VR eSports – The Future of Digital Gaming

We will start with a bold statement that VR eSports is the future of all sports out there. That can be seen and sensed all over the digital gaming world. Both participants and spectators expect to be engaged, which can happen via the transformation of watching into playing. eSports virtual reality shows growth in audience, which gets the industry closer to real-time sports. The future they are projecting connects fans within their leisure experiences through interactivity. We can all agree that consumers nowadays seek more than just listening and watching. They want to be involved and to participate. That is what the future of eSports holds.
eSports Virtual Reality Player Share on Pinterest

Can VR, eSports and Sports Co-Exist?

The new virtual reality gaming experience is a result of the latest tech transformation bringing it all closer together. This new invention intends to make the future of eSports more of physically active involvement. Sports is the next thing after VR casinos to be united with the technology and create a new perception for athletes and players.

That process has already begun, and the industry is slowly incorporating virtual reality by launching one VR eSports league after another. Even though many eSports athletes still hesitate to use the new tech, the tendency is that VR is here to stay and co-exist with sports and digital gaming. It is used more and more by people in their daily chores. All you need to do is put the headset covering your eyes and ears and act through the controllers. Not quite like what eSports sportsbooks in the UK are about, but it’s also a rewarding experience in its own way.

eSports Virtual Reality Can Make a Difference

VR eSports has one advantage that other types of digital video games will never have – it can appeal to every kind of athlete. As some are fast in making decisions, plus have quick reflexes, others have what you would expect from a professional athlete – strength, dexterity and stamina. That is exactly what the physical nature of eSports virtual reality athletes looks like. It involves more standing and moving, which creates a different type of players.

More and more gamers are seeing the benefits of virtual reality. As eSports continues to grow, the games will require more physical activities like jumping and climbing. That way, attracting more eSports stars into loving the ability to use their athletic gifts while playing will boost VR popularity. Some aspects need a bit more time to adjust, but more on that in a bit.

Virtual Reality Athlete

VR eSports – Why Not Fully There Yet?

The question of why VR is not yet popular among eSports is related to several aspects of the business. There are bumps on the road, which kind of hold back virtual reality from being trendier and more well-known. There is more to it than just the technology. Providers need to figure out how the broadcast will happen and how costly everything related to VR eSports will be.

When you think about it, the gear itself is still expensive for mass usage. How the giants in digital gaming are responding shows a step in the right direction. See our list of VR details that need some work in order to help the gaming industry grow:

1. Games

The leaders in the digital gaming category at the moment are Dota 2, League of Legends, CS: GO, Fortnite and Call of Duty. None of them has a single virtual reality component. That means new titles should be created to be played in VR more. The lack of popularity to the general public makes VR hardly reachable by the casual fans.

The idea is more of the big names to participate and to make the events accessible. The most notable VR eSports league is part of ESL gaming and is called The VR League. That shows the way ESL thinks about virtual reality, and that has a place in digital gaming. There is a downside, though – the games played. The fact that they are new to fit the novelties makes them unknown. For example, the current VR League titles are Onward, Echo Arena, Space Junkies, and Echo Combat. Many say that the biggest hurdle facing VR is the need of games, designed for the general public to watch and enjoy.

2. Cost

The VR system is quite pricy at the moment. The mass player and spectator find it hard to acquire all the necessary gear. That leads to fewer people buying and playing VR eSports, which slows the process of falling in love with the concept. Players use mainly consoles, PCs and even mobile devices. That is what makes eSports so accessible. Everyone can try it and feel like winning big is on the table. When you think about it, everybody has access to at least one video game. In the end, they can easily imagine playing their favourite games professionally.

3. Technology

The limitation of the technology is another thing that virtual reality developers need to overcome. Even if a player wants to try VR, their feedback explains how sore their eyes are after 20 minutes of playing. As we all know, an eSports athlete has to train for about 8 to 12 hours per day. When you compare that to the 20 minutes VR time, there is no benefit for the player. That problem can be resolved with the evolution of the product, which is already set in motion by more people and companies involved. One of the popular examples is Intel Gaming. The lead of the company Scott Gillingham said in an interview, that VR and eSports could co-exist.

Virtual Reality Gear

4. Money

Eye soreness is not the only thing that slows eSports athletes to adapt to VR. The popularity of this new tech is not high enough to reflect on their bank accounts. Pro gamers support themselves financially through their corporate sponsorships, as well as their streaming feeds on YouTube and Twitch. Popular games are the primary key to their wealth because the consumers want to see the top athletes play some of the most popular eSports games like Dota 2 and League of Legends.

