eSports are entertaining
eSports. What is it? It's a growing phenomenon where competitive videogaming is a new reality. Two years ago a big tournament took place in Anaheim, California called Major League Gaming yes the professional designation is there for gaming now.
MLG has been around for 14 years and hopes to become a household name like the NFL, MLB, MLS, and NBA one day. They even have their own version of sports center showcasing highlights and viral sharing websites like Reddit & Digg are displaying highlight reels right next to real life sports.
Do we live in a virtual world now?
With the coming rise of virtual reality, augmented reality, and Facebook being at the forefront of pushing for Occulus to become a household name we need to shift our focus to understand that eSPorts is here to stay and will continue with an upward trajectory of growth.
The United Kingdom is looking to make an international tournament for the space and follow behind Californias tournament after seeing their massive success over the past few years. Twitch which was originally Justin.tv and later a company that sold for almost 1 Billion dollars to Amazon gave us confirmation that the eSports business is here to stay.
The question we all want to know is does it really deserve an Olympic-style event with a sportscenter recap? The answer is yes if there is demand for it and the proof is in the pudding. Tournaments typically flow with 5 different video games and the best players are well versed with each and every new update and game when it is released. Odds are being released for these events and handicappers are offering eSports betting advice to those who want to wager on these games just like they would a real live Football or Basketball game. Question is will the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada start broadcasting on the big screen these matches and compete?
The answer is if there is demand and enough money pouring in then yes.
Big Name Investors in the Space
A huge fan base following these players and competing to be the next top gamer is also a growing trend. This is not to say there isn't controversy that comes with all of this as gambling rings and match fixing will become more prevalent and big names invest in the space like Mark Cuban in companies like Unikrn in an effort to help establish it's legitimacy.
Of course we don't want to see the same thing happen to the eSports market as what happened to Fan Duel and Draft Kings where they got so big that scrutiny and regulation which has now hampered its growth.
