The most exciting technological innovations of the last few decades, virtual reality is bound to transform everything, from entertainment and education to healthcare and sports. Of all the industries that VR could disrupt, eSports certainly stands at the forefront as one of the prime candidates for a technological revolution. With its immersive experiences and potential to create new forms of competitive gaming, VR has generated quite a lot of buzz within the community.
But amidst all the fanfare, there are still skeptics. With all the potential that lies in store for VR in eSports, how realistic is it to reinvent the Industry with VR? Or is the hype about VR in eSports just a nine-day wonder? This article looks at both the promises and challenges posed by VR technology in the world of eSports to assess whether it is the future or overhype.
The Status of VR in eSports Today
During the past two years, virtual reality technology has been substantially enhanced. Early headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have their thought-out followers in the face of more recent and high-tech systems: Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR. These two devices made VR more accessible to casual users and hardcore gamers, offering high-quality immersive experiences at relatively low prices.
For all this, VR still hasn’t had its day in the main eSports scene. As matters currently stand, most of the competitive gaming is done with keyboards, mice, controllers, and monitors. The dominant eSports titles right now are League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Fortnite, leaving no space for any VR-based titles to compete on any scale.
With that in mind, VR eSports has already started to carve a niche for itself. Titles such as Echo Arena, VRChat, and Beat Saber have garnered their respective competitive communities. Dedicated VR leagues and tournaments spring up. Some of them do offer considerable prize pools, letting top players and viewers from all over the world have their say. Of course, VR eSports is still remarkably small as compared to its traditional counterparts, but its growth seems to underpin the technology with promise.
The Promise of VR in eSports
First and foremost, people are so hyped about VR in eSports because it can offer a level of immersion unparalleled by any other technique. While traditional games are viewed on a flat, two-dimensional screen, VR drops players directly into the game world, letting them interact with their surroundings in ways that feel far more organic and instinctive. This already provides for a much greater sense of presence, which is the most exciting thing about this experience for both the player and observer.
For gamers, VR brings new gameplay mechanics that are simply impossible with traditional games: in VR, physical movement becomes a key part of the gaming experience. Players will have to use their bodies to aim, dodge, and interact with objects in real-time, creating a more dynamic and physical way of competing. This opens the door to completely new genres of games that can redefine what we consider eSports.
For example, games such as Echo Arena and Sparc marry the worlds of old-school sports and virtual worlds by compelling participants to use their entire bodies to compete. The physicality involved in these games is demanding yet fun, presenting competitive gaming with a new perspective. This is one way VR may attract an even more varied audience for eSports-most especially those who could not be that interested in regular video gaming.
From a spectator perspective, it might also revolutionize how eSports are watched. Current eSports broadcasts are stuck in third-person perspective only; in VR, a spectator gets to experience the game from inside the action. What’s more, the possibility of having more personalized views: the fans could follow their favorite players in real-time or explore the game world from whatever angle they wanted.
Challenges Confronting VR in eSports
There are a couple of issues that first need to be sorted out for VR to really take its mantle in the eSports arena. First, there is the issue of accessibility. While VR headsets these days are a lot more reasonably priced, they still tend to be a serious investment for most players. High-quality VR equipment, combined with a powerful gaming PC or console, simply costs too much for many upcoming eSports athletes.
Not every player has the physical space needed for VR gaming. Most VR systems require big rooms or other areas to be able to maneuver around; that may not always be available to everyone, particularly people living in small apartments or major urban centers. Therefore, this inaccessibility creates an entry barrier that might limit the growth of VR eSports.
Other main challenges are in physical demand: where there is usually no physical strain when dealing with normal, traditional games after hours of playtime, VR gaming requires players to get off the couch. Prolonged playing could lead to fatigue, motion sickness, and other physical discomforts. For eSports athletes looking to practice hour after hour, these physical demands with VR could make it less appealing.
In addition, the technology itself has a lot of drawbacks. Although it keeps on improving, it is not yet exactly fine. Latency, field-of-view, and general lack of haptic feedback are common problems in most of today’s VR systems. These can turn into technical limitations which will make the experience worse and hence impact competitiveness with the more classic variants of gaming.
There’s also the question of whether VR can produce games as engaging and competitive as any other eSports title out there. Much of the success with esports depends on the quality of the games being played. League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike are fine examples, taking many years to hone into what it cotheyetitively is toarey: with deep mechanics, well-balanced gameplay, and strategic elements. The truth is that VR games are just barely developing the type of depth and balance required to support serious competition.
Can VR Overcome These Challenges?
While the challenges facing VR within eSports are huge, it isn’t impossible. Many of today’s current limitations in VR technology are likely to disappear as the technology further develops. Hardware advances could be in the form of headsets that are lightweight and cheap, making VR gaming more affordable and less physically cumbersome. Improvement in tracking technology and haptic can make it even more immersive and eventually get the VR games to a place where they would be comparable to normal games.
On the level of access, the growing popularity of stand-alone VR headsets, such as Oculus Quest, hints toward a future wherein VR is more accessible to and user-friendly for people. Standalone headsets do not require a gaming PC or console, making the entrant threshold much more approachable for end users. As these devices become more powerful, they may bridge the gap between casual VR gaming and professional eSports.
The physical demands of VR gaming could also be mitigated through new designs in game design, focusing on shorter and more aggressive sessions of play rather than long, drawn-out competitions. Just as traditional sports have adapted to fit the needs of both athletes and fans, VR eSports could evolve formats that are both engaging and manageable for players.
Most of all the future of VR eSports, though, is new and compelling game development that leverages the unique possibilities that VR has to offer. So, as game developers continue to experiment with VR, we are likely to see the emergence of new genres and competitive formats uniquely fitted to the medium. Success will lie in designing games that are not only fun to play but also exciting to watch, such that the imagination of the player and the spectator is taken by storm.
Is VR the Future of eSports or Just Hype?
With that in mind, is VR capable of changing the face of eSports, or is this yet another hyped technology? The truth lies somewhere in between. Of course, VR does have immense potential, but it isn’t ready to usurp the leading positions occupied by more conventional eSports games. There are indeed some major challenges in terms of accessibility, technology, and game design to be overcome before VR can meet its full potential in the competitive gaming arena.
That does not make VR a flash in the pan, though. The technology is only just in its infancy, and over the next few years, we wi likely see some great improvements. When VR becomes more mainstream or technology improves, we can see new opportunities inside of competitive gaming that we can only dream of now. The immersion and interactivity offered by VR can enable fully new forms of eSports, which will blur the boundary between gaming and physical sports.
Eventually, whether or not VR will triumph over most of the challenges that it is facing at the moment, and how well the gaming community receives it, will determine its success in eSports. It may not very well replace traditional eSports shortly, but it is likely to keep on growing more important in years to come when it comes to competitive gaming.
Because this is a fairly new technology, expectations must be balanced with a dose of realism. VR is not quite the revolution that many would like it to be, but neither is it some flash-in-the-pan fad. With further investment, innovation, and community buying in, VR can and may continue to shape the future of eSports in exciting and perhaps transformative ways.