They are known, thrilling and keep the excitement going. In case an athlete decides to switch to a VR eSports, there is a good chance for their followers to stop following them. That leads to less viewership and popularity, therefore less money. The VR tournaments prize money is also significantly less. Players need to carefully think through the financial aspect, before deciding to switch game scenes.

5. Broadcasting

Presenting a VR viewing experience happens to be a new kind of challenge for the industry. It is yet to be figured out how to broadcast eSports virtual reality tournaments. The traditional eSports viewing leads the spectator to what is important and what to focus on, which offers a relaxing atmosphere without missing a single detail. With VR, people need to decide what to focus on and have to physically turn their heads around. Viewers will prefer a guided experience. They prefer to have the opportunity to control what to watch, which differs from VR, where the viewer is more restricted on what to watch at any given moment.

VR eSports League – The New Generation

VR needs more popularity, and to do that, the industry needs to get more famous game developers involved. The dedication to a team or company plays a significant role in this business. Viewers and fans are loyal and ready to try whatever their favourite developer is offering. There is not a new game yet, or one that we know of, that could flip scales for the fans. That is what keeps developers evolving and trying new products. They design and create games, when the organizers are trying to build up a notable momentum by organizing specific VR leagues. Mimicking some of the best eSports tournaments and their structures, the virtual branch of online gaming had given a fresh start to some exciting competitions:

VR League Plays a leading role in virtual reality and has been active since 2017. The main supporters and sponsors are the might Intel and Oculus. They provide investments and technology. That had made it the first and biggest VR eSports league. They could use an influential ambassador to keep the fans excited about their product.
Virtual Athletics League Fully embracing VR in a unique way, VAL started in 2016. They solely operate out of virtual reality arcades. They try to keep the unique atmosphere with all the different video games. Now, over 160 VR arcades participate in the league worldwide. They are open for the public which makes VR more reachable and there, you don’t need to play with a personal gear. VAL became official in 2018 after signing sponsorships with HTC Esports and HP, Inc.
Collegiate Virtual Reality Esports A young league that needs quite a bit of growth but definitely has potential. Their first season was in 2018. It was a huge success. The league’s goal is to create a sports program at universities for VR athletes. That way, students can participate in the formed teams for their universities and win scholarships in the future. There are none for now because the league is still too young. However, experts predict a steep rise for that one in the near future.

Future of eSports – The Inevitable Evolution

The shape, which VR eSports will take in the future, is an interesting topic to ponder. Nonetheless, a new generation of athletes will emerge. They will be exceptionally agile, lean and dexterous. Their reaction time, as well as eye-hand coordination, will be through the roof. The competitive experience with this new virtual reality eSports niche will be the main engine of the growth of the industry. We will witness a long-lasting marriage between mainstream VR competitive sports and traditional sporting values. The industry had made a huge step forward with implementing virtual sports betting platforms in the first place. However, they still need to find a way to implement recruitment of top game developers, more leagues and VR’s ability to attract a different type of athlete.

Frequently Asked Questions about VR eSports Technology

The topic related to the future of VR casinos and VR eSports is yet to be widened. There are numerous questions about the technology, prices, competitions, which games can be played in VR and so on. We have managed to summarize all that in a Q&A section. The data is straight to the point and offers one more look at the article, where things are explained in detail.

😄 Do athletes enjoy VR eSports?

Virtual reality is used more and more in daily chores, but still struggles a bit when it comes to gaming. The technology is new and unknown, so eSports athletes still hesitate to use it. But the tendency is for sports and VR to co-exist in the near future. Athletes seek higher earnings and popularity.

🧐 Why VR is not so popular?

There are many things that need to be created and adjusted in order to catch up to eSports gaming. Virtual reality downsides mess a bit with the popularity of the concept, which plays a massive role with teams, players, sponsors and viewers. After all, digital gaming is meant to keep the thrill up and running.

🏅 Are there any VR eSports leagues?

Even though many are still afraid to switch playing fields, VR leagues are becoming more and more popular since 2017. There are several sponsored by major gaming providers, who take care of the sponsorships and technical gadgets. One of the VR leagues is dedicated to university scholarships, which is a great way to support universities and students.

🔝 Which is the first VR eSports league?

It was created in 2017 by two giants in the online gaming industry - Intel and Oculus. The first VR league was sponsored entirely by them only, which showed the need for more popularity and viewers. After that, more and more athletes gave it a go.

⚙️ Which eSports games have a VR element?

Even the top eSports games, leading massive competitions with huge prize pools are created specifically for the digital gaming market. VR is a new technology, which requires a different way of interacting. That is why many providers try entirely new and mainly VR oriented products.

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