Esports: the big season coming to the UK

"The production is slick, the pundits are sharp and the players are gods," said Sky News, but these sporting professionals have keyboards and headphones and their UK tournaments are getting bigger and bigger.

Around 15,000 fans from across the world gathered on Sunday to watch gamers battle for a $300,000 (£240,000) first prize at ESL One Birmingham, a "major event in the esports calendar", said the BBC. The UK "has a thriving grass-roots scene" and this is also "a bumper year for big spectator tournaments".

'Training regimens'

Esports (or electronic sports) differs from standard video gaming in that it is "competitive (human-vs-human)", said British Esports, and "usually has an engaging spectator element to it, like traditional sports".

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At the Birmingham tournament, held at the Resorts World Arena, one particular game was being played. Described by one analyst as "kind of like chess", "Dota 2" is a multiplayer online battle arena game featuring "flashing lights and novelty characters", said Sky News.

"Many people think of the esports team as just five guys who like playing the game at home", Alvaro Sanchez Velasco, product manager at ESL One Birmingham, told Sky News. But teams have boot camps and "schedules that include training regimens" and "psychological visits".

As for the fans, "there isn't the same territorial spirit that comes with supporting a particular football team", as "mostly this is about respect for the individual players".

The appeal comes from "the professional aspect of it, similar with football", said one fan, because "you can go and play football but it's nice to see people playing it at a level you could never play at".

And the players are paid like pros: they can make $10,000 (£8,000) a month, plus tournament winnings and sponsorship deals. The overall prize pot in Birmingham was $1 million (£800,000).

'Kickstart major moves'

In recent years, the UK esports scene has "felt neglected", said Esports.net, with tournaments "too few and far between". Now, they are "running wild". Investment from organisations and government has bolstered the gaming infrastructure, and this year the country is hosting "some of the most impactful events in the business".

These include the Blast Premier Spring Final at Wembley Arena in June and the huge League of Legends Worlds finals at the O2 arena in London in November. This number of major title events "would be unheard of just a year or two ago", said Esports Insider. If handled well, they could "kickstart major moves in the UK esports industry".

As educational institutions embrace gaming too, "it seems like UK esports is growing in popularity at a rapid pace".