eSports Underground: The Future of eSports?

In recent years, eSports have transformed from a niche activity into a huge trade, and winning and making money through gaming has turned into a legitimate way for people to make a living. Professional gamers make hundreds of thousands of dollars with the money they win and touring. However, the market only really caters to these top tier players, who represent a tiny fraction of the overall eSports community. This could be set to change. A new platform called the eSports Underground Pro League is currently being funded via the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, and seeks to enable players of all skill levels to compete and fight for glory.

Members who sign up for this new platform will be given the opportunity to compete for cash online, challenge players or teams for set wagers for a winner take all experience, and earn reputation points to use in later matches that can be translated into real cash. The creators of the eSports Underground Pro League promise that it will provide all the excitement of professional eSports without the players necessarily having to be within the top 1% in terms of ability. eSports are arguably currently extremely elitist. Whereas in other sports, people can compete in competitions even if they aren’t particularly good, eSports are tailored to those who are exceptionally gifted. Some critics believe that it’s high time something was done about this problem.

The eSports Underground Pro League seems like a good idea, but whether or not it will actually live up to its promises remains to be seen. It could take away the elitism of eSports, or it could fall flat on its face. Only time will tell which of these two possibilities is going to be the case. Irrespective of the outcome, it’s an interesting idea, and it’s worth following its progress to see how it develops. Check it out for yourself here.