May 18, 2016, at 6:15 a.m.
From the early days of Space Invaders contests to the billion-dollar betting industry of today, eSports has come a very long way in next to no time.
As with so many technological phenomena, it was birthed by academics, in this case a bunch of SpaceWars enthusiasts at Stanford University. And, following another familiar pattern on the tech front, it was South-East Asia – in particular South Korea – that took a fairly primitive thing and streamlined it in such a way as to make eSports both respectable and profitable.
With a future that seems to promise Olympic recognition and tens of billions in annual revenues, eSports is in the rudest possible health. Countless competitors, epic audiences, a massive betting market – eSports is but further proof that the geek shall inherit the earth.
