Many people nostalgically recall the days of the first Nintendo console or the challenges at the local arcade after school. Those days seem truly distant today, especially considering the advances made by the digital entertainment industry.
We're now accustomed to new gaming consoles coming out every few years, bringing major innovations that mark incredible innovations for the industry. At the same time, the way we play has also changed and evolved. In fact, we're increasingly talking about esports and pro-gamers, meaning all those users who have "specialized" in the game by cultivating and maximizing their skills. This also applies to gambling: while the largest tournaments once took place exclusively offline, today they kick off on various online platforms, involving hundreds of thousands of participants, and then conclude with live finals reserved for those players who have distinguished themselves through their skill and, of course, a certain amount of luck.
Let's take a closer look at these two sectors to understand their evolutions and future prospects.
Poker and High-Level Gambling: The Future is Digital
A phenomenon that is now evident is that of digitalization: the so-called 3.0 era has brought about a radical change in many aspects of daily life, simplified and speeded up thanks to the technology. Among these is gambling, which has recently moved digitally thanks to new online platforms. Whereas previously, placing a bet required in person at a casino or physical betting shop, today everything can be done directly online.
Furthermore, these software are constantly evolving, with some companies trying to maximize interactivity and user involvement, to achieve a level of realism and enjoyment that is equal to (if not greater than) that of real gaming tables.
This isn't the only advantage of digital gambling, as online gambling has allowed many more players to take part in major national and international tournaments, providing new opportunities for pro players who have achieved notable success.
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We are obviously talking about users who have cultivated this passion over time, specializing and improving their skills and it must be said that the web itself can be of help in this: today the answer to classic questions such as what are poker pot odds can be found directly online thanks to specific guides that contain many useful tips. Because you know, playing poker may also be a matter of luck, but it is above all the skills of those who sit at the green table that change the course of the game.
The latest data also confirm the success of casinos and if in total they collected 72 million euros in January alone (with a growth of 2,2%), the specific sector of poker tournaments is also strongly increasing, which recorded a +23% reaching almost 9 million in spending.
Esports between international tournaments and Olympics
What might seem like a simple computer game to many, for some, turns into a real competition to the last showdown. To get an idea of the scale of this intercontinental phenomenon, just read the latest report fromAESVI (the Association of Italian Video Game Publishers and Developers): Italy alone boasts a dedicated fanbase of approximately 260 people who follow esports events daily, a figure that rises to one million when including those who watch multiple times a week. If this isn't enough, consider the financial side of things: Newzoo's annual report estimates that revenues for 2018 will reach and exceed $900 million, surpassing $XNUMX billion this year.
In fact, there have been tournaments that offer very rich prize pools for a long time now, thanks to corporate sponsorships and the success of the public that follows these events via streaming, and the success of platforms like Twitch is the direct consequence of this. On this streaming site, specialized in live broadcasts of videogames, in 2018 alone, over 9,3 billion hours of footage were viewed. The most successful titles range from historic ones like League of Legends, which is still today, after 10 years, the multiplayer game with the most active users (we are talking about over 100 million unique players per month) capable of organizing international tournaments among the most followed in the world, to new releases like Fortnite, which has been able to achieve true interplanetary success by quadrupling in a short time the fans who play in battle royale mode.
This is why today we can say that video games are becoming increasingly popular, thanks to live streaming, international tournaments, and increasingly advanced platforms that make the gaming experience more interactive and fun every day.
