What Retro Games Are Best For eSports?
For those who may not have been paying close attention, eSports has become a rocket ship of an industry. Just a few years ago there were still plenty of people who essentially rolled their eyes at the notion of people paying to watch others play video games. Now, however – at least from a financial standpoint – we can look at eSports as a major sport. Per an analysis put out earlier this season, eSports will soon be a one billion dollar business with a global audience of over 300 million fans. Those are fairly incredible numbers. To put them in perspective, 300 million fans means just about 4% of the world’s entire population is watching eSports!
The rise in awareness and enjoyment of the sport is also undoubtedly being assisted by the ever-increasing prevalence of sports betting opportunities. A variety of platforms is available online, and while they all offer different bonuses, prices, and services, the general idea is the same: people can bet freely on sports and all kinds of other activities, and it’s getting more convenient for them to do so. Even the American markets, which have long been closed due to legislation, are starting to open to sports betting. This only gives more people the chance to get involved with eSports.
To sum it all up, the industry is exploding. And while it thrives largely on new and exciting games with graphics that are a pleasure for spectators, a bigger eSports business will doubtless mean new games. And we naturally have to wonder if some of those new games will actually be – well – old.
If that’s to be the case, these are some of the best retro games, as we figure, for the eSports community.
Crazy Taxi
In a way, Crazy Taxi was almost like Grand Theft Auto before Grand Theft Auto became big. Only, without the shooting and stealing and whatnot. This could effectively be a twist on the racing games that are already popular in eSports, except audiences would get to watch competitors try increasingly frantic measures to earn good times. It would be chaotic in a very enjoyable way.
Super Bomberman
What could make for a better gaming competition than a battle mode in which your only goal is to blow up your opponent with a bomb before he or she does the same to you? That’s pretty much how Super Bomberman’s multiplayer worked, and it would make for an awesome, clever, and amusing addition to the eSports world.
GoldenEye 007
Some would say that Doom is among the most influential video games of all time. In fact, some have called it just that. This is because Doom effectively launched the first person shooter as we know it, and it’s for this reason that versions of the game are already popular in eSports. But we’d argue that GoldenEye 007 did just as much or more for the genre, and may even be the more popular (and more nostalgic) game – with the better multiplayer mode.
Worms Armageddon
This is a less popular pick, but if you ever played the game chances are you’re on board with the idea. Worms Armageddon and its various spinoffs and sequels were just awesome multiplayer games involving humor, strategy, and an interesting brand of violence. The game might be a little slow for eSports, but we’re betting something like live commentary could spice it up.
Mario Kart 64
Does anything more really need to be said? This is possibly the best multiplayer game of all time, and while more modern iterations are perfectly find, the nostalgia quality with the original would play incredibly well with eSports audiences.