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When looking at breakthroughs in the eSports history, one must include technological advancements and the social component. Here’s what’s to know.
When looking to make your money work for you, understanding the industry’s origins can be vital. The 2000s set the stage for gaming’s global expansion. Those old enough to remember can recall internet cafes beginning to surface in every corner of the world. When it comes to breakthroughs in the eSports history, these cafes allowed gamers to come together and participate in multiplayer games. The precedent also included using powerful PCs many could not afford at home.
As time went on, computer components gradually became more affordable and powerful. One of the first eSports tournaments to ever take place happened in 2006. Thanks to a $1 million grand prize, 71 players joined forces to participate at the Worldwide Webgames Championships, courtesy of FUN Technologies. For the sake of reference, the year 2000 saw barely a dozen gaming tournaments worldwide. By 2010, that number was 20 times higher.
Most significant Breakthroughs In The eSports Sphere
eSports is a rapidly developing industry that’s synonymous with gaming. Therefore, most gaming enthusiasts feel closely related to a plethora of eSports activities. Technological advancements continuously change the gaming landscape, bringing forth new ways to attract audiences and promote the industry. Here is how eSports manages to constantly evolve and be more exciting:
- Cloud/mobile gaming
- AR/VR
- Advancements in graphics
- Voice & facial recognition
- Twitch and other streaming platforms
- Developers partaking in the competitive scene.
Cloud/Mobile Gaming
Cloud gaming originated in the developer’s mission to lighten the load and avoid creating games that called for more powerful hardware. Your console’s memory is no longer a limiting factor for gaming. Instead, the cloud can house game information and stream it down to your machine via the internet.
Mobile gaming among equally crucial breakthroughs in the eSports industry. Smartphones and tablets make it possible to enjoy gaming from anywhere and at any time. In other words, online gamers and hardcore console-lovers are no longer the only ones capable of indulging in digital gaming.
Augmented/Virtual Reality
These technologies attempt to broaden the scope of traditional video gaming into a more real-life-like sphere. Augmented reality lets gamers experience a unique perspective and combine real-life situations with various game objects. For instance, you can use AR to create a special obstacle course in your backyard or play a game of ping pong using your dining room table.
Virtual reality also aims to provide a more immersive gaming experience to individuals using unique headsets. These headset displays allow you to enter the world of virtual games and participate in them as if you were physically present.
Advancements In Graphics
Graphics are a crucial element in gaming and one of the most valuable breakthroughs in the eSports world. Video games primarily work by stimulating gamers through their eyes, meaning that photo-realistic features and fully rendered worlds create more immersion. In other words, you feel more a part of the game when you experience higher image quality.
On the other hand, generating high-quality images is only part of the process. You also need to be able to experience such quality, which is where ultra 4K gaming comes in. 4K graphic capabilities mean that your laptop, PC monitor, or TV support at least 4,000 pixels and provide incredible crispness and clarity.
Voice & Facial Recognition
When personal computers first started taking shape (and took up entire rooms worth of space), the idea of speaking to them must have seemed like the stuff of science fiction. However, modern technology that today allows voice-controlled gaming is pretty standard. Additionally, users can use voice commands to operate computers in different ways.
Talking to your gaming system is also one of the more convenient breakthroughs in the eSports sphere. You can perform different actions this way, including searching the web, operating your media library, interacting across social media, and controlling gameplay.
Facial recognition and 3D scanning technology take modern gaming to an even higher level. Besides effortlessly operating your console, you can generate a custom avatar to your likeness to use inside various games. Alternatively, this tech lets you modify different digital creations by transferring your expressions to them.
The best part is that facial recognition technology is evolving even further. There are indications that developers could soon engineer adaptive games that monitor gamers’ emotions. This groundbreaking tech is still in its infancy, but the Intel RealSense 3D camera can scan a person’s face across 78 different points. The scan results would cause your current game to adapt, such as instantly decreasing the difficulty level if the system detects your face grimacing.
Twitch & Other Streaming Platforms
During previous decades, eSports started gaining traction with fans in the United States. However, the speed at which fans were becoming aware of the industry was less than satisfactory. For example, mainstream television in South Korea heavily featured eSports tournaments and competitions in the same period.
Twitch emerged from the ruins of Justin.tv in 2011 and revolutionized the eSports industry in the following years. This service provided a unique platform to the industry and raised awareness beyond casual fans and gamers. In other words, Twitch brought competitive gaming closer to the masses, giving anyone with eSports inclinations an opportunity to experience the industry first-hand.
For example, Twitch recorded millions of unique views in Dota 2 and League of Legends games, which later grew to become fully-fledged spectator sports. As a result of global popularity, both of these games eventually organized their respective World Championships. These top-level competitions draw millions of spectators today, but their initial premiers brought about significant change to the eSports industry’s functioning.
Developers Partaking In The Competitive Scene
Developers had to be present in their games’ competitive scene in the past. In the industry’s early days, structure was a much-needed aspect, and developer involvement ultimately resulted in more structured competitions.
Simultaneously, ESL and other third-party tournament organizers also continued to refine their organizational capabilities. For example, thanks to plentiful investments, ESL successfully launched prestigious offline tournaments like the Intel Extreme Masters and the ESL One.
Additional improvements also facilitated lucrative returns on investments for tournament organizers and developers. In-game monetization was one such advancement that changed the industry’s earning and return potential.
As a result, the new monetization capabilities brought about the continuity of new content and games’ longer lifespan. These consequences retained players and thus represent some of the most significant breakthroughs in the eSports industry.
