Increasingly popular, e-sports have attracted crowds of spectators around the world and, currently, there are 6 main categories into which the most popular competitive electronic games fall: FPS, Moba, battle royale, simulators, fighting games, and cards.
“These categories are, without a doubt, the most traditional and most popular, but perhaps, in a ranking, Moba, FPS, and Battle Royale roam in the first places, according to the region you are in, as there is increasingly an adaptation and style of play according to a location in the world. Simulators, such as FIFA and NBA, fighting games and cards also have their importance, but they are not as strong as the first 3 categories”, says Marcelo Fadul, founding partner of the Netshoes Miners team, which has athletes in FIFA, LOL ( League of Legends) and Free Fire.
SPF
The acronym FPS comes from the English First Person Shooter, which means first-person shooter, and as the name says, the player feels as if they were inside the game shooting. Games in the FPS category include Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, and Doom.
Moba
The word Moba also comes from an acronym: Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, which means multiplayer online battle arena. With the goal of eliminating the enemy base, 2 teams fight against each other. The games Dota 2, League of Legends, and Heroes of the Storm stand out in this category.
Battle Royale
Translated from English, battle royale means real battle. This is considered a survival game, as whoever comes last wins, after all other competitors have been eliminated. Currently, the game in this category that has attracted Brazilian fans to e-sport is Free Fire. Also in the category are Fortnite Battle Royale, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty.
Simulators
Simulators, as the name suggests, are those that imitate reality. This category, also known as simulators in English, includes mainly sports games, such as FIFA, NBA, and iRacing.
Fighting Games
The fighting games category (translated from English to fighting games) brings together martial arts challenges. Among the highlights are Tekken, Guilty Gear, Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat.
Cards
Card games are in this category. They are among the most consumed by e-sports fans Hearthstone, Magic: The Gathering Arena, Gwent, and Shadowverse.
To confirm the prominence of the first 3 categories, according to Fadul, just look at the popularity of the games, athletes, and teams. “The fanbase of each player, the number of followers of each game, and the teams that are best placed within the world of e-sports are certainly involved with FPS, MOBA, or Battle Royale. It’s very difficult for a simulator-only team to be among the biggest,” he says.
Preferred categories in Brazil
The regional factor is an important factor in e-sports consumption. In Brazil, according to Fadul, the big highlight is the Battle Royale category. “It has been a huge craze, driven by the mobile game Free Fire, with consumption very typical of our region. It’s not played that much in European countries or the United States, but in Southeast Asia and here, it’s even a cultural phenomenon,” he explains.
According to Fadul, it cannot be forgotten that those who helped Brazil become this powerhouse in e-sports were the other 2 main categories. “The dinosaurs of Brazilian e-sports, which led e-sports to have this repercussion and to be the third largest audience in the world. Were undoubtedly the FPS. Mainly with Counter-Strike, and Moba, with League of Legends (LOL) ”, he adds.
