Part One Review
In the initial chapters of Part One, the authors explain that the term esports applies to competitive video gaming and it is an overarching concept that encompasses distinct genres of video games that appeal to people because of their ability to elicit “elation, heartbreak and tears” (Chaloner & Sillis, 2020, p. 15). Further, the authors address the issue of how to spell the word “esports”. There has been a longstanding debate regarding the composition of word “esports” (Howard, 2019). Authors opine that the phenomenon of competitive video gaming should be referred to as “esports”, and not the Camel casing variant (i.e. eSports) because “it sends people with good intentions off down tragic paths” (Chaloner & Sillis, 2020, p. 21). The Associated Press expressed a concurring stance in 2017, arguing that according to market developments and popular practice, the appropriate spelling is “esports” (Pacetti-Donelson, 2019).
After the brief introduction to esports, the authors present a story of the emergence of esports from arcade games to a fiercely competitive video gaming industry. One of the strengths of the book is that the authors present a detailed discussion on the embryonic juncture for esports when a brand named as Atari was created by Nolan Bushnell to host the first arcade competition named as “Space Invaders Championship” in 1980 (Chaloner & Sillis, 2020, p. 25). Soon, several technological enhancements metamorphosed the competitive gaming landscape and made the computer the main vehicle for virtually all potential esports. The authors also present the first success story of esports when Dennis ‘Thresh’ Fong, a teenager from California, won several esports events in a span of two years and secured substantial endorsement deals and contracts from gaming magazines. As an exemplar, organizations such as Hasbro and Earthlink began providing valuable endorsement deals and consultancy offers to Fong (Karlin, 2017). The authors assert, “he brought professionalism needed to kick-start esports” (Chaloner & Sillis, 2020, p. 42). Fong’s case illuminated the immense potential present in the esports industry and set a harbinger that contributed to the emergence of professional gaming. The success achieved by Fong set a realization that playing esports video games might be a meaningful career pursuit.
The book then transitions into explication of the role of distinct video games and leagues in transforming esports into a genuinely global phenomenon. The authors lend support to their assertion regarding the esports industry’s growing emphasis on attracting a global audience by highlighting the example of Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) World Tour. The emphasis on capturing a global audience was financially advantageous as “overall prize money given away in esports events annually almost tripled between 2004 and 2007, from $2.8 million to $7.8 million” (Chaloner & Sillis, 2020, p. 55). Shortly afterwards, the esports industry received another boost with the rise of Twitch (Popper, 2013). The authors portray a comprehensive description of how the idea of Twitch was conceived and how it became a ubiquitous platform for video gamers.
Further, the book presents the ups and downs faced by video games such as StarCraft2 and the League of Legends. These games act as good examples to provide insights on the teetering nature of video games and its effects on the gaming community. By presenting the examples of StarCraft2 and League of Legends, the underlying theme which the authors wanted to highlight was the importance of esports modding. The phenomenon of modding refers to the creative process through which the gamers bring about a modification to certain features of the esports video games (Hilvoorde & Pot, 2016). The authors specify that “to take off as an esport, a game had to pass through the modding community, be played endlessly by thousands and found to have a high skill ceiling and agreed upon rules that allowed for balanced play” (Chaloner & Sillis, 2020, p. 107). Thus, modders often develop a unique working collaboration with game developers. By highlighting the importance of modders in esports, the authors address a very important constituency in esports.