Page 24 - Delaware Lawyer - Winter 2023

FEATURE
to Stay
Steve Kramarck
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Esports asserts its dominance in streaming, higher education and career planning
As its popularity expands nationwide, you may have encountered the term “esports.” What, then, is esports?
22 DELAWARE LAWYER WINTER 2023
Without over-complicating a com- plex and growing field, it may be helpful to think of esports as a form of competitive video gaming in which teams (or sometimes individuals) match up against other teams or individ- uals for numerous gaming titles. These matches happen at the high school, col- lege and pro levels and can be done in person (as is common for large tourna- ments and championships) or remotely, with each team playing from its home site. Games such as Rocket League, Dota 2, Call of Duty, FIFA and many others are all examples of gaming titles that can serve as esports.
One major difference between esports and traditional sports is the power that game publishers hold. They determine which entities can organize leagues or competitions involving their particular game. While anyone can put together a baseball tournament without much thought about “who owns baseball?”, game publishers must give permission for their intellectual property to be used for these endeavors.
Esports has grown in prominence globally and attracts large numbers of players and spectators. Yes, people watch other people play video games. In fact, tournament organizers routinely sell