An exciting new insider's guide to all the biggest and best competitive games and esports teams and players. An in-depth, insider's guide to the fastest-growing sport on the face of the planet: esports! From ESPN to the biggest sporting arenas in the world, esports has officially arrived as the hottest new form of athletic competition. This ultimate insider's guide will introduce gamers to the world of esports from little league to stadium-filling championships, including a deep dive into all the top games, leagues, players, and more. It will also include beginner tips and tricks for each of the top games, like Overwatch, League of Legends, Minecraft, Rocket League, Dota 2, Fortnite, PUBG, Call of Duty, and more, while using real players' strategies and tactics to win. Bursting with the biggest games, teams, and personalities in esports, this guide is a must-have for any kid interested in this phenomenon! All games featured in Esports: The Ultimate Guide are rated T for Teen or younger, keeping it appropriate for young gamers.

The definitive guide to the modern world of competitive gaming and the official history of Esports™. Almost overnight, esports—or competitive video games—have exploded into the largest entertainment and sporting phenomenon in human history. The Book of Esports answers: What exactly are esports, and how did they become so popular so quickly? Why did blockbuster video games like League of Legends, Fortnite and Starcraft succeed? Where exactly is all this video gaming headed? What do gamers and college students need to know to position themselves for success in the industry? How do you create a billion-dollar esports business? What strategic choices drive success in the modern gaming industry? Can video games really get your kid into college? (All expenses paid, of course...) Whether you are a lifelong gamer, a curious Fortnite parent, or a businessperson seeking to understand the marketing opportunities of this multibillion-dollar phenomenon, The Book of Esports charts the rise of this exciting new industry, for the first time ever crafting a comprehensive overview of esports and its implications for human competition—and even the future of humanity itself. Gaming luminary and Harvard MBA William Collis has painstakingly translated esports’ mysteries into a detailed and accessible testament for today. Featuring select interviews from the biggest names in the industry, The Book of Esportsweaves tales of trust, betrayal, and superhuman reflexes into predictive frameworks, explaining exactly why our industry looks the way it does, and how all this growth—and more—is inevitable as the divide between man and machine blurs into oblivion.

From one of the leading Fortnite gamers in the world comes your game plan for outclassing the rest at playing video games. “Get the right gear, practice the right way, and get into the right headspace and you too can Get Good.”—Time Packed with illustrations, photographs, anecdotes, and insider tips, this complete compendium includes everything Tyler "Ninja" Blevins wishes he knew before he got serious about gaming. Here's how to: • Build a gaming PC • Practice with purpose • Develop strategy • Improve your game sense • Pull together the right team • Stream with skill • Form a community online • And much more Video games come and go, but Ninja's lessons are timeless. Pay attention to them and you'll find that you're never really starting over when the next big game launches. Who knows—you may even beat him one day. As he says, that's up to you. Praise for Ninja: Get Good “If you’re a casual gamer looking to refine your gaming skills or equipment, or someone considering getting into esports, then livestreamer and gaming guru Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins’ book could be the perfect guide.”—Los Angeles Times “It’s perfect for young kids just getting into gaming after watching streamers, like Ninja, and their parents who may not know much about gaming and streaming . . . It’s an all-in-one checklist of everything you need to start up on a streaming life. This book breaks down complex and sometimes obscure concepts in gaming that many non-gamer parents may not know about or the kids know about instinctually but can't put into words.”—GameCrate

SHORTLISTED FOR THE UKLA BOOK AWARDS 2022 (INFORMATION BOOKS CATEGORY) Take your gaming skills beyond the screen in Ultimate Gamer: Career Mode—the ultimate handbook to becoming a top game developer, Twitch streamer, or the next eSports pro! Written by Craig Steele—who has led gaming workshops at Resonate and Insomnia—and illustrated in graphic-novel style by Berat Pekmezci, this book will give you the low-down on the coolest jobs in the gaming industry. Learn how to storyboard, code and test games, just like your favourite devs, or boost your Twitch subs by learning how to go pro. Think you have the skills to compete in eSports tournaments, or do you need some tips on getting good? This book will give you the know-how on making it big in all areas of the gaming industry! "The judges unanimously thought that Ultimate Gamer was hugely popular with their students. It was probably the most picked-up book on the list. My 10-year-old, who is not a reader, grabbed this book off me and read it from cover to cover." —Judge of the UKLA Book Awards 2022 (Information Books category)

Esports is one of the fastest growing—and most cutthroat—industries in the world. A confluence of technology, culture, and determination has made this possible. Players around the world compete for millions of dollars in prize money, and companies like Amazon, Coca Cola, and Intel have invested billions. Esports are now regularly played live on national TV. Hundreds of people have dedicated their lives to gaming, sacrificing their education, relationships, and even their bodies to compete, committing themselves with the same fervor of any professional athlete. In Good Luck Have Fun, author Roland Li talks to some of the biggest names in the business and explores the players, companies, and games that have made it to the new major leagues. Follow Alex Garfield as he builds Evil Geniuses, a modest gaming group in his college dorm, into a global, multimillion-dollar eSports empire. Learn how Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill made League of Legends the world’s most successful eSports league and most popular PC game, on track to make over $1 billion a year. See how Twitch.tv pivoted from a video streaming novelty into a $1 billion startup on the back of professional gamers. And dive into eSports’ dark side: drug abuse, labor troubles, and for each success story, hundreds of people who failed to make it big. With updates on recent developments, Good Luck Have Fun is the essential guide to the rise of an industry and culture that challenge what we know about sports, games, and competition.

