Esport and Gaming Futures

In a little more than a decade, esport has become a billion-dollar global industry that engages hundreds of millions of viewers with weekly gaming competitions. Video games have always had a competitive component, but the early 2000s saw the birth of a more sophisticated industry around video game competition. Beginning in Korea with cable esports broadcasts of “Starcraft: Broodwar”, esport has expanded into a global phenomenon built around high-stakes video game play. Supported by the rapid development of broadband networks and streaming media platforms like Twitch.TV, esport continues to change the way players use games.

Dave Stewart, the executive producer of Riot Games’ “North American League of Legends Championship Series”, will join moderator Alex Champlin (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) in a discussion about the serious future of video game play.

Esports and Gaming Futures