Add an E: Sports video games that became (e)Sports themselves

Sports are among the most lucrative parts of the entertainment industry (even though we hardly ever think of them like that) that branch into a series of other businesses as well, ranging from sportswear to tourism and gaming. Especially gaming. The first video games in history were sports simulators (if we can call them that). One of the earliest examples is "Tennis for Two", a game running on a Donner Model 30 analogue computer with an oscilloscope used as a display, presented in 1958. Since then, everyone from major video game development studios to online slot software providers have released games based on various sports and sports franchises. In the new century, in turn, sports video games seem to have completed the circle: some of them have become sports themselves. Well, eSports, to be precise.

Competitive gaming had emerged as early as the 1970s but didn't go mainstream until the early 2000s, when the South Korean government decided it was time to regulate competitive video games. Since then, eSports has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the sports industry (although there are still many who refuse to call video games "sports"). Today, we have several major international eSports competitions with an ever-increasing viewership, sponsorship, and prize money involved. And we have these games that started out as sports simulators and turned into true competitive games - eSports, for short.

FIFA series (EA Sports)

The FIFA series is arguably one of the most popular sports simulators out there - and, according to the Guinness World Records, it is the best-selling video game franchise in history. The first game in the series was released in the early 1990s and since then, a new entry in the franchise was launched almost every year.

The games in the FIFA series were part of the World Cyber Games tournament since its first edition in 2001. It is especially popular in Germany, where it has several professional leagues like the Electronic Sports League (ESL) and the World League eSport Bundesliga. Furthermore, FIFA itself works with EA sports organising the FIFA Interactive World Cup, currently the biggest video game tournament in the world.

Rocket League (Psyonix)

Rocket League is not like the other games on our list: it's not a sports simulator per se. Instead, it combines football and driving simulators into one unique amalgam described as "soccer, but with rocket-powered cars". Aside from being a fun game, it's also increasingly popular as a competitive title - companies like the publisher Psyonix and third parties ranging from Twitch TV to ESL are running prized competitions, and sports channels around the world are broadcasting its tournaments' finals.

NBA 2K (Take-Two Interactive)

2K Sports is the sports division of Take-Two Interactive, a company responsible for insanely successful titles ranging from Borderlands to XCOM. It has its name on the labels of sports simulators like the WWE 2K and the NBA 2K series - with the latter being turned into a bona fide sports franchise through the NBA 2K League.

The NBA 2K League is a joint venture between the publisher and the NBA itself. The league's first season was inaugurated in 2018, with 17 of the 30 NBA teams having their own NBA 2K team in the competition.

While shooters and role-playing games are on the frontlines when it comes to eSports popularity, competitive gaming is more than just spells and shooting. Several real-life sports leagues, from the NFL to NASCAR, have seen its potential in bringing their gamer fans closer to them and are now organising official tournaments, bringing sports simulators and actual sports closer together.