“Keep calm and blame it on the lag.”
From its humble beginnings as a small collection of arcade titles, the video game industry is now estimated to be worth a whopping $180 billion. One of the fastest-growing facets of the gaming world in the past decade has been playing titles professionally. ‘Esports’ is the umbrella term used to describe the industries built around professional players competing in their favourite games around the world. With over 540 million viewers globally, the popularity and success of Esports now rival its real-world sporting counterparts. That’s why here at What We Reading, we thought we would delve into this latest entertainment phenomenon with the best Esports books!
Good Luck Have Fun: The Rise Of Esports – Roland Li
First up on our list of the best Esports books is Roland Li’s close look at the growth of the industry, Good Luck Have Fun. Throughout this 2016 deep-dive, Li talks to some of the biggest names involved in the business, exploring the technologies, cultures, and determination of players, companies, and sponsors who have made it to the big leagues.
Follow Alexander Garfield as he turns Evil Geniuses into a global multimillion-dollar company from inside his college dorm, and follow Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill as they help League of Legends grow into the world’s most popular PC game and its professional tournament circuit into a billion-dollar business. Learn how Twitch pivoted from a novel streaming platform into a global media phenomenon on the back of pro players. In addition to these successes, Li also delves into the industry’s darker sides, exploring issues such as drug abuse, labour issues, and the hundreds of players who failed to make a name for themselves on the server.
Contributed by Gamelevate
The Invisible Game: Mindset Of A Winning Team – Zoltan Andrejkovics
Zoltan Andrejkovics, the Head of Esports at Docler Group, has established himself as one of the trailblazing experts in the video gaming world, delving into interpersonal psychology and team dynamics in competitive gaming. In his book, The Invisible Game, he imparts all of his years of wisdom and experience to readers, demonstrating that being in a team with the best skills is no longer enough to guarantee success.
The book covers the necessary mental developments that Esports professionals need. Andrejkovics explores the potency of our daily thoughts and how they can sometimes mask our inner wisdom. Straight from the perspective of an Esports team owner, The Invisible Game is a frank guidebook on finding optimal performance both on the map and outside of it.
OpTic Gaming: The Making Of Esports Champions – H3CZ
For one of the most intimate and eye-opening Esports books on the inner machinations of a winning organization, The Making of Esports Champions is a must-read. This fascinating memoir and insider guide takes readers beyond the controller and into the minds, routines, and rituals of the members of OpTic Gaming, four-time Call of Duty Major League Gaming Champions.
A collaboration between all the players in the organization, this candid book chronicles their rise to the top of the gaming world, detailing what it means to ‘make it’ in professional gaming and the consequences of their newfound fame. In addition to honest insights into the life of a pro, these players also curate their favourite moments, strategies, and challenges from their ultra-successful careers, bringing gaming fans closer to the individuals they cheer for in the server than any other work.
Talking Esports – Paul Chaloner
One of the best bridges between those who follow real-world sports and Esports comes from the production value that professional gaming tournaments now boast. The huge crowds, stages, and light show all blur the lines between entertainment spectacle and competitive sporting occasions; however, it is the business of commentating on these professional matches that Paul Chaloner explores in his Esports book, Talking Esports.
Compiled over eight years, Chaloner guides those with an interest in broadcasting Esports. Whether it’s becoming a home broadcaster, a professional caster, or even a stage host, Talking Esports is the ultimate guidebook for kickstarting a career by commenting on the action rather than playing it.
The League of Legends Experience: A Year Inside The Wild, Wonderful, Riotous World Of The Planet’s Most Popular Esport – Harold Goldberg
New York Times contributor and award-winning author Harold Goldberg takes readers behind the scenes of professional League of Legends in his Esports book, The League of Legends Experience.
Goldberg spent over a year following North American teams around the globe as they competed for fame and fortune during a time in which the game and the wider Esports industry were experiencing their first meteoric booms. Through the lives and schedules of these teams and players, he uncovers what it means to be a professional player in a game that has millions of devotees around the world. The ups and downs of this relentlessly competitive world are all delivered to showcase exactly why Esports is more than the latest pop culture phenomenon.
Korea’s Online Gaming Empire – Dal Yong Jin
South Korea has become one of the most significant hotbeds for the growth of Esports, and Dal Yong Jin lifts the lid on the phenomenon in Korea’s Online Gaming Empire. The book maps the rapid growth of the online games market in Korea and discusses it from social, cultural, and economic perspectives.
Dal Yong Jin also explores how the gaming world has established itself as one of the major players in the political arena, with the South Korean government implementing policies designed to help Esports flourish both as a cutting-edge business and as a cultural touchstone. Korea’s Online Gaming Empire documents everything from the emergence of Esports among younger generations, the working conditions for those inside the industry, how Korea’s online games market has gone global, and what the ramifications on the wider world might be on the back of this growth.
A Newborn Business – Zoltan Andrejkovics
Zoltan Andrejkovics is back on our list of the best Esports books with another acclaimed work designed to teach readers all there is to know about professional gaming. ‘How do I become a professional Esports player?’ ‘What is the lifespan of an Esport game?’ ‘What are the most popular Esports games?’ ‘How can I make a living playing video games?’ – A Newborn Business is Andrejkovics’ attempt to answer as many of the most commonly asked questions about the Esports world as possible.
Covering the past, present, and future of the industry from a wealth of different angles and perspectives, A Newborn Business is the ultimate handbook for understanding what Esports is and how to begin getting involved in an industry everyone wants to be a part of.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
