Competitive gaming existed before even multiplayer titles became popular in the gaming community. From one-on-one bouts in titles like Tekken and Mortal Kombat to score-based tournaments in epics like Space Invaders, there has always been a strong foundation for video games to emerge as a professional alternative to casual gamers. And, with the emergence of ‘Esports’ in the past decade of gaming history, video games have become mainstream across many countries.
Electronic sports, popularized as ‘Esports’ today, refers to a range of competitive video gaming titles professional gamers play. They span different genres, including FPS and MOBA, with some of the most popular Esports titles including Dota 2, Counter-Strike, Fortnite and Call of Duty. Similar to traditional sports, Esports sees amateur and professional levels when it comes to the actual tournaments, and the players often sign with teams or organizations. They play in league formats with extensive sponsorships and endorsements, and the events see full stadiums with sometimes millions of viewers watching the online stream on YouTube and Twitch.
What makes Esports Titles so Popular beyond the Gaming Industry?
Today, Esports and competitive multiplayer titles are a global phenomenon with a vibrant community of gamers, content creators, streamers, commentators and even analysts. Millions of regular users concurrently join and participate in many popular titles being played in Esports from their homes or at cafes. Even the ones produced by a mobile game development company, such as PUBG and Call of Duty, bringing up the market revenue for video games to $185 billion in 2022 alone.
Esports, thus, is a significant part of the entertainment industry. It attracts investments from major corporations and media companies. It also provides several opportunities to aspiring gamers, creators, artists, and businesses that would prefer engaging with an audience that’s tech-savvy and prone to using all sorts of gadgetry. Today, there are many active components that power the Esports ecosystem. But one crucial aspect that contributes immensely to the staggering success of Esports and other multiplayer gaming titles is the role played by game design and game development.
Analyzing the Role of Game Design and Development in Esports:
Game development consists of all the technical implementations and all that goes into the production of a video game. Game developers use the infrastructure and tools at their disposal to bring game design concepts to life and turn them into tangible products while handling processes like coding, art and sound design, user interface, and other technical aspects.
However, they also play a crucial role in creating and running a successful Esports title. In fact, many of the processes performed under game development services are essential for the game mechanics and features that make a title suitable for competitive gaming. For instance:
- Game Design Process:
Multiplayer, Esports-worthy titles, even more than single-players, require a strong level of skill parity and gameplay that promotes a sense of balance and depth in the game. Game developers strive to implement mechanics that pave the way for strategic decision-making, individual skills and teamwork to shine through. And while in this design process, they also keep in mind several other factors, such as the characters, hero abilities, game modes, maps and game objectives that are essential to the project.
- Esports-friendly Features:
On top of the existing game design process, another aspect in developing Esports titles that developers focus on is ensuring that the game has incorporated features that are geared towards the Esports community. Examples of such features include spectator modes, spectator tools, casting support, replay systems, matchmaking and ranking systems, support for tournaments and leagues, and so on. Features like these make for an Esports-friendly title that allows viewers to watch live streams of professional games, participate in the competitive scene and enable journalists and content creators to ‘cast’ professional tournaments for the community.
- Updates and Patches:
Game updates and patches are essential for all types of games, as they are important in ensuring a smooth and efficient gameplay experience for all players. In Esports titles, they are just as important in that they allow game developers to address bugs and issues that may be affecting the game’s performance, balance and features. More than just the fixes, developers release new updates and patches that introduce new bits of content and switches up the game, enhancing or balancing certain sections – while keeping the game fresh and engaging for the players.
- Community Engagement:
Another way game developers optimize their game and decide when to add new features or what next to work on to improve their Esports title is when they interact with the Esports community and other players. They interact with casual and professional gamers through social media and forums to understand their community’s needs. This helps them to address issues, discover problems that skipped other testing methods and decide how their game shapes up.
Apart from these roles and functions performed by the game’s developers, they also provide a strong foundation for setting up the ecosystem for any Esports game or title. For instance, they may form partnerships with other companies or sponsor tournaments and leagues in their own capacity.
They provide opportunities for financial support and marketing exposure in the industry, ultimately attracting talented gamers, casters and fans. Overall, they create the gameplay experience, foster community engagement, and support the growth of the competitive scene. And these are the reasons why game developers have such a significant impact on the success of Esports and multiplayer gaming.
