As the popularity of online gaming grows worldwide, the industry is also becoming more and more organized. Like any other sport, even the online gamers want to have recognition for their skills and performance. This is possible only by way of competitive events or tournaments that officially recognize the skills of the winning players.

An online gaming tournament is similar to a large multi-player online game where different participants will play against each other simultaneously, while sitting at different locations around the world.

Some of the popular online gaming websites host such organized tournaments for their users from time to time. Generally, there is a participation fee or entry fee to participate in these tournaments. The entry fee system not only earns revenues for the service provider, but also ensures that mostly serious players only enter the tournament.

Many times, the tournament organizers keep cash prizes for the winners as this acts as a great attraction and motivation for the best players to participate in the hope of winning.

Just like tournaments in the physical world, even for online tournaments there can be sponsors who fund the event and get free advertising and publicity in return. Sponsors can even promote their products by offering them as prizes instead of cash prizes.

USE OF CREDITS OR POINTS

Just like in gaming casinos etc. the coins or counters are used to keep an account of the game. Similarly, in online tournaments also use of credits or points has several advantages whereby the participants know exactly their account position at any given point of time. Furthermore, players sitting in different countries can participate at the same time because the credits or points are like neutral currency, which can be converted into real money at the end of the game.

SKILL VERSUS LUCK

There is a very thin line of difference between a skill game and a gambling game. Ideally, an online gaming tournament must carefully differentiate between the two, and maintain its standard for every tournament by conducting only such competitive games that involve skills and practice, and not the gambling instinct.

In any case, gambling is a complicated event because the participants are sitting in different geographical regions of the world, governed by the local gambling laws of their home country. Therefore, it is pertinent that online gaming tournaments should ensure their legal position in such sensitive matters.

But at the same time, to make a successful tournament with widespread participation, the games should be such that they involve a natural element of luck as well. This way, even the new entrants or the beginners can also take interest in the tournament as their chances of winning also increase depending upon the luck element of the game.

VARIETY OF GAMES FOR ONLINE TOURNAMENTS

Online gaming tournaments can be held in an amazing number of sporting areas such as Golf, Tennis, Table Tennis, Basketball, Baseball, Cricket, Soccer and many others. "Pinball" is one of the oldest and still one of the most popular games for online tournaments. In recent years, with the advanced technologies and gaming software by companies like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, the online gaming tournaments have been taken to an entirely new level with sophisticated war games, space treks and other innovative games taking over in terms of international popularity.

SUMMARY: With the rise in the popularity of online gaming, the Online Gaming Tournaments are also growing in popularity with more and more new participants joining every year. The prizes and the reward points systems provide recognition to the skillful players in this field.