Entertainment

2019 – A Phenomenal Year for Esports

Gaming makes the world go round. Not everyone will agree with that perception but from a gamer’s point of view, that is so true. Not every gamer is a ‘badass’ gamer but a true gamer appreciates his or her favorite games, whether it is them playing or watching someone else doing it. It is from this spirit that esports was born. Who knew it could be so thrilling to watch someone conquer your favorite game, advance to levels you never got to, and do tricks and cheats you never knew existed. Esports has been gaining popularity since the turn of the millennium and this year things are going to go to a completely different level.

The Billion-Dollar Industry

According to Statista, the esports industry is expected to become a billion dollar industry by the end of the year. Forbes reported that esports generated a revenue of over $400 million in 2016, over $600 million in 2017 and was expected to generate over $900 million in 2018, but we are still waiting to see the numbers for last year. Based on the above data, you can see the logic behind the projection.

Esports has gained such a vast fan base that major international companies like Intel, Coca-Cola, and even SteelSeries are investing in it. That indicates the legitimacy or seriousness of how big this new fad is.

Another thing that’s contributing to the popularity of the event is esport betting where players bet on which esport team will win in a particular competition. Esport betting is so big that there are various dedicated esport betting sites on the web. According to esports.net, players can choose from two kinds of bets, pre-match bets or live bets. The former is more common and similar to other sport betting games like soccer where players predict the outcome of a game. Live betting allows players to bet on the game as it progresses and as events unfold.

The gambling industry generates a significant amount of revenue to states that have legalized it. A state like Nevada gets most of its revenue from gambling alone, considering that it is the most visited and largest gambling location on the planet. Esport betting as part of the gambling industry shows you the kind of revenue that’s expected from this one facet of gambling alone.

Battle Royale Lives On

As a genre, Battle Royale has a huge fan base and no year is a good example like 2018. PlayerUnknowns’ Battlegrounds was big in 2018 and it is one game that esport fans are excited about. Things are expected to get even more serious and interesting for this particular game this year. There is also Fortnite Battle Royale, which gained many players last year, and there is no telling where it will go this year. Battle Royale is a genre that’s a classic in something like esports. This is a genre that is expected to stick around for decades, even centuries. People are suckers for such kinds of games, especially where competition and dreamy prizes are involved. It is the perfect genre for esports and for an event where people from all over the world come to participate, engage, contribute, and be a part of.

Call of Duty: Blackout is another game that you should watch out for this year.

Everything is Mobile

People want flexibility. People want to be able to access everything important to them regardless of where they are. This desire or necessity is what has driven most people to invest in smartphones and iPads for their daily activities. A tiny gadget that you can put in your pocket and access every other thing that you desire. There are people who can control their entire houses with just their phones. As any other important app people have on their phones, esport players also access their favorite games and compete via their mobile devices.

Chances are that mobile phones and even most laptops may not necessarily be ideal for heavy gaming but there are games like Clash Royale that work well on mobile platforms. Be that as it may, esports on mobile devices has not peaked yet because not everyone can afford a mobile device that is ideal for either competing or streaming on for hours. But a year is like a decade in the computer technology industry and between 2018 and the end of 2019, expect to see significant modifications and enhancements in this area.

Esports is fun, interesting, challenging, and very promising as far as the future is concerned. We are expecting to see casinos investing in esports because this is gaming on a completely different level. It has a larger fan base and the competition is stiff. It involves major companies like Intel, NVidia, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Apple, among others. Not all these companies are directly involved in the industry yet but if you are a gamer, you understand the role each company plays and as things get hotter, expect more immediate engagement and involvement from them.

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