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Houston Sports: The eSports revolution has arrived in H-Town

By James Zeankowski

LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 21: Twitch streamer and professional gamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins (C) streams during Ninja Vegas '18 at Esports Arena Las Vegas at Luxor Hotel and Casino on April 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Blevins is playing against more than 230 challengers in front of 700 fans in 10 live "Fortnite" games with up to USD 50,000 in cash prizes on the line. He is donating all his winnings to the Alzheimer's Association. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 21: Twitch streamer and professional gamer Tyler "Ninja" Blevins (C) streams during Ninja Vegas '18 at Esports Arena Las Vegas at Luxor Hotel and Casino on April 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Blevins is playing against more than 230 challengers in front of 700 fans in 10 live "Fortnite" games with up to USD 50,000 in cash prizes on the line. He is donating all his winnings to the Alzheimer's Association. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Houston, Texas is becoming more and more of a vast sports town. Even for those that may not be very athletically inclined! So, without further ado, please welcome eSports to H-Town!

Often times, adults say that you have to train really hard at a young age to be an athlete. Practice does make perfect after all. Nevertheless, with the technology age, a new type of sport has emerged pretty victoriously: eSports.

According to a recent report put out by ABC 13, video game companies are doing their absolute best to make Houston a hub for the eSports market. It is an industry that is worth an estimated $1 billion and generates revenue that far exceeds that. There is even talk of an eSports arena that may be coming soon to the H-Town area.

So how does this craze compare to physical sports? Well, let’s break down the very basics.

Ready, Player One

Similar to physical sports, eSports has teams that compete against each other in tournament rounds and championships. Major cities across America all have their own separate teams. Additionally, they are all divided up into certain given leagues.

Like major sports teams, those in eSports even have their own fan bases. Whether they are just there to cheer on the city OR pull for their favorite player. The atmosphere created mimics that of a baseball game or hockey match.

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Among all of these things, the biggest advantage is not having to possess any kind of rigorous physical quality. There is no need for being able to smack a home run OR to make a three-point shot from near center court. The skills involved are more mental in nature, but can still put individuals to Herculean level tech tasks.

It’s in the Game!

eSports really leaves it’s mark through promotions and marketing, the same as any big league sport. Ironically, even the big league sports are starting to lend themselves to the latest tech revolution. The Houston Rockets reportedly have their own sect of ePlayers at the ready, and a VP to oversee the whole thing.

Add to that, games like MLB the Show already use modern technology to get player likeness down to a literal computer science. Although eSports games tend to be more fantasy-like in nature, there is no doubt that some of them wouldn’t mind taking on the role of a major league All-Star or football pro-bowler.

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eSports appears to be another wave of the future coming to life in the technology age. Its fans are even becoming somewhat of a cult following themselves. In all honesty, though, the same could be said for certain physical sports fan bases as well!

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