But there is a difference between a game that can be played like that and one that can become a formal eSport.Ī defining aspect of eSports design is trying to level the playing field in terms of balance. Competition vs. eSportĪny genre can be played at the competitive level we’ve seen this from the likes of mobile games, speed run challenges, and even the Tetris World Series. But despite what big teams, sponsors, and major tournaments will lead you to believe, eSports as a part of the game industry itself still feels more like an anomaly rather than a major aspect of it, and I question whether or not it has been a net gain or loss when it comes to the industry itself.

The RTS genre is one that has changed the most with the advent of trying to grow the eSports scene, as we saw with the rise of StarCraft, the shift to MOBAs, and even with the changes to the design seen in series like Age of Empires and Company of Heroes. One of the entries in the Deep Dive series that I’m going to write will be about Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games.