Why League of Legends is such a popular eSport
With tournaments taking place across the world, League of Legends sees professional players looking to take the title of champion. This is not a new game by any stretch of the imagination: first launched back in 2009, it is one that has gone from strength to strength and only gained in popularity. As well as the professionals themselves, there is also an army of fans looking to get in and watch the action. Thousands cram into stadiums to watch, with just as many placing esports bets on the outcome.
Did we ever think that the day would come where people were earning full-time livings from playing computer games? The smart guys did and they have taken the world of eSports by storm. Just like with traditional sports, gamblers like nothing more than taking a punt and wagering on the outcome of a game, but with so many games around, what is it that makes League of Legends quite so popular when it comes to esports betting?
A brief introduction to League of Legends
We don’t like to assume that you are all familiar with this game, so before going into its popularity as an eSport, we thought it would be worthwhile to cover the basics of what the game actually involves. It may have been around for a good few years now, but there are still players out there who have yet to acquaint themselves with all that this game has to offer.
League of Legends is a multiplayer game that is all about battling online. Teams are formed with no more than five players in each and they are then unleashed to do battle with each other. How do you win? The winning team is the one that locates and destroys their opponents' Nexus (a structure in enemy territory).
Characters are known as ‘Champions’ and each of these starts off as a novice. These novices will have few skills and access to only basic weapons. The more that you play, and the more that you win, the more your skill grows and the more weapons are unlocked for you to use.
League of Legends as an eSport
League of Legends isn’t the only popular eSport that is bet on. One of the other most famous titles is probably Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This is a game that is played as part of a massive tournament. League of Legends differs here as the game is played within leagues. These leagues are on the large side and are often split into sub leagues that are based on towns and cities.
These leagues are great for fans who love to bet. They are much the same as a football league in that the greats will get promoted while those not so great will end up playing in a lower league. Fans can bet at the start of the season as to who they think will take titles, gain promotion, or be relegated. The similarities to betting on football and other traditional sports are obvious.
This league format attracts massive audiences. Stadiums can’t hold the crowds that want to be part of the action and so many fans will watch via pay per view to make sure that they don’t miss out. The existence of pay per view ensures that League of Legends is accessible to a global audience.
Why bet on this eSport?
We have just had a look at some of the similarities that there are with traditional sports, such as football. The truth is that the games themselves are a million miles away from each other: a team on a pitch kicking a ball is hardly comparable to a 10 person battle arena. It is the league format that makes the two so similar and what makes League of Legends so great to bet on.
Aside from the league format, League of Legends itself is a fast-paced game that is full of action. This makes it exciting to watch. There are so many twists and turns throughout a game that tension and anticipation build while fans await the outcome. It is this kind of buzz that adds to the experience and sees fans keen to place their bets.