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A look into the longest-running esports games — where are they today?

Esports was born in parallel with the Golden Era of Gaming, where the world knew the likes of Donkey Kong and Mario Bros as their one-stop place for arcade enjoyment. When modern esports came around by the early 2000s, it marked a whole new advancement in technology — where players were able to tune in across the world to play one another at a first-person shooter game like never before.

Catapulting into the mainstream of society in the early 2000s, the term esports appeared — but it was actually back in the peak arcade gaming era when gaming competitions took off. Technology was advancing so much from the '70s to the ‘00s, that internationally, for the first time, games were being played by anyone and everyone. The wild and wondrous world of gaming is continuing to grow at a rapid rate, with the total industry amassing 3.2 billion video gamers across the globe — although back in the origination of esports, it was far, far less.

We’re at a point in society where being on your games console or PC for “too long” as your mother would say growing up is now classed as a fully-fledged career. It’s 2024 and live streamers are growing into famous entities that are competing against the rise of social media influencers — however, when esports was first born, there was no such thing. We know the industry’s grown and evolved, but so have the games available. We’re going to be taking a walk down the first-ever esports video games, and seeing where they are today.

1. Space Invaders

Ever watched those ‘90s movies where you see the likes of Space Invaders and think “That’s ancient”? Well, it was the first ever video game to turn into an esports competition back in the 1980s. The first competition managed to bring in 10,000 players around the world, where gamers would control a cannon at the bottom of their screen and move it horizontally. That’s it! From there, the aliens would move vertically and horizontally, and you’ll have been aiming to shoot at them. It did not have quite the same amount of thrill that you’d get from Fornite and the esports betting odds that come with it, but even so — esports had to walk before it could run!

2. Age of Empires II

Though it isn't one of the first esports games, it’s one of the longest-standing, and for that, it deserves recognition. Age of Empires II was released in 1999 and is a real-time strategy game created by Ensemble Studios and Microsoft. Made especially for Microsoft PCs, the game is still in tournaments today, all those years later. With a huge prize pool of up to $200,000.00, it’s safe to say that this ancient game is still loved by its users.

3. Counter-Strike

Now we’re really getting into the games that we all know and love — but it’s still one of the oldest ones out there in the esports world. Counter-Strike is a multiplayer tactical first-person shooter game born in 1999 — where gamers use their avatar to either create terror or stop the terrorists. There are many iterations of the game, seeing it's been around for over two decades — from the beloved Counter Strike Global Offensive to the 2023 version of CS2, there are huge wins at every tournament it’s placed in. Tournament winners bring in millions for their teams, and the gaming influencers manage to grab $50,000 a month for playing this game. The game involves 5 vs 5 matches of either these terrorists or counter-terrorists, and you and your teammates need to beat one another to grab the prize. It’s far from the only old shooter game, but it’s made a huge mark!

4. FIFA

Although it may seem like one of the newer games on the block to you, FIFA tournaments in esports have been around since the early 2000s. Its name has only managed to bring in the crowds over the last decade due to the rise in popularity, but it still did great with plenty of users. With a new series of games coming out year after year, it’s a brand that has financial backing behind it — because of its newfound popularity. It is marked as one of the most popular video games in the world, and its competitive scene is now just as big as any other game. The tournament wins are in the millions, and professional gamers have turned into full-time FIFA players in a bid to win big as a career.

From football games to multiplayer battle arena games, esports has seen a momentous growth period over the last decade. It’s now bringing in billions of viewers every year, and they’re only just getting started. From humble beginnings with simple video creations such as Space Invaders, to highly advanced games like the new GTA… It’s only been 20 years of development, and we’re already seeing a huge rise in technology. We wonder what will be around in the next 10 years. It’s only going to make esports bigger and better.