The Rise of Esports from LAN Parties to Stadiums

Competitive gaming grew from arcade high score tournaments to StarCraft leagues televised in South Korea in the 2000s. League of Legends world finals now draw tens of millions of viewers, and The International for Dota 2 has awarded prize pools above 40 million dollars.

Esports debuted with medals at the 2022 Asian Games held in 2023. College scholarships, franchise leagues and city branded teams completed the professional sports structure..