Gaming and eSports

The city’s transformation and new approach to modern culture and technology brought the interest of the tech and digital community on the city, leading to new investments and the creation of a growing gaming community. In the last decade, videogames have become more and more relevant, interactive and competitive than ever: this led to the birth of the concept of “eSports”, meaning games with professional players competing in real life tournaments, broadcasted in every part of the world. The biggest actor in Katowice’s rise to eSports capital of Europe has been the Intel Extreme Masters Tournament: IEM Katowice and the Spodek Arena have been fundamental to the growth of this market and its community. Starting in 2013 as a centerpiece of the popular multiplayer online game “League of Legends” competitive calendar, the event has grown year after year, especially since the introduction of “CS:GO” in 2014, when the second-ever Major in the game’s history took place. Katowice has since become one of the world-renowned eSports cities, attracting thousands of gamers and fans to its tournaments and keeping them engaged with its history, beautiful surroundings and flourishing economy.