The eSports Awards are coming to Vegas, and this event marks a monumental era in modern history. Long gone are the days when video games were shrugged off as child’s play or fruitless hobbies. Gaming has become a mammoth industry integrating with some major industries, markets and lifestyles worldwide.
eSport players, teams, suppliers, distributors and fans have created an industry slowly building an actual legacy. The eSports Awards is here to honor that innovation and all of those who have poured their lives into creating a platform that has the power to unite generations across the globe.
Since 2016, the purpose behind this gamified event has been twofold: to display and celebrate the incredible innovations put forth by “amongst others, the players, teams, media, hardware providers, games, events, and personalities within the scene” and to give credit where credit is due.
Far too often, the individuals already in the limelight receive all the credit for an organization’s success. So, while gaming largely celebrates successful gamers and streamers, the eSports awards look to shine light into the background. The hardware, development, creative and content teams that work on gaming projects and community and media members are integral to the success of individual games and the industry as a whole. These awards focus on recognizing and respecting the talent that creates the worlds and communities gamers love.
In that light, awards will be given for eSports achievements in several categories such as Community, Industry, On-Air Talent, Creative, Collegiate and Pro. The awards for each group include (but are not limited to):
- Content Creator of the Year
- Game of the Year
- Streamer of the Year
- Coverage Platform of the Year
- Hardware of the Year
- Cosplay of the Year
- Collegiate Program of the Year
- Creative Piece of the Year
The chosen categories for the eSports events are designed to recognize those who contribute to the gaming community on every level. From the crafty designers who create the characters we love, to the online personalities who comment on incredible highlight reels and introduce the community to new experiences, no role goes unnoticed here. Even members of the community who play a valuable role in its culture, such as cosplayers, are honored in this ceremony.
Anyone can cast votes to support their favorite projects and even nominate additional contenders who deserve a few moments in the sun. In addition to public voting, the winners of each eSports category will be chosen by a distinguished panel in a highly transparent and stringent process. Members of the eSports community were previously invited to apply or nominate others for panel positions, to encourage a well-blended, categorically diverse judging panel.
For the sixth year in a row, The eSports Awards are bringing together a passionate community to recognize their imagination and innovation. This year, more than ever, the gaming world is becoming a more significant part of outside communities. As gaming becomes part of the cryptocurrency universe, team building strategies and education reform, the minds behind the designs and controllers are uniquely positioned.
Instead of just changing the realm of entertainment, the eSports community is positioned to change everything about how the world interacts, learns, and lives. The winners of this year’s eSports Awards may find themselves in a larger ring than they ever imagined, changing the game of life as we know it. In the meantime, we will sit back and watch these incredible creatives enjoy their moment in the sun and relish the success they have built on following what they genuinely love — and what they may have never imagined would amount to quite so much.