eSports - Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Give Rise to a new class of Athletes

Dear Steemit Friends,

Technology continues to reshape the world as we know it. As we continue to make advancements, how we live our lives is constantly changing. Of all technologies today, the hottest - at least in terms of industry buzz - that are continuously gaining traction and popularity for today's generation is Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.

VR transports us into the Virtual world while AR brings the digital world into our lives. When first released, both technologies didn't gain much adoption, however, with recent advancements in hardware and software, both have started to have an impact on gaming and has now started to enter a new arena in sports.

VR Experience from ADR1FT

Image Source from Micorsoft - AR Experience

The gaming industry is a fast-paced frenzy of technology that is always looking for ways to push the envelope. This type of environment has led to advancements in technologies which other industries ultimately benefit from. Today we use VR and AR to explore, learn, and experience things that many of us may never get the opportunity to experience. We use the technology to simplify and enhance our lives. The gaming industry, in its many different forms, is constantly using this new tech, and with it, is expected to make a huge impact on advancing and enhancing the gaming experience.

Like the gaming industry, eSports is beginning to slowly gain traction. Taking its queue from more traditional sports, eSports requires one to not only be physically prepared, but also mentally - balancing strategy, competitiveness, and in some instances teamwork. This is essentially blending aspects of the sports industry with the gaming industry to create an all-new arena of entertainment. One where people from all over the world can watch virtually and even participate.

Image Source

eSports is in its infancy and like eGames, which has grown to become a multi-billion dollar industry with a number of technology advancements and a constantly growing pool of spectators and athletes, will be the next evolution with an equally prosperous future.

Today there are a number of companies that are investing early in this new arena of sports. ARES (Augmented Reality of eSports) is a company that specializes in an immersive stadium experience for eSport competitions utilizing Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. This company hopes to bridge challenges faced with limited seating and challenges with traveling to events by providing an immersive experience through ticket sales that spectators can join virtually.

They believe

the combined growth in VR/AR Hardware sales and eSports viewership in the coming years presents unrivaled market opportunities. VR/AR Hardware sales are projected to hit 400,00 this year and reach 44.4M by 202. eSports viewership reached 100M in 2014 and is projected to reach 248M by 2020. [Source]

On the flip side, VR and AR technology will open the doors for new athletes who specialize and excel in gaming and athletic sports. The future is now and for the past couple of years, HADO a Japanese based firm has been hosting an annual VR/AR competition that is finally making it's way to the United States. The previous HADO eSports tournament first launched in 2016 exclusively in Japanese theme parks and malls, but over the course of 2017, expanded into other SEA countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Its second official international tournament, the HADO World Cup, saw 12 teams from three different countries competing for the championship title. Below is a promo for the tournament

As well as footage from one of the actual tournaments

Although the number of events is limited, you can expect the list of tournament style games to increase as the sport gains popularity. Just recently, a number of additional games were added to the competition such as a mario kart style game shown below

I don't know about you, but I have always wanted to go into virtual battle and compete against friends in a sports arena throwing virtual fireballs and in a dodgeball-style match. Now both westerners and people in SEA can do just that.

With this technology, it won’t necessarily just be the gaming industry that take advantage of VR and AR technology. Casinos and other establishments as mentioned previously will also find VR technology extremely beneficial. Operators and Business owners will be able to create impressive virtual casino experiences and establishments for their customers to enjoy at a fraction of the cost. The popularity of competitive online gaming is growing at a dramatic rate—for both competitors and viewers, so its not hard to fathom that the concept of eSports could bleed over to skill-based casino gaming as well.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality both have serious potential with seemingly unlimited capabilities. Many people already feel that both technologies will be huge an bring in a new wave of opportunities and business. This technology appears to be the direction that the overall technology market is heading. More and more people are using this technology to enhance their experience, so it makes sense for the future of gaming and sports to be focused on this area of the market. With internet speeds continuing to grow, the amount of data and the quality of content being streamed will also get significantly better.

The future is certainly bright for VR and AR technology - The consumer market is paving the way for Virtual reality, augmented reality, and eSports and it is inevitable that these will be the growing trends over the course of the next few years. What are your thoughts on the technology and the future? Will eSports catch on? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. If you do have any questions, inputs, or feedback, please also share those with me.

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