How Fiercely Competitive Arcade Gamers Paved the Way for Esports

Corporations and worldwide online reach made esports into the billion-dollar industry it is today. But long before there were seven-figure prize pools for being good at Fortnite, groups of highly skilled, competitive gamers were traveling all across the country and duking it out in Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter – after getting their start in arcades and New York bodegas. NBCLX Storyteller Eric Rodriguez spoke to several competitive fighting game players including Twitch streamer IFC YipeS to show you how esports began.