Establishment of New Hall of Fame Ushers in New Era of eSports Popularity
Published April 10, 2016 by Lee R
A phenomenally wide array of professional eSports leagues are already established.
A new international professional sports Hall of Fame is on the way, this time from the eSports Electronic Sports League (ESL).
Inaugural Inauguration
ESL's Ken Chen announced the dates of July 8-10th for the first eSports Hall of Fame induction. The ceremony will take place at the second annual ESL One Cologne eSports megacompetition. The first inductees will be chosen from leading eSports game Counter-Strike, which includes players from League of Legends, Dota, and StarCraft.
ESL eSports Reach
Operated by Turtle Entertainment out of Cologne, the ESL eSports league has over 6 million registered members spread across over 1 million teams. Over 12.1 million ESL games have been played to date across 50 diverse national and international leagues, and last year's ESL One Cologne stream had over 27 million viewers.
Eligibility
Inductees must be retired for one year to be eligible for consideration. They will be chosen by a panel of writers, commentators, and designated experts.
History of Pro eSports
Professional competition began circa 2000 when fierce competitions, growing viewership, and general popularity transformed proliferating independent eSports amateur leagues into a vast professional network. Today, many video game developers integrate features into their games to support league participation, while leading sports betting sites integrate eSport competition odds and bets into their punting options.
General Sportsbook Advantages
While eSports enthusiasts may be more familiar or comfortable with eSports-first sportsbooks, traditional sportsbooks serve more markets, so that eSports punters can compete against a larger global pool of punters. For the ultra-competitive, limits are often higher at the traditional sportsbooks as well.
William Hill and Bet365 are two prominent traditional betting sites that feature eSports wagering, providing regular odds on match play in eSports leagues such as League of Legends and Starcraft 2.
The Allure of eSports
All bets aside, the digital dimension of eSports calls for a unique skill set that many online competitors find invigorating. Streams of competitions are available via Twitch.tv, which broadcasts from eSports games conventions including ESL's spotlight event the Intel Extreme Masters world championships.
