2020 was an interesting year to say the least. Everything was going okay until suddenly it didn’t anymore. No doubt everyone was affected to a certain extent by this dramatic shift in how the world works.
However, one domain that immediately felt the shift was sports. Sports along with concerts, music festival, weddings, and many other physical outdoor gatherings just stopped. But even so, fans are still excited whenever their hear about sports. And more importantly, they’re curious how the balance will shift because of everything that happened this long, long year.
Are We Going Virtual?
Just like many other domains, sports have all sorts of sub-domains that are tied to them. One example is betting, arguably one of the most popular ways that people seek to make money thanks to their knowledge of sports.
With that said, we’ve seen a huge rise in Virtual Sports, namely those video game-style matches that people can place bets on. Virtual sports have managed to keep bettors and gamblers preoccupied during this somewhat lackluster period.
For better or worse, they have, at the very least, satisfied a specific crowd’s desires. At least to a certain extent. Will virtual sports rise up to become even bigger in the future? Only time will tell, but so far it seems so.
How Will Stadiums Look Like?
Our current stadiums aren’t slouches, but they’re also not all that impressive considering the fact that they’ve been here for what looks like an eternity.
Will futuristic stadium adopt the Neo-Noir aesthetic that video games like Cyberpunk 2077 have shown off? Or will they go for the more brutalist approach of real life? Again, it’s kind of early to predict everything accordingly, but chances are that both scenarios will happen one way or another.
Is Virtual Reality Going to Play a Role?
VR and AR have already started playing a role in enhancing the stadium goer’s experience. But what if VR could start enhancing a player’s abilities? Or, more specifically, the way they interact with others.
More specifically, video game researchers have started developing vests that make it feel as if you were shot for real in first person shooters. Now imagine if they could develop a costume that would react to all sorts of other inputs.
You could practically play virtual boxing with someone tens of thousands of miles away, and you would still feel their punches. If this comes to fruition, how will it enhance the experience for soccer, football, or baseball players in the future?
eSports and a New Crowd
What would you have said if you’ve heard that a nerd was playing Dota or Starcraft all the way back in the 90s? If you were going through the mainstream mindset, you would’ve probably made fun of them.
But in the 2010s, the nerds got their revenge. Now, eSports like LoL, Dota 2, and many others, have vast audiences, and the people who play these games professionally can easily retire with the prizes that they can win in tournaments.
So, how will the eSports scene look in the future? Will it become even more popular than it is now? We’ll have to wait and see, but if current trends are any indicator, it’s safe to assume that we’re in for some amazing years for eSport gamers.