Esports 101
Pro gaming fills stadiums now. Meet Faker, the teenager who won $3 million, and the games people watch.
What esports is
Pro gamers on teams with coaches, salaries and sponsors, competing in leagues and tournaments that fill arenas and draw millions of viewers online.
The big games
- League of Legends (Riot Games): the biggest esports scene. Its world championship, Worlds, is the Super Bowl of gaming.
- Dota 2 (Valve): famous for its tournament The International, where a cut of fans’ in-game purchases grew the prize pool past $40 million one year.
- Counter-Strike and Valorant: tactical shooters where a single round can go viral.
- Fortnite: big prize money and young winners.
Faker, the GOAT
Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) of the Korean team T1 is widely called the greatest esports player ever. In 2025, T1 beat KT Rolster 3–2 to win Worlds for the third year in a row, giving Faker his sixth world title.
The teenager millionaire
At the 2019 Fortnite World Cup, a 16-year-old American named Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf won the solo event and $3 million.
Streaming made it mainstream
Twitch turned watching games into entertainment. In 2018, Drake played Fortnite on stream with Ninja, setting a viewership record at the time. Orgs like FaZe Clan, which started as Call of Duty trickshot videos on YouTube, became lifestyle brands with merch and rapper collabs.
Pop quiz
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