Online Video Game Tournaments

Why are video game competitions so popular?

It’s generally recognized now – thanks in no short part to the arrival on the scene of eSports –  that competitive video gaming is now seen as a sport. And we all love sporting competitions right?

Sports bring out our competitive nature. We have sporting idols we look up to and in some cases revere. There are teams to follow and watch to see how they progress in leagues and big events. We’re able to watch video-gaming at the highest level and maybe even pick up tips on how we might improve.

In eSports you’re able to follow those high performing players or teams. To cheer them on in those competitive tournament situations. Watching – at least at sites like Youtube or Twitch – is free and easily accessible. 

Just as  in ‘traditional’ sports, there are controversies to discuss, titles to win, new players to watch, and fierce rivalries.

In the kind of tournaments you and I can play in – the more casual contests – you’re again looking at easy access, low cost of entry, and the fact that anyone can get involved.

You don’t need to be a champion gamer to play in contests at any of our listed gaming tournament websites, though obviously you’ll need a good level of skill in your chosen game to be able to get your name on a leader-board, list of finalists, or even down as the ultimate winner.

You certainly don’t need to be a particular shape, age, or nationality. The barriers really are low to non existent, other than having enough cash for entry fees.

These types of contests can be played at home on any device you want. They can be played on mobile phones from pretty much anywhere, and at any time of day and night. 

Add all of this to the quality of the games themselves – fast, responsive, realistic – and you have the perfect recipe for long lasting interest. The fact they games are varied and socially acceptable to play is more icing on the cake! 

Most players will get involved in real money gaming solely with the intent of winning money.

However all forms of games offer varying levels of entertainment. It’s clear that video gaming is one of those forms that provides an exceptional level of entertainment that balances well against the amount of investment you need to make in order to play.

 

When can I play in video game tournaments?

Most types of online games can be played at any time of day or night, and 365 days a year. That includes all types of tournaments.

However many of the most widely available contests are scheduled. Which of course means you can only play in them within the scheduled times. 

Where can I meet up with other tournament players? 

Meeting other players online is easy. Most of the online gaming tournament websites have a live chat feature where you can interact with other gaming fans. It’s a good way of meeting other video gamers.

For in person ‘real world’ meetings,  try the useful site Meetup.com where there is a section that helps you “Find out what’s happening in Video Game Tournaments Meetup groups around the world and start meeting up with the ones near you”. 

The main question here is ‘Who can play real money tournaments?’, and the answer is that it depends on where you live or from what region you are playing from, and of course what age you are.

Playing games in any form for real money is a form of gambling, although there’s a reasonably firm line between playing games where skill is needed to do well and pure gambling games such as you’d find in a casino. 

Different countries have different rules. As examples – in the US it depends on what State you live in, while for other countries like Australia, the Philippines, and India the regulations can be equally complicated. 

Assuming real money gaming is in general legal where you live, then as long as you’re old enough and as long as you have internet access and a device to play on, then you should be good to go. I’d suggest you always check the term and conditions of any website you intend using to be sure – they normally clearly spell out who can and who can’t play.

How do you get into a gaming tournament? 

To get into and play in a live eSports event you’ll need to either be a professional or at least semi-professional player, and highly likely part of a team. You’ll either have been invited or won an entry in some way – perhaps by winning a league or another feeder-type tournament. 

You’ll have needed some serious hours of practice to get there, almost certainly will have needed to focus on mastering a specific game, and will have networked with other gamers to build up a reputation.

Don’t underestimate the time needed to get good at this game. Aside from direct game practice itself, you’ll benefit both from studying strategy guides and some intensive game research. Tactics and strategies play a big part, and there’s no better way than watching top gamers in action to pick up some tips. You can do this by watching eSports competitions or pro players streaming on their channels.

There are a huge amount of games that run tournaments for money and which game you choose is entirely up to you (but you can find our top picks here). You should choose a game that you are skilled at and that you enjoy. You’ll need constant motivation to get good enough to compete in large gaming competitions. To really make it, you will live and breathe your chosen game, so make sure you work to your strengths and choose the right one.

If you’re a spectator then entry will be as simple as either buying an advance ticket or perhaps paying on the door if the event isn’t already full. 

For the types of contests run by video gaming websites almost anyone can get in as long as you meet the entry criteria. You’ll normally find these in the terms and conditions of the operator you’ve chosen. 

How do I find a gaming tournament?

Finding a tournament to play online is easy. Just visit any of the listed gaming operators here, identify an event which will suit your skills and experience, pay the entry fee, and be ready when the event starts. 

If it’s a live big event you’re looking for there are a number of sites that list the bigger tournaments. Esportcharts is a good example.   

How much does it cost to enter a gaming tournament? 

Entry fees vary wildly. In general, the higher the prize or the more prestigious the event, the higher the cost to get involved. Some online contests will run for upwards of a few dollars entry, while the bigger ones can run into tens or hundreds.

How do pro gamers get paid?

Professional gamers  may have a number of income streams. There will money from any cash prizes they’ve won, advertising income from streaming services or videos and potentially sponsorships from major companies for the very best players. 

How much do eSports players get paid?
If you can make it to the higher levels, you might expect to make an average of $3,000 to $5,000 per month. This can of course vary wildly based on a number of factors including how often you play, which teams you’re in, and which events you contest. As an example, top League of Legends players can look forward to monthly income of around $15,000.

How many hours do pro gamers play a day? 

Pro gamers will treat their profession like any successful sporting player will. To perform at the highest levels calls for dedication, commitment, a lot of experience to get there in the first place, and a lot of effort to stay there. All of this equals time for sure. How much time will depend on the player, their innate ability, and their psychological, mental, and physical strength. 

