Earlier this week, Ken “Hot_Bid” Chen of ESL spoke to Yahoo! eSports, making an announcement that could stand to have a lasting impact on the gaming world: there will soon be an eSports hall of fame. With the increasing parity between eSports and more traditional sports, this comes as little surprise. The inaugural hall of fame induction will take place at ESL One Cologne, and will see a Counter-Strike player as the first inductee. Though this is an ESL event, there’s definitely a chance that future inductions could take place at non-ESL events, specifically ones which draw “a home crowd for the game.”
With such a wide array of games out there, one has to wonder which titles will have their players showcased. The early list (so far) includes League of Legends, Dota, StarCraft, “and hopefully some fighting game community stuff.” The lack of a specific title does leave much to be desired, but it’s good to know that, even in this early state, the folks behind the hall of fame have recognized the fighting game community as capable of producing legendary players.
Obviously, having a career worthy of induction is an important part of making it into the hall of fame, but players must also be retired for at least one year in order to qualify. A panel of experts including “writers, commentators, [and] experts in the scene” will be in charge of picking the players to include.
For more information on the eSports hall of fame, keep an eye on the official site. You can also watch the official announcement over at Yahoo! eSports.
Source: Yahoo! Esports via The Daily Dot
