This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

Esports, or competitive video gaming, has become a global phenomenon in recent years. With millions of fans and players around the world, the industry has grown to become a multi-billion-dollar business. However, the origins of eSports can be traced back to the early days of video games when players would compete against each other for high scores and bragging rights. The first recorded video game competition took place in 1972 at Stanford University, where students competed in a game called Spacewar! on the university's mainframe computer. The winner of the competition received a one-year subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. This was the first instance of video games being used as a competitive medium, and it set the stage for future competitions. In the early 1980s, the popularity of arcade games gave rise to local video game tournaments, where players would compete against each other for high scores and prizes. These tournaments were usually organized by local arcades and gaming stores, and they attracted a small but dedicated group of gamers.