Esports has become an incredibly popular topic and has faced a lot of growth in the past 15 years. Competitive matches in games such as League of Legends, DotA, CS: GO, and other similar games are attracting more players to their rosters. It has even led to dedicated esports news portals such as Fragster.com to deliver the latest in these areas.
While there have been many topics and developments in esports over the past few years, we have yet to discuss the topic of Virtual Reality Technology. VR technology is a relatively new phenomenon, but it has the potential to change the way we see esports forever.
Today we’ll talk about how VR technology has the potential to take the esports experience to new heights and impact the industry. We’ll also touch on a few examples and discuss the future of the esports industry and VR technology’s role in it.
How VR Technology Can Enhance The Esports Experience
Most notably, VR technology can enhance the immersion in the esports experience for both players and viewers. Right now, viewers can only sit behind their television or computer screens and see the action going on from the camera angles the broadcasters provide. Similarly, players can only see a limited portion of the screen.
VR technology can change this. Theoretically, viewers would be able to achieve higher levels of immersion with free camera angles and perhaps even use spectator mode in the games themselves.
Finally, VR technology can prove to provide an enhanced social experience between players and viewers. Depending on the setting, viewers might have a chance to see their favorite esports personalities up close.
Examples of VR in Esports
The most prominent example of VR’s role in esports are VR leagues. These leagues are available for games such as Echo Arena, Onward, VAIL, Nock, and Contractors.
You’ll notice these games are mostly small titles that have yet to hit the mainstream. Their player base is small, although the VR leagues have a decent viewership.
So far, the VR experience in these leagues is only made possible for players. Viewers can come and watch the matches in the same way regular esports fans watch their favorite teams and games.
Overall, there are not that many current examples of VR in esports. However, this only means that there are even more examples to be made in the near future.
The Future of VR in Esports
VR technology has a bright and long future ahead of it in esports. All that’s left is for companies, esports teams, and broadcasters to start utilizing this technology.
As we mentioned, there are currently only a few, unfamiliar titles that have their own VR leagues. Developers should look to develop and adapt their AAA titles to suit the VR scene. This would be a big step forward in incorporating VR technology into esports.
Professional esports players might take the chance and use VR technology to enhance their skills in their respective video games. This way, even though the matches themselves may not be in VR, the players will have a better understanding of the game and its limitations.
How Will VR Technology Impact the Esports Industry?
The esports industry stands to gain a lot from VR technology. The public’s interest in VR is great, and esports organizations and game companies can use this to their advantage, as well.
Most prominently, incorporating VR technology into esports may attract new audiences. Whether this is because of curiosity or genuine attraction to the tech, more viewers will flock to esports competitions. Depending on their experience, they may even stay and become dedicated esports fans.
It may also inspire those looking to start their esports career in VR to shoot their shot at stardom. This means there will be an influx of new players for esports organizations to sign contracts with and feature in their teams.
As a result, all these developments will drive more revenue to the esports industry. Paying for tickets and access to the competitions is not unusual. However, access to the VR experience may drive even more viewers with the existence of audiences that may not be able to make it to the live shows.
Overall, VR technology has the potential to impact the esports industry, players, and viewers alike with its innovative design. Although VR Leagues currently exist, they are mostly dedicated to unfamiliar and smaller games the general public doesn’t have much knowledge on.
Adaptation and VR development for famous titles could change this. It’s up to the viewers and players to show interest in the technology, and up to the developers to realize these plans.
It’s important to stay up to date with the latest news and developments in both VR technology and esports to further track the development of the situation. Who knows? Maybe we’ll soon see our favorite video games gain even more popularity in VR form!