Certainly it would be surprising to hear of any pro player playing an average of less than 4 hours per day, and more likely 6 to 9. In the run up to a tournament this could increase to 12 to 16 hours a day.   

How do video game tournaments work?  

Once you’ve decided on where to play it’s fairly straightforward to get to the stage of actually arranging and participating in contests.  

There’s normally a simple registration process. Usual type stuff. You may need to sign up using your gaming account ID such as one you might have on PSN or Xbox. You’ll probably only hit problems with this if you’re not of legal age to play or live somewhere where gaming for money is banned.  

When registered there are always instructions on how to enter one on one or head to head battles or see whether there are multiplayer tournaments lined up. Most sites show player profiles which you can use to get a reasonable idea of the ability level of your opponents. 

 

Head 2 Head or One on One Matches

The number of rounds in these type matches can vary between games. Both you and your opponent will compete against each other for the same amount of money (ie the amount staked by both of you combined). The winner gets the full pot of money excluding the commission which goes to the game operator. This is known as the rake – a very well known term if you’re a poker player.  

Bracket-Tournaments

These involve multiple players who play in a game with the same amount of money. The eventual profit for the highest performers in any one contest is normally displayed in advance in a percentage format. The overall value of that percentage will of course depend on the number of paying participants, though in some cases it may be increased by the operator also putting up a proportion of the prize money.  

It’s worth keeping an eye open for free to play tournaments which some operators run occasionally, though note that when none of a competitors own money is at stake they can sometimes play recklessly. Clearly that can change the face of a game and influence outcomes somewhat. 

Single Elimination Bracket

The easiest and most widely seen tournament format. This is a bracket in which contestants are eliminated after one math loss. They tend to be shorter in length with each subsequent round having half as many matches as the one before. 

Double Elimination

This is another form of bracket, but this time you’ll be eliminated after losing twice. Obviously these normally run for at least twice the amount of time as a single elimination contest.

Gauntlet 

Here a single match is played in each round, with the winner of any match moving forwards to play a higher seeded opponent who hasn’t yet played a match.

Round Robin Group

These contests are formed from small groups in which each player plays against every other player in the same group.

Groups are often capped at anything up to 10 players total, with seeded players tending to be separated from other seeds. This normally ensures that the best players end up meeting in quarter finals or semis, though of course there can be some surprise results. 

Bracket Group

This refers to a group in which the players meet in smaller single or double elimination brackets. Allows for a much shorter group stage than with Round Robin, and with all matches being decisive.

League

Video gaming leagues are essentially the same as leagues you’ll find in other sports – divisions containing varying numbers of players in which you’ll play every other player from the same division. There are no eliminations, the winner being decided on points earned during the league season.

How do video game tournaments make money?

In the larger tournaments the money will be made in a combination of participant entry fees, spectator fees, advertising and sponsorships. In the smaller events the vast majority of cash income will come from player entry fees.   

How long do video game tournaments last? 

• How long a tournament last clearly depends on multiple variables. The main ones include : 

• How many players are involved & how many rounds to navigate as a result 

• The type of game being played 

• The general rules of the event itself 

• The bigger tournaments can run over many days, while smaller head to heads could be over in as little as 10 minutes. Lesser value multiplayer events might run a few hours.  

How do you hold a gaming tournament? 

If you’re considering putting on a substantially sized live event this is probably best left to promotion and event experts. It’ll need a considerable level of experience to pull off.  

There is a way though of running smaller tournaments which pretty much anyone can do. This page on Toornament.com takes you through the steps of setting up your first contest. It’s obviously specific in places for arranging Toornament events, but equally is a good guide for helping to appreciate the general steps involved.   

Is it illegal to play video games for money?

The beauty is that competitive video gaming for money is considered legal in many jurisdictions since the games entail the use of skill and not of chance/ Essentially they’re not gambling games. This is great news for players from countries with stringent gambling laws – competitive internet gaming offers a way to wager and win money without having to deal with the anti-gambling initiative.

Still, it is very important to check your local government laws since there are a few places that would still consider this form of gaming illegal. It can sometimes fall into a grey area, both for participants and for tournament organizers. In the United States there are currently 6 states that prohibit gaming for money, for example.

Is it illegal to host video game tournaments?

I’m not aware of any regions of the world where it is specifically illegal to set up and run a gaming tournament. There are a number of websites that allow you to do just that.   Where it may be a problem is in any country where there are laws that make gambling illegal – and the local regulatory bodies include gaming tournaments in that category.

The best way to be sure would be to check regulations yourself with the appropriate government body, although there are many online web-pages which spell out current country regulations. 

Are gaming tournaments legal?

Gaming tournaments are as legal as they would be if they were any sporting event from tennis to football to basketball. It’s the playing for money element that might throw up any question marks.

Competitive video gaming for money is considered legal in many jurisdictions since the games entail the use of skill. They’re not based on the level of chance you’ll encounter in gambling games such as you’ll find in a casino. What this means is that if you’re a resident of a country with strict  gambling laws, then skill gaming may be exempt from those laws even where it entails cash prizes.

In roughly 80% of the world you should expect to have no concerns.

To be certain it’s always wise to check your local government laws. There are a few places that would consider this form of gaming illegal.

We can take an example of the US, where there are currently 9 states that prohibit skill gaming for money ( Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee). Plus real prize game-play is not legal Maine and Indiana if playing cards are involved in the game. 

Are there Call of Duty : Warzone tournaments?

Yes Call Of Duty tournaments can be played online at various gaming websites.As an example Checkmategaming run Call Of Duty contests regularly while there are also Warzone events on Gamebattles.