The way we entertain ourselves and bond with one another has truly changed – from being outdoors and participating in sports, to now sitting in our drawing rooms and role-playing heroes with friends. Video gaming, which even a decade ago was considered a niche industry, has now exploded. Nearly all mobile or PC users indulge in casual gaming. More and more people report that gaming has become a way for them to bond with family and friends, with more than 56% of users playing with friends online.
As playing video games becomes a favoured pastime, it has sprouted two cultural phenomena: gaming conferences and eSports. Enthusiasts from all over the world travel to join these conventions to mingle with other gamers, catch sneak-peeks of games to come, and experience the latest hardware that makes gaming possible.
One of the largest conferences in gaming, gamescon 2020, reported 370,000 plus attendees, even in a year like 2020. Yet, as travelling remains fraught with risk across the world, virtual 3D technology holds the key to hosting the next generation of conferences in immersive virtual reality.
The rising tide of eSports conferences
Video gaming is a massive industry with more than 2.7 billion players around the world and $300 billion being spent annually. Gamers are highly attached to their hobby – nothing testifies their interest better than the growing crowds at eSports conferences and championships.
Players from across the world are competing for massive prize pools, with millions of fans watching worldwide. Some of the largest gaming competitions till date have been for multiplayer online games such as Dota 2 and CS: GO, with the highest eSports prize pool of $34 million for a single event.
eSports have gained so much attention in the last few years that ESPN – the go-to sports channel around the world – launched its own eSports vertical (although it remains shuttered at present, inviting outrage from dedicated readers). Even Sony, in tandem with their PlayStation Vue launch, is launching its very own gaming channel to cater to rising demands for eSports streaming.
For gamers, eSports is about the community, the skills of top players of their favourite games, and the excitement of the competition – the lines between a sports event and an eSports convention are blurred, to say the least. In 2020, nearly all outdoor events, including both physical sports meets and eSports competitions, had to be cancelled or postponed. One of the main reasons behind this was the reliance on physical venues and co-location.
Strategic implementation of 3D virtual conferencing tech, however, can eliminate this logistical challenge.
The future: 3D virtual eSports conferences
People who play video games enjoy immersive experiences; after all, gaming is a virtual immersive experience that transports them from the real world to a virtual one. Even though most gamers unable to make their way to conventions watch the events on live streams, not being able to explore the convention space and interact with other attendees makes the flat-screen experience a desperate second option.
With the availability of platform-agnostic 3D virtual conferencing and meeting software such as NextMeet, eSports conventions and competitions can be hosted in a virtual 3D arena – empowering international viewers for a better and more engaging experience.
Conventions are successful when they are highly interactive. With 3D virtual software, convention hosts can design their own convention space with screens, expo panels and advertising booths, coming close to replicate real-life expo centres. Attendees, on the other hand, get to enjoy a gamified 3D conference space, hear the excitement of fellow attendees with the help of spatial audio, and use chat threads for connecting with other fans of their favourite teams.With the immense potential held by the integration of eSports conventions and 3D virtual conferencing software, even simple viewings of such events will become a rich and interactive virtual experience in itself. For a community that is growing year on year, this potential is the difference between eSports being the present underdog vs a global overhaul of sports & entertainment preferences.
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