Virtual reality and the surrounding tech took off in recent years. Yet, it’s not still on the level we all saw in Sci-Fi movies. Sorry VR bros, that’s the truth. At the same time it is no longer a niche technology. It is in a high developing stage and it is touching upon sectors such as entertainment and gaming above all others. It is growing and it is only a matter of time before it becomes a mainstay in a field such as eSports.
No one can deny that VR and eSports are a match made in heaven. It can change the reality of gamers all over the world if brought forth in the right manner and in full capacity. The only question that remains is when will that happen and how far are we removed from it? Yeah, those are some tough questions. Let us try and answer them in the best way possible. Let’s start from the beginning.
The Essence of VR and How it Influences Gaming
VR is a high end tech enabling users to have interactions with computer-generated environments. It is envisioned in a way that when a user puts on a VR headset the reality disappears and you get access to a new one. It enables users to fully enter a game in a way making you feel like you really are there.
As far as gaming goes, this would elevate the entire experience especially when compared to traditional gaming. Gaming, in the form of only looking at the screen, is entertaining at a high level. VR would elevate it to another level entirely. Many of the physical limitations of traditional gaming would be removed.
For competitive gaming, this would be a massive improvement in the way games are played. eSports tournaments would be blessed with a new level of competitiveness never seen before. Player skills would be elevated and gamers would become athletes overnight. It is stuff that dreams are made of and it would change everything from simple gaming, eSports, eSports betting, eSports tournament organization, and the attention of the world would certainly shift more toward eGaming compared to traditional sports. But, how far are we from this reality?
The Way Things Stand Today
Virtual reality has become a part of the gaming industry. Yet, it hasn’t taken over, and the way things stand right now, it is not as close to being there. There are ventures into the universe of VR and games such as Beat Saber and Half-Life Alyx have given it a go. Players reacted well to this new immersive experience. The VR sets are already on the market with manufacturers such as HTC, Meta, and PlayStation leading the way. So, what’s stopping VR becoming mainstream?
Here are few of the main reasons:
- Hardware Limitations – Technology is here, that is correct, but it is not your everyday piece of equipment such as smartphones available to all of us. VR headsets are not cheap. To run them at full capacity while gaming you need compatible computer hardware. Unfortunately, many of the casual gamers are not able to afford VR headsets and powerful enough computers to run them at a satisfying level.
- Physical Space – The best way to enjoy VR is to have the freedom to move around. With not enough space what virtual reality offers is limited. While some gamers already have spaces dedicated to the usage of VR, many of us still practice playing games from the cosiness of our rooms. Smaller spaces are not a friend of virtual reality. Without a possibility for every player to expense VR in a way it’s intended it will never become mainstream as far as casual gamers go.
- Motion Sickness – As we already mentioned, the moment VR fully enters the world of eSports gamers will have to become athletes of sorts. For some folks, using a VR headset caused motion sickness. Our brains get confused by having in-game movements while standings still which can lead to discomfort in individuals. You could say that we still haven’t evolved as species to fully embrace virtual reality.
- Game Design – Ultimately, game developers are still not creating their games solely for VR purposes. VR is present, but not yet in the centre of all gaming happenings, and many developers are still overlooking it. It will take some time before games are tweaked to work for a VR setup. As of now, we’re stuck with traditional gaming, which is not all that bad especially if you’re into CS GO Betting which is another aspect of eSports that will change as games move from traditional setup we’re all familiar with, to a more VR-oriented one from the future.
VR in The Current World of eSports
Many of you still do not understand just how massive is the eSports industry. It is not just about the thousands of gamers playing games; it’s’ about millions of people in the ever-growing audience. Competitive gaming is on the rise, and it’s all thanks to many traditional games that have been enduring for decades. eSports thrive on the games that are fast-paced, require high level of skill to be played, precision, and knowledge of lore and characters. Traditions are usually hard to change, so will VR be successful in its intentions?
What are the Possibilities of Virtual Reality in eSports?
What VR is trying to do is to change the way games are not only played, but viewed by spectators, and enthusiasts that see eSports through online casinos and sports betting outlets such as Stake.com. VR is trying to move the games from mouse movement and clicks toward real physical in-game reactions. The best example of this is Counter Strike games, where players would have to use their bodies to duck bullets, move inside the map, take an aim and shoot. In FIFA the players would have to have real knowledge of playing football rather than just using a joystick for it. The game would move from hands to legs as originally intended. Players would have to have not only knowledge of the game but also stamina and rest of the physical traits to play it.
