Theresa Gaffney
Looking for some light quarantine reading? If you’re an esports fan, you’re in luck. Industry veteran Paul “RedEye” Chaloner is set to release his tell-all book “This is esports (and How to Spell it): An Insider’s Guide to the World of Pro Gaming” on May 26th in the US, and May 28th in the UK.
Chaloner is well-known for being an esports host and commentator, working in the scene since the early 2000s. He served as a voice for the early Quake and Counter-Strike scenes for years, and went on to work with the Starcraft, CS:GO, and Dota communities as later on. As a result, he’s amassed stories of the pivotal movers and shakers in the industry, and has had a bird’s eye view of player drama from the stages of the World Cyber Games to ESL.
According to an interview with ShackNews, Chaloner was inspired to write the so-called “tell-all book” in order to counter poor quality coverage of esports by figures not baked in to the industry: “I’d actually been talking to colleagues and friends about writing a primer on esports for about five or six years. I was tired of the constant bulls**t books from authors who had no experience in esports, but were just looking to cash in on its rise in popularity. But I just never found time or the right people to work with.”
The Bloombury synopsis goes into further detail on the contents of the book:
From slapping coins down on arcade cabinets to the lights of Madison Square Garden, competitive video gaming has come a long way. Today, esports is a billion-dollar industry, the best players becoming stars in their own right, battling for eight-figure prizes in front of a global audience of tens of millions.
From Call of Duty to Counter-Strike, FIFA to Fortnite, a generation of players have turned multiplayer video games from a pastime into a profession. But there are questions. How did we get here? What exactly is competitive gaming – is it a sport? How much money do the top stars make? Do you really have to retire at 23? And just what the hell is Dota?
This is esports (and How to Spell it) addresses all of this and more, as award-winning broadcaster Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner takes you inside the unstoppable rise of pro gaming to reveal the bitter rivalries, scandals and untold history of esports, from origins to sold-out arenas. With his trademark wit – and unrivalled access – Paul delivers the definitive book on the fastest-growing entertainment phenomenon in the world today.
If this all sounds good to you, you can preorder the book on Amazon here. Tweet @slashshout to let us know if you’ll be reading (but make sure to spell everything esports when you do, please).
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