It wasn’t long ago when esports was the exclusive domain of passionate and casual gamers alike. However, esports has caught fire and the global pandemic didn’t hurt the cause. As a matter of fact, the shutdown that paralyzed the global economy and shuttered businesses all across the land was actually a boon to the video gaming world and esports in particular.
We should note that competitive esports tournaments where live audiences cheer on their favorite teams competing on mega-monitors in arenas that are decked out in plush seating as broadcasters narrate the action were negatively impacted just as all other professional sports were. The big money for professional esports tournaments was beginning to build before the pandemic and that segment of the market was adversely affected.
However, the number of remote players and audiences watching their favorite gamers on Twitch and other social media platforms tells a tale of soaring popularity. Consider that the 3.89 billion hours watched in the third quarter of 2019 increased by 91.8 percent in the third quarter of 2020. That’s a lot of hours and an enormous demographic.
Speaking of demos, those numbers jumped because an entirely new audience gravitated to esports due to the old “any port in a storm mentality”. Baseball, basketball, and hockey fans had nowhere to turn for over five months before professional sports were allowed to resume without fans in the stands. But by that time, the esports bug had taken hold of its new target audience and that caused the numbers to swell.
Moreover, the original esports fans were spending even more time gaming and watching their favorite players stream online. It was a perfect storm for the gaming industry and esports in particular.
In fact, even the bookmakers were getting in on the action as there were scant offerings of professional sports, therefore, odds were being dealt on League of Legends and Fortnite tournaments to name but a few. Sports betting websites are still hanging lines on esports even though traditional professional sports have all but returned to maximum stadium capacity as the pandemic winds down. And the only reason the online sportsbooks are doing so is that people are betting on these tournaments and the house is making money because of it.
According to a report by SportingPedia referencing a release by the UK Gambling Commission, “Industry insiders believe that the future will open new horizons for the eSports industry development. New games with better quality will appear on the scene to cater to the constantly growing demand for new more engaging games. Some experts even consider that artificial intelligence will also find its place in eSports. In addition to that, more jurisdictions will regulate the eSports betting market.
“Recognizing the big potential of the eSports industry, a growing number of casinos started to accept wagers for eSports competitions. In 2018, Luxor Casino made the headlines after it was announced that the casino is ready to open the first purpose-built eSports arena on the Las Vegas Strip. We expect that this trend will continue and other land-based casinos will build such an arena.”
If You Build It They Will Come
Vegas is cutting edge, a playground for adults, and if something is moving the needle in the entertainment industry then you can be sure Sin City will know about it. And because esports is popular with young adults, as well as the new demographics recently introduced, it is not surprising that one Vegas monolith has wisely jumped on board the bandwagon.
The HyperX Esports Arena located at the Luxor Hotel and Casino has arrived. This 30,000 multilevel megaplex replete with a cocktail bar, VIP lounges, and luxury boxes boasts a 50-foot LED video wall, a broadcast center, and a production studio integrated into the fabric of the arena.
Ken Miller, of Las Vegas Magazine, reported on the state-of-the-art gaming palace, “For fans of video games, it really doesn’t get better than HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, a venue that welcomes gamers of all ages for all sorts of video game action, and recently the arena celebrated its 100th Saturday Night Speedway tournament, in which gamers go head-to-head at Mario Kart.
“If you’ve never competed in or witnessed this event, it’s truly a world-class production, with 30 multi-use cameras getting all the action, including robotic, pole-cam, handhelds, and POV; four studio control rooms with 30-plus production stations; and commercial audio, video, and lighting. Each tournament includes a prize pool and is broadcast live on YouTube and narrated by live casters.
In addition to honoring the winner at the event, HyperX Esports Arena celebrated the past 99 SNS winners by bringing them onstage. There was also a $1,000 prize pool and a contest to see who had the best Mario Kart costume, with the winner taking home $250.”