Collecting bugs, drawing cartoons, writing plays, studying robotics—these are just some of the hobbies that inspired the creation of video games such as Pokémon and The Legend of Zelda. Who are these men and women who helped launch the gaming industry from private computer labs to widely available popular entertainment? Read this book to find out who and what inspired your favorite video games!

By Steve Isaacs, Jesse Lubinsky, Christine Lion-Bailey and Chris Aviles Power up learning for all learners. Esports is taking the world by storm, growing to a billion dollar industry with competitions that have greater viewership than the Super Bowl. Colleges are awarding scholarships to talented esports players, and schools are becoming more interested in starting esports programs to provide opportunities for their students. Luckily the experts at Ready Learner One are here to show you how to harness your students' enthusiasm for gaming and leverage the social, emotional, and communication benefits of esports for electrifying learning. The Esports Education Playbook walks educators through the process of establishing, managing, and coaching a scholastic esports team. From assuring buy-in from stakeholders to addressing common misconceptions about gaming, this book covers everything you'll need to know in order to build an inclusive, dynamic esports program. What's more, the Ready Learner One team plugs you into a powerful network of experts and organizations that can help you build your program with school-to-career pipelines and sustainable success. The Esports Education Playbook will get your athletes, and your whole school, cheering. "As someone who has played and coached football professionally, I can tell you that the collegiate esports athletes I currently coach require the same training and dedication as those in traditional sports. In this book, Chris, Steve, Christine, and Jesse show how esports is changing the game in how we perceive what is a sport and who is an athlete. This is required reading for anyone interested in how to create a successful esports program that provides opportunities for all students to be part of a team." -Ahman Green, four-time Pro Bowl running back, Green Bay Packers, head coach of esports, Lakeland University "Hands down, this is the best guide to scholastic esports ever written! In this book, thought leaders in gaming and education have assembled an unparalleled array of data, strategies, tools, tips, and tricks to enable any school, community organization, or group to start and grow successful, STEM-based, hands-on scholastic esports organizations. Newbies, novices and know-it-alls can use it to build custom gaming programs for kids in elementary, middle, and high school." -Laylah Bulman, senior program officer, Samueli Foundation, founder, Florida Scholastic Esports League\ "In esports, players are the experts in the game, while coaches are the experts in communication, planning, coordination, and attitude. Christine, Steve, Chris, and Jesse have perfectly captured the 'why' of esports. If you want to create a program that enriches the lives of your players and community, this is the book." -Dr. Chris "Doc" Haskell, head coach, Boise State University, 2020 Collegiate Esports Coach of the Year (NAECAD), and 2020 Director of the Year (NACE)

OpTic Gaming, the four-time Call of Duty Major League Gaming Champions and one of the top eSports teams in the world, now takes fans behind the controller—into the game and the minds of the greatest gamers in the world—in this fascinating and unique memoir and insider guide. Emerging on the scene in 2006, OpTic Gaming has dominated the Call of Duty e-sports arena, thanks to the talents of legendary players such as Matt “NaDeSHoT” Haag, the biggest eSports personality on earth; Seth “Scump” Abner, the best Call of Duty player in the world; Midnite, one of the first girl gamers to rise to stardom on YouTube; and Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez, the team founder and CEO. With over 14 million followers across social platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, no other team of players in eSports can match OpTic's popularity or ability to bring fans into the game. Now, these remarkable players have collaborated to produce this one-of-a-kind book. In OpTic Gaming, they candidly share their story of becoming Call of Duty's global royalty—ESPN XGAMES, MLG, ESWC and GFINITY champions—laying bare their lives, exploring what it takes to make it in professional gaming, and speaking honestly about the consequences of their newfound fame. These best-of-the-best take you behind the controller, offering insights, knowledge, and strategies to help you improve your shot, master the most complex maps, and conquer the game with the ultimate weapons. Going beyond their number-one game, the team also discusses the rest of their lineups and how to become a champion in any arena. Revealing their go-to strategies, best missions, and favorite challenges, OpTic Gaming brings fans closer to these wildly popular professional gamers more than ever before.

Winning at competitive games requires a results-oriented mindset that many players are simply not willing to adopt. This book walks players through the entire process: how to choose a game and learn basic proficiency, how to break through the mental barriers that hold most players back, and how to handle the issues that top players face. It also includes a complete analysis of Sun Tzu's book The Art of War and its applications to games of today. These foundational concepts apply to virtually all competitive games, and even have some application to "real life." Trade paperback. 142 pages.

"Young readers will love this exciting, in-depth yet accessible look at how video games work and how they are made."--