Coronavirus has changed the way we live and conduct our business, perhaps forever. One of the industries most severely affected has been the sporting world. Events all over the world have come to a halt as the congregation of fans in large arenas has been banned, the safety of sportspersons themselves has taken precedence, and sports bodies around the world try and figure out what changes need to be made.
One industry, though, that has thrived during this time is the e-sports industry. More and more people are rediscovering the joy of gaming as well as taking to watching e-sport competitions online.
Online casinos such as GG Bet, which focus primarily on esports, have seen their player numbers go through the roof as the traditional sports came to a halt. Twitch has reported record numbers and new players on its platform, major e-sport events by Fortnite and Counter-Strike have been reporting higher viewership numbers than ever before, and these trends are true at all levels of the industry.
Could the COVID-19 crisis be the turning point for e-sports and make them into a household phenomenon rather than just niche events?
It appears as if we may well be on track for that happen and the early investors of this industry are going to bank some serious money if that does end up happening. Microsoft, Sony, Valve, Facebook, and Jio are moving into the e-gaming space in a big way.
These investments into making games run better on the cloud, improving the streaming platforms, and making games specifically for the purpose of tournament play are going to pay dividends for years to come.
Of course, there are naysayers that are doubt if this growth can be sustained after things return to normal. They cannot see video-games (add a disparaging voice) ever become popular enough to command the attention of a regular sports viewer.
There is no denying that stage is a long way off but to say that can never happen is being myopic. The world is changing faster than we have seen it change in a long time. The repercussions and casualties of these changes could be many but it appears as if e-sports might be the biggest success story to come out of all this.
GG bet can be seen as one of the pioneers in this space and was almost ridiculed when it decided to function with a primary focus on e-sports. Now, that move is looking like a genius move and one that may help it move towards the front of the pack and compete with the big online casinos in the world.