The impact VR is going to make when it is present on a full scale in eSports cannot be understated. Just some of the changes include:
- New Gameplay Mechanics – As of now, there is a way in which we’re used to control the in-game characters. VR aims to change this. From the roots. With virtual reality the way we control and use characters in-game would be completely different. There would no longer exist a need for pressing buttons, moving a mouse, or using a keyboard. Players would have to adapt to using their actual bodies. The moment this happens all of us would have to start learning a different set of skills when it comes to eGaming which would lead to new in-game strategies, changing the landscape of the entire industry from the roots in terms of both the developers, the users and the viewer’s.
- Immersion – Do not underestimate the levels of immersion VR can take eSports to. Games we have today such as GTA (any iteration), Skyrim, Assassins Creed (any iteration), Red Dead Redemption, or Witcher are already immersive as they are. Being able to play a game as Geralt of Rivia or Edward Kenway would elevate the experience to an unimaginable level we do not have today. As far as competitive gaming goes, the immersion would change for both the players and the viewers. The stakes would be much higher for Faker and the gang playing League of Legends with millions in attention and their bodies on the line compared to the LoL World Championship model we have today. VR could push eSports a notch closer to real sports in an instant.
- Physicality – The eSports as we know them today are far away from being called physical. When compared to actual sports, they do not require the same physical demand. While many players would hate this, adding VR to the mix would be a requirement for players to notch up their physical presences. Using VR while playing games that occur on vast maps would require pre-game workouts, top physical condition, and game preparation of modern athletes. VR could create a major shift of professional athletes we have today playing in NFL, Premier League, or NBA moving closer to eSports as they would have all the physical traits and we know that the likes of Kyler Murray, Neymar, Max Vesratppen, and Karl-Anthony Towns are all avid gamers.
- Audience Experience – eSports have some of the most peculiar fans in the world. They are not only fans but all of them are also gamers. We do not have stats to back this claim, but not every fan in the stands of an NBA, NFL, or PL game knows to play the sport or has even tried it out, but we assure you that every viewer in the world of eSports spent countless hours playing the game. VR could make a world of change for them too. The future of VR tournaments will see fans interacting with players on a level never seen before. You will be able to attend a tournament that is miles away from your home with only a VR headset.
Current VR Games in eSports
Unfortunately, the catalogue is rather scarce. As we said, many developers are not yet developing their games for VR all for the reasons we also stated above. Yet, there are those that have ventured into this field with a moderate to good success rate. Some of the games that took off, but also crashed in the VR gaming domain are Echo VR and Onward. The former went out of work some years ago, citing the lack of player engagement necessary for it to operate on the highest level while the latter is still going strong. While these games have proved to be competitive they came nowhere near the level big eSports titles such as League of Legends or Valorant have.
These two titles are the niche where VR is trying to make a breakthrough. It is a well known fact that LoL brings in millions of players and fans together on a daily level. Having it played through VR headset would add another level of competitiveness to LoL. Echo VR, while short lived, showed how good an immersive eSports experience could be. VR in gaming still remains a niche, and while the work on its adoption is ongoing, as of now, it is just in its development stage.
How Soon Will VR Arrive in Mainstream eSports?
Hold your horses! VR is here, it exists, it’s just not able to take over eSports overnight. The idea of VR is dreamy, but its reality is not feasible as of yet. The technology is there, but at the moment it is too expensive for the casual user. Game developers are also not too fond of it, as their current games would have to be redesigned and adapted for VR, which is a lot of work, while taking on major VR projects while the tech is not everywhere is not financially sane.
In the coming years, we are expecting a major shift of the gaming industry toward virtual reality technology. But, it might be years ahead of us. There’s plenty of challenges it needs to face. For one, it needs to enter all homes of all gamers. Once there is, the second step is in the hands of game developers who need to entice the players that their games are now a better product through usage of VR. In essence this is an uphill battle against established traditions.
Yes, this is a tough battle for VR. But it is one won by making allies, and VR and eSports are more than compatible for a fruitful cooperation. We just have to relax, sit back, and wait for it to come to us, rather than the other way around.
