Esports & Gaming

Virtual stadiums provide esports fans with the same exhilarating experience as physical sports

In a socially distanced COVID era, the fact that esports events are online provide starved sports fans an opportunity to experience the same exhilaration that an on-ground sports event does.

COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing have given eSports a boost in the last two years, and Indian eSports has been a part of this. The Indian eSports scene has been buzzing.

Trinity Gaming, an Indian gaming talent management company, joined hands with Chemin Esports, an eSports team based out of Gurugram, to help their athletes achieve maximum potential and support growing talents. Chemin Esports, which came into existence in 2020, has been one of the leading BGMI and Free Fire teams in the country.

In December, Niantic, the developer and publisher of Pokémon GO, announced the induction of 5,00,000 PokéStops and Gyms across India by 2nd February 2022. The initiative is expected to expand the access and experience of Pokémon GO across new towns and cities by three times.

The fact that esports events are online provide starved sports fan an opportunity to experience the same exhilaration that an on-ground sports event does.

These virtual tournaments are hosted live screening on social platforms like YouTube and Facebook giving viewers the chance to track every move of their favourite esports players and teams

AR/VR devices are providing these players with more representational experiences, essentially creating powerful emotional experiences for the players and followers to feel related to the game. Popular games like BGMI, FIFA, Fortnite, Free Fire, and many others have successfully enthralled the Indian youth and have let them establish themselves as professional players.

For example, as the inaugural edition of the World Esports Cup 2021 (WEC ’21) entered the business end, a video of India’s top Free Fire teams challenging the oppositions through a rap song clocked over 10 million views across the social media channels, including more than 5 million-plus views so far on India Today Gaming (ITG) YouTube channel.

“As much as this tournament has brought the best gamers together under one roof from across the Southeast Asian region, wherein they are not only competing and giving it all to feature themselves among the best in the business, we at ITG also wanted to create something unique to recognise and promote them among the larger audience in India. Hence, we came up with this idea to create a song, something that has not been done before and will help to showcase top gamers and their characters globally,” said Vishwalok Nath, Director, World Esports Cup.

A virtual tournament gives two neighbouring countries the opportunity to connect through their esports players as they connect, engage and challenge each other with a single mission, to win the championship.

These virtual tournaments are hosted live screening on social platforms like YouTube and Facebook giving viewers the chance to track every move of their favourite esports player and teams. These virtual stadiums provide the look and feel of a traditional stadium.

Unlike viewers in traditional stadiums, virtual audiences get the opportunity to learn, interact, and gain experience in gaming tactics from some pro and renowned gamers, right from their smartphones at home.

Virtual esports e-stadiums bring a ground-breaking change in the Indian esports ecosystem by providing competitive gaming experiences and an opportunity to improve gaming skills. Players too have a chance to earn cash prizes and secure an alternative career option in the esports sector.

Events like the World Esports Cup with its international esports exposure brings the message that even though the current situation is tough and challenging, it can never kill the spirit of esports. Gamers will continue the hustle and all the action from their homes.

Navanwita Bora Sachdev

Navanwita is the editor of The Tech Panda who also frequently publishes stories in news outlets such as The Indian Express, Entrepreneur India, and The Business Standard