From year to year, the popularity of eSports does not stop growing. One after another, events in which eSports reached new milestones were held, and the oldest of them are proof of the numerous changes that influenced the rise of video games from a hobby to one of the highest-paid jobs today.
From humble beginnings to a million-dollar industry, the oldest eSports were the forerunners of playing video games on a professional level as we know it nowadays.
How Did It All Start?
The video game industry as we know it today is significantly different from the one that dominated 20 years ago. From arcades and home video games to the world’s largest entertainment medium, video games have reached the popularity of incredible proportions due to their competitive nature, which has grown into competitive gaming and eSports. Did you know that the origin of eSports dates back to the 70s of the last century?
As many would say, let’s start from the beginning. Namely, the first event resembling the eSports competition took place at the end of 1972 at Stanford University. A group of students decided to compete in the video game Spacewar. However, unlike today’s competitions, there was no cash prize in this one, but the winner received a one-year subscription to the famous Rolling Stone magazine.
But what happened after the video game Spacewar? The first video game competition was finally held, in 1980. The Space Invaders Championship had a huge attendance of 10,000 participants, during which it attracted a lot of attention. During the 80s of the last century, numerous companies promoted video games and published the results and records of participants in publications such as the Guinness World Records. And then came the 90s, when the oldest eSports turned into a passion without anyone wondering if eSports was an actual sport.
Street Fighter
The Street Fighter video game has one of the oldest and longest professional gaming scenes. This fighting game was released in 1987 and immediately drove fans around the world crazy. Frenzy clicking buttons, rolling arcade sticks, a fast-paced breath of players trying to beat opponents – this legendary game with martial arts was so popular that it defined the new genre of the game, but also had a great impact on history of video games. Simply put, Street Fighter started a gaming revolution, after which the most popular eSports in the world were soon born.
Super Smash Bros
Did you even think that the story of the oldest eSports could be told without a video game published by Nintendo? Of course, it would be an impossible mission. The Super Smash Bros. video game series achieved incredible overnight success. Although all titles of the series have been featured in major eSports tournaments, Super Smash Bros.
Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are some of the most popular when it comes to high-level competition. Could anyone have guessed that the original Super Smash Bros. which was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64 will be one of the oldest eSports? If someone could have, kudos!
Marvel vs Capcom
One of the most recognizable combat franchises in the world is Marvel vs Capcom, a video game that has fans of all generations. Marvel and Capcom have been ‘collaborating’ for almost 25 years.
This video game, which is one of the oldest eSports, occupies a special place in the history of fighting games because it has attracted a large number of players to the world competitive arena.
During the peak of Marvel’s popularity in the mid-90s, the MvC games were the first choice for all players who enjoyed comics and cartoons.
Tekken
Tekken is one of the most respected fighting games of all time. The name of this video game is synonymous with arcades, tournaments, and the fighting genre in general. It has sold millions of copies and has been adapted for animated and action films.
Tekken is one of the first Japanese video games whose popularity exploded outside the region. It appeared back in 1994 and has become a phenomenon in every sense of the word.
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct began its development at the Rare company in the early 1990s. Rare’s intention was to follow the Street Fighter video game fan base from the beginning. However, Killer Instinct has evolved into something completely different.
After its release, the video game Killer Instinct was warmly received by critics and fans and achieved great success around the world. More than two million copies have been sold in North America and another three million overseas. It was the 12th best-selling game ever released on Super Nintendo.
Doom
The oldest eSports also have an unforgettable FPS classic Doom under its auspices. Twenty-eight years ago, one of the bloodiest and most violent video games was released, after which the world of video games was no longer the same.
Doom soon found itself on a record number of computers, and the company was earning $ 100,000 a day. Doom was so popular that even Bill Gates appeared in a video promoting the game and Microsoft’s new operating system. Estimates vary, but the game sold at least 2 or 3 million copies by 1999.
Although it gained unsurpassed popularity, not everyone welcomed it with open arms. The amount of blood and violence in the game was unprecedented until then, and the game was full of satanic symbols and hellish scenes. Parents around the world complained about Doom, and many players only played it at home, away from everyone’s eyes.
Quake
It has been 25 years since the Quake video game hit the market and became one of the most influential video games of all time. This successor to the video game Doom followed the technology and flow of the game of its predecessor and thus set a successful pattern for the production and playing of video games that will be followed for the next two decades.
The Quake video game is largely responsible for the development of today’s eSports scene. It was the first map game designed for multiple players. Today, we take such maps for granted because they exist in almost all the most popular eSports, such as CS: GO, on which, by the way, you can bet at online bookmakers with extensive markets for this eSports (which are collected on Bookmaker- Expert.com), but before the advent of Quake, such a multiplayer gaming system was just a dream. The oldest eSports are the originators of everything that is happening today. Competitions have progressed, video games have changed, cash prizes have risen, but one thing has remained the same – a love of video games.
