end of the game, there are now great websites, like https://liquipedia.net/ or similar.
All I can say is: it can happily continue like this because, as in many other areas, Esports is catching up tremendously compared to traditional sports. If you’re interested in the main differences between Esports and traditional sports, you can take a look here:
If you have a question about the post or pro gaming in general, write us: contact@raiseyourskillz.com.
GL & HF! Flashback out.
Michael "Flashback" Mamerow has been playing video games for over 35 years and has built and led two Esports organizations. As an IT architect and casual gamer, he is dedicated to technical topics.
