Esports
Esports is organized competition in video games, where individuals or teams play under formal rules in tournaments or leagues.
Tournament: A competition in which participants advance through scheduled matches toward a winner. Esports tournaments create brackets or stages that determine how competitors advance.
League of Legends World Championship: The annual international championship tournament for the multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends. It exemplifies a large-scale, publisher-supported esports championship.
Traditional sports: Organized physical competitions governed by sport-specific rules and institutions. Comparing esports with traditional sports clarifies differences in physical activity and governance.
Game publisher: A company that finances, markets, and distributes video games, often controlling their intellectual property. Publishers can set tournament permissions and influence the structure of competitive circuits.
Esports governance: The rules, institutions, and decision-making processes that oversee competitive video gaming. No single authority governs esports across games, publishers, and countries.
League: An organization or competition in which teams or individuals meet repeatedly under shared rules. League formats structure esports seasons around recurring matches and standings.
The International: The annual championship tournament for Dota 2, known for its substantial crowdfunded prize pools. Its prize funding shows how game communities can contribute to esports events.
Casual gaming: Video-game play undertaken mainly for recreation rather than organized competitive achievement. Esports distinguishes itself from ordinary play through formal competition and structured stakes.
Prize money: Money awarded to winners or top performers in a competition. Esports prizes affect professional incentives, event prestige, and public perceptions of earnings.
Esports athlete health: The physical and mental health concerns associated with training and competing in esports. Research and teams are still defining effective support for sleep, injury, and stress.