Esports & VR: Casinos’ Upcoming Star Attractions

Events Industry Research

Esports & VR: Casinos’ Upcoming Star Attractions

October 15, 2016 — by Casey Rock

This is part of a series on the convergence of video games and the casino industry and opportunities for non-casino game developers. Part 1 focused on mobile games. Part 2 focused on skill-based games. This is the final article in the series and focuses on esports and virtual reality.

Esports and virtual reality are coming to casinos. At the Downtown Grand in Las Vegas, esports have already arrived and at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) esports and virtual reality were on display in major ways. Multiple panels were dedicated to the topic of esports and Gamblit Gaming showcased the possible future of VR and esports on casino floors with their G-Sports station and Virtual Reality Cube (VRC).

Contributions Development

The Future of Mobile Gaming: How to Deliver High-Quality Experiences that Keep Users Engaged

August 31, 2016 — by Lance Winters of Nordeus

In a world full of endless disruption, gaming companies are competing more than ever for the attention of their users. The rapid advancement of technology is giving game designers the potential to evolve game mechanics to deliver high quality experiences in order to keep users engaged and hungry for more.

Creating a Visual Illusion for the Gamer

So, what does this mean for game designers? We are now capable of more advanced on-screen experiences and greater opportunities to engage our audience. Game designers now have to