Additionally, an esports school for high school students (known as eSports High School) was established. eSports High School is essentially promoting itself as a trade school for the rapidly expanding and vibrant game media industry. Competitive pro gamer is just one of the many options on its list of possible careers for graduates, including streamer, game developer, virtual YouTuber, gaming journalist, programmer, esports pundit, and 3-D CG designer.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is one of the most popular esports in Japan. It's a combat game in which players compete in teams of troops. This game is one of their all-time favorites for many Japanese players because of its fast gameplay and depth.
In 2021, the Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship was held in Japan, with a $50,000 prize pool. Call of Duty is, unsurprisingly, one of the top mobile esports games. Treyarch and a few other teams collaborate on Call of Duty, which releases a new game every year.
Among other most popular esports in Japan currently are:
- League of Legends - A MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game that encourages ten players divided into two teams to defend their territory.
- CS: GO - It’s short for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It's a multiplayer FPS (First-Person Shooter) game.
- Overwatch - A vibrant FPS game involving a near-future earth setting.
All of these games are competitive. They foster a sense of community that people enjoy and wish to spread.
And in terms of competition, it appears doubtful that any Japanese team will threaten the dominance of teams from China, North America, South Korea, and Europe in League of Legends or Overwatch. However, given the state of the Chinese esports business, this may not be the case in the future, and we may see strong competitors emerge from the country in a variety of esports.