E-sports Is Bigger Than Ever in Norway—Here’s Why

E-sports is a sport consisting of organized gaming. Players participate in competitions and tournaments, receive prizes, and are ranked. This sport has become increasingly popular in Norway and abroad in recent years, as playing computer games is fun for young and old alike. The most popular games that are played on a professional level include League of Legends, StarCraft II, Counter-Strike and Dota 2. How did e-sport become so popular in Norway? Where did it actually start? Read more in this article, where we delve deeper into the history and status of e-sports in Norway today.

Brief Historical Overview

Whether it’s video games on PlayStation or PC games, e-sports is something that many enjoy. E-sports traces its origins back to the 1970s and 1980s in competitive games such as Space Invaders. However, it was not until the 1990s, with the arrival of the internet, that more e-sports communities as we know them today began to emerge. Larger tournaments were arranged where good players could compete against each other in various games and, with a good ranking, win prizes of value.

There is a debate about whether e-sports can really be categorized as a sport. One of the arguments is the belief that sport should be about using the body physically. This, however, is not the focus in e-sports. At the same time, some argue that there are many common elements to both traditional sports and e-sports. Therefore, many believe that these two sports can be treated in the same way. Either way, playing is fun and engaging to many different people.

Greater and Greater Focus on e-Sports in Norway

E-sports has long been popular abroad but is now also starting to really take off in Norway, where more and more people are becoming interested in this sport. There are several notable gaming sites, one of them being Gamer.no, which has had great success with its e-sports initiative, Telialigaen. Competitions in many different games are held throughout the year, the league being arranged in collaboration with Telia. Both TV2 and NRK have broadcast e-sports tournaments, bringing this sport to a larger audience. E-sport has also become popular to bet on and several of the major betting sites in Norway, as well as more niched betting sites offer odds on major e-sports like CS:GO and League of Legends. It is with great interest that we follow the further development of e-sports, both in Norway and elsewhere around the globe.