# What is UGEsports? Overview of UGEsports - a web3 Esports tournament platform ![](https://98960493-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FIujhYaz2UdqEQC7nxaug%2Fuploads%2FxDTDBXKpGkb9Lx8WsNvg%2Fbanner2.png?alt=media\&token=aab57568-e27e-486c-b1d4-7027ab3eb7a4) UGEsports is a web3 esports competition platform that aims to democratize the mainstream esports tournament landscape, from tournament/match creation, participation and engagement to sponsorship. We empower **organizers, gamers, fans, guilds**, and **sponsors** to interact, engage and transact with each other in a trustless manner, enabled by web3 and blockchain technology. We believe that esports and web3 are the perfect combination to bring transparency, global inclusion, and accessibility to gamers of all levels. # Global Esports market ## What is esports? Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. More specifically, by design and without exception, esports games rely more on skill than luck by a clear degree. This is a major appeal of esports, and any other form of competition. Skill always relies on different physical or strategic abilities. Skill can be learned and developed. While you need to work hard to refine your skills, a stroke of luck can happen to anyone, at any time, in anything. There are often some minor elements of luck in esports titles but these usually don’t have an impact on the outcome of a contest. ## The most popular titles The most common video game genres associated with esports are multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), fighting, card, battle royale, and real-time strategy (RTS) games. Popular esports franchises include **League of Legends, PUBG, Dota, Counter-Strike, Valorant, Overwatch, EAsport FIFA, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros, and StarCraft**, among many others. ## The tournaments Esports, as we know it today, is relatively new, however, competitive gaming has been around since the 90s. In the early 1990’s, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat competitions and tournaments grew in popularity followed by GoldenEye and other first-person shooters later that decade, which paved the way for the Starcraft, Warcraft, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Halo series. Fast forward to 1998, the legendary Starcraft 2 tournament on PC boasted huge success in participation and audience. As the 2000’s rolled around, Esports gained serious momentum. Tournament hosts such as the World Cyber Games and the Electronic Sports World Cup debuted, followed by the launch of Major League Gaming (MLG) in 2002. Today, MLG is considered one of the world’s most prominent hosts in Esports. In 2011, League of Legends had its first World Championship and in 2013, the event sold out the Staples Center in Los Angeles within minutes of tickets going on sale. While the League of Legends World Championships are an indicator of the growth of esports as a spectator sport, the annual Dota 2 tournament: "The International" is a testament to how massive the sport has become on the financial side. The very first International was held on August 1, 2011. The top 16 teams in the world were invited to the event, which was the first publicly streamed Dota event. The tournament was broadcast in four different commentary languages and the grand prize for the winner was $1 million. Since then, The International has broken its own record for the biggest prize pool in all of esports every year since 2014. The prize for first place ballooned up to $5,028,308 in 2014, $6,616,014 in 2015, $9,139,002 in 2016 and $10,862,683 in 2017. And these are just the top prizes; the prize pools overall have been over double this amount. ## The audience Sharing the same characteristics as traditional/physical sport, esports attract a huge audience who enjoyed watching competitive matches for various purposes such as entertainment and learning. According to Newzoo, global Esports fandom is continuing to grow in 2022 and beyond. In 2022: * The global esports **audience will grow +8.7% year on year to reach 532 million**. * Esports enthusiasts—those who watch esports content more than once a month—will account for just over 261 million. * Occasional viewers—those who watch esports content but less than once a month—will account for the remaining 271 million. The main drivers behind esports audience growth are: * **Popular new esports franchises** such as Valorant, which build on Riot’s previous successes and experience from League and Legends * **Mobile esports’ expansion** with regional leagues like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and League of Legends: Wild Rift * **The rise of esports in growth markets** across Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa According to the said report, the number of esports enthusiasts will grow to 318 million in 2025, with a CAGR of +8.1% (2020-2025). In 2025, the total audience will surpass 640 million. The market’s *longer-term* growth is expected to be contributed by emerging markets like across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.
# Blockchain x Gaming Our view on the recent adoption of blockchain into gaming The first generation of blockchain integration with gaming was the popular Play-to-earn (P2E) trend with Axie Infinity leading the news globally. ### The positives Firstly, these games have introduced a new and engaging way for people to learn about and participate in cryptocurrency. By offering players the opportunity to earn cryptocurrency while playing games, crypto play-to-earn games have attracted a new and diverse group of users to the blockchain market. Secondly, these games have provided a use case for blockchain technology beyond just currency transactions. The concept of owning unique digital assets within a game that can be traded or sold on a decentralized marketplace has demonstrated the potential of blockchain technology to create new types of economies and markets. Thirdly, the success of crypto play-to-earn games has attracted significant investment and attention to the blockchain market, leading to the development of new and innovative blockchain-based projects and applications. This has led to increased awareness and adoption of blockchain technology across different industries. Finally, the popularity of crypto play-to-earn games has also led to the development of new blockchain-based gaming platforms and tools that developers can use to create new and innovative games. This has expanded the scope of blockchain technology beyond just finance and has shown the potential for blockchain to revolutionize the gaming industry. ### The negatives On the other hand, there are several shortfalls that were brought along. One negative impact is that crypto play-to-earn games have led to increased demand for graphics cards, which has led to shortages and price hikes. This is because the games require powerful graphics cards to mine cryptocurrency while playing, and this has led to gamers having to pay more for graphics cards or wait longer to get them. Additionally, crypto play-to-earn games can be viewed as a distraction from traditional gaming experiences. Some gamers may shift their focus from playing games for entertainment to solely playing games for the purpose of earning cryptocurrency, which could lead to a decrease in the quality of gameplay and the overall gaming experience. Moreover, there have been instances of fraud and scams in the crypto play-to-earn game industry. Some games have promised players high returns for their investment or participation, only to disappear with the funds later on. This has led to distrust among gamers and investors in the industry, which could hurt the overall gaming market. Finally, the energy consumption required for mining cryptocurrency in these games is significant and may have a negative impact on the environment. The environmental impact of crypto play-to-earn games may deter some gamers who are environmentally conscious. Overall, while crypto play-to-earn games have provided a new way for players to earn money and participate in the cryptocurrency market, they have also had negative impacts on the gaming industry, including graphics card shortages, potential fraud and scams, decreased gaming quality, and negative environmental impacts. # Market pain points {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** your product docs aren't just a reference of all your features! use them to encourage folks to perform certain actions and discover the value in your product. {% endhint %} # Projects {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** Splitting your product into fundamental concepts, objects, or areas can be a great way to let readers deep dive into the concepts that matter most to them. {% endhint %} # Members {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** Splitting your product into fundamental concepts, objects, or areas can be a great way to let readers deep dive into the concepts that matter most to them. {% endhint %} # Task Lists {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** Splitting your product into fundamental concepts, objects, or areas can be a great way to let readers deep dive into the concepts that matter most to them. {% endhint %} # Tasks {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** Splitting your product into fundamental concepts, objects, or areas can be a great way to let readers deep dive into the concepts that matter most to them. {% endhint %} # For Designers {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** depending on the product you're building, it can be useful to explicitly document use cases. Got a product that can be used by a bunch of people in different ways? Maybe consider splitting it out! {% endhint %} # Figma Integration {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** depending on the product you're building, it can be useful to explicitly document use cases. Got a product that can be used by a bunch of people in different ways? Maybe consider splitting it out! {% endhint %} # For Engineers {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** depending on the product you're building, it can be useful to explicitly document use cases. Got a product that can be used by a bunch of people in different ways? Maybe consider splitting it out! {% endhint %} # GitHub Integration {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** depending on the product you're building, it can be useful to explicitly document use cases. Got a product that can be used by a bunch of people in different ways? Maybe consider splitting it out! {% endhint %} # For Support {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** depending on the product you're building, it can be useful to explicitly document use cases. Got a product that can be used by a bunch of people in different ways? Maybe consider splitting it out! {% endhint %} # Intercom Integration {% hint style="info" %} **Good to know:** depending on the product you're building, it can be useful to explicitly document use cases. Got a product that can be used by a bunch of people in different ways? Maybe consider splitting it out! {% endhint %}