Those who think esports occupy a small, forgettable faction of the entertainment industry are unequivocally and undeniably wrong. Esports may seem small due to a lack of mainstream coverage, but the budding industry is a global phenomenon with a fanbase in the hundreds of millions. Still, esports continues to be difficult to wa

Crescendum (Chakram): Can’t auto attack again until the projectile bounces back, but when returned, it resets his basic attack. Casting abilities creates copies of the chakram which then strengthens his basic attacks based on the amount he’s hol

It’s unclear whether universal control over games that operate under the catch-all domain of esports will ever exist. Escalating conflict between streaming platforms that compete for viewer attention certainly isn’t helping the case for unified growth. It’s also worth questioning whether universal control is even needed. Larger titles seem to be doing just fine supporting their own leagues. A 16-year-old just took home $3 million at the first-ever _ Fortnite _ World Cup, after

Part of the original lore of the game dealt with how certain champions were bound to the league. Essentially, their power was held by the league. This allowed them to remain bound, such as Nocturne, and allowed their powers to scale back and forth between battles universa

For instance, coverage of a battle royale is going to be drastically more complex than a game like Mortal Kombat and completely different than MOBA coverage. Asking one entity to develop the infrastructure to cover all games is quite a reach. This leaves developers in charge of covering their own events and lets them dictate how they set up tournaments, pay athletes, and cover the events. Could there ever really be a unified esports community under this system? Probably not. This means a lack of regulation, consistency, and viewership will always be an industry-wide conc

Even having just one squadmate kitted out with a sniper rifle opens up a bevy of tactical options. Out sniping the other team doesn’t necessarily need to be the name of the game, either. One squadmate returning fire to draw attention while the other two find routes to flank or close the gap is a remarkably effective strat

While sniping wasn’t incredibly popular at launch, it’s become increasingly prevalent with balancing changes that have exponentially increased its lethality. Being stuck behind cover with no recourse as an enemy squad rains fire from afar is one of the worst situations to be in, and the simple solution is to ensure that one can respond in k

Heroes of the Storm is not only a recent example of Blizzard failing to make a go of their moba map guide – they also did so in what’s considered the most disrespectful of ways to its community, its competitive player base, and everyone else invol

Queuing up with randoms isn’t an ideal situation to begin with, but there’s no need to make it any worse by completely disregarding them. If you’re queuing alone or with a single friend, take the extra step to extend an olive branch towards your randomly selected companion. It might just be a match-winning m

Players generally perform better when they feel good about what they’re doing. So, when they land that perfect headshot, let them know that somebody noticed. If they’re a newer player, offer advice and tips instead of petulant whinging. It should go without saying, but they’ll be a bit more receptive, and a lot more likely to help when it’s nee

League of Legends is one of the most popular titles available in the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre . Debuting on October 27 th , 2009, League has dominated conversations between fans of the genre for over a decade, featuring a roster of more than 100 playable characters and tons of customization opti

With studios scrambling to keep up with light-speed growth, a reactive wait-and-see attitude seems like the industry-wide solution.”I think it has all the tools to really go the distance and become something powerful,” says Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, to CNBC about the future of esports. This roughly translates to, “it looks cool, but no ones’s really thought about it too hard yet.” Until it becomes something more powerful, you can find me playing games instead of watching t

It’ll be difficult to get accustomed to Aphelios’ laning phase. He starts with Calibrum and Severum and doesn’t learn his Q until level 2, so depending on the lane players will need to adapt to two different playstyles. Summoners can either play aggressively to hit level 2 first, or be overly defensive and let the enemy laners push until Aphelios can get level 2 safely. What makes Aphelios strong is his versatility. Players will need to adjust their main and off-hand weapons of choice based on lane matchups. Use Calibrum (Sniper Rifle) when the lane favors poke and harass. Severum (Pistol) and Infernum (Flamethrower) are strong against defensive lanes giving Aphelios sustain and pushing power. Crescendum can be used to provide huge damage during a gank while the crowd control that Gravitum (Graviton Cannon) provides can be used both offensively and defensiv