Virtual Tour de France shows how esports has come of age during lockdown
Virtually the same
COVID-19 has accelerated the alignment of elite sports industries with esports – and even those who previously dismissed esports as not being like real sport now have the IOC president to contend with. Bach noted that platforms like Zwift were absolutely the same as sports, suggesting a future in which virtual sport may be a bigger part of the elite sports scene. It may be no coincidence that the IOC’s Esports Liaison Group is chaired by the president of the International Cyclists Union,David Lappartient.
Soon after the lockdown began, sports were racing to get in on the virtual action. Among the first was Formula One, which was nudged into producing “Not the Australian Grand Prix,” when its Melbourne race was canceled. Teaming up with Veloce Esports, F1’s first digital event used its official computer game to produce a unique experience, where gamers, F1 drivers, and celebrities came together to race the Australian track.
In the end, esports racerDaniel Bereznay took the chequered flagwith former Dutch racing driver-turned-sim racerJarno Opmeercoming in second.
In April, the ATP and WTA organized an esports tennis competition instead of the Mutua Madrid Open, using Nacon’s Tennis World Tour video game. Again, some of the world’s biggest names came together to compete. Great Britain’sAndy Murray took the title.
Also in April, we saw thevirtual Grand Nationaltake place for the fourth time. This year was special, as – thanks to COVID-19 there was no accompanying physical race. Instead, racing fans – and gamblers – could tune into YouTube and watch a race of computer-generated horses, all of which had been expected starters for the actual race. The winner was decided in advance of the start gun being fired, based on the rider’s previous form, day conditions, amongother factors.
This algorithm-driven sport may not feel much like a sport for many – but it worked. We can expect to see a significant amount of business generated from gambling opportunities around virtual sports.
Football was slow to get back on to the pitch, and many clubs began experimenting with in-stadia innovations. By the time players were back on the field – without spectators – some clubs had set upgiant screensinside the stadium giving the impression of thousands of fans. Clubs also experimented withvirtual reality to train playersand real-time canned audience sounds became part of a new language of broadcast production.
The international basketball federation was next, producing the world’s first internationalesports version of its sportin May using the gameNBA 2K. While the game has not previously impressed gamers, it did well to bring new audiences to basketball at a time when no live events were taking place.
Finally, there has also been a whole lot of esports happening during lockdown, occupying the space where many of these aspiring sports brands seek to locate themselves. Gaming has had a very good lockdown indeed – data shows that game sales and use havegrown significantly over 2020.
New ways to play
Lockdown brought esports further into the mainstream – even theBBC broadcastevents on its digital platform. We also saw how the creative and cultural industries are coming together around esports titles. Of note were the virtual concerts that took place in Fortnite, particularly the American rapper Travis Scott’s spectacular performance, which could only be seen live if you were logged in as a player within Fortnite, prompting fans to download the title just to see the concert.
In the same way that social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are establishing new markets and audiences, esports and the virtualization of sport are showing how new economies are emerging around novel, digital sports experiences through gaming platforms.
While many of the COVID-19 esports events from international sports federations have been more showcase events than elite competition, they have paved the way for a new normal to emerge, not just for participants, but for the many industries that produce media events.
This article is republished fromThe ConversationbyAndy Miah, Chair in Science Communication & Future Media,University of Salfordunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.
Story byThe Conversation
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