The world of video gaming - and professional leagues surrounding popular gaming titles - continues to grow every year. Leagues are formed and exciting new games get professional competitive scenes. This entire industry is known as esports, but the composition on the word may throw some people off. So, how exactly do you write it?
A quick Google search shows the word being used in every which way. It stands for electronic sports, and people can't seem to decide how to properly write it. Some go for a classic look like Esports, ESports, or esports. Others want to add a little for flare with eSports or e-sports. And there are still more extremes, such as eSpOrTs. All jokes aside, how exactly do you correctly write the word, and why can't everyone come to a basic consensus of how it should be written?
The mystery itself seems to have been solved in an article about the writing of the word. According to the AP Style Guide, "esports" is considered the correct way to write the word. If it's a proper noun, or at the beginning of the sentence, "Esports" would be the proper way to write it. This was confirmed in 2017 during the American Copy Editors Society Convention.
People who use "eSports" or "e-sports" aren't necessarily wrong, even though esports is technically the correct way to write it. It just begins to feel a bit wonky. Think of it like the word email. You wouldn't necessarily use "eMail" when referring to it. You may use "e-mail" but the standard is pretty universally known as "email." The comparison is a fair one, considering the "e" in both words stands for electronic.
If you plan to apply for jobs in the esports industry, it's important to pay attention to how the employer you are inquiring about writes the word. If they write it as esports, you should do the same. If they write is as something like eSports, you could also write it like that on your application. To them, that is the correct way to write it, and you want to prove that you can adhere to their requirements and understand what they are looking for. The Esports Awards uses the new standard writing style.
Esports is an ever-expanding industry, and the more prominent it becomes, the more often the word will be used. I don't think everyone will eventually come to a consensus about how it should be correctly written, and that's okay. It's a pretty broad term used for a style of competitive play. But if you absolutely want to adhere to the standards set, the correct style would be esports and if you need to capitalize it, Esports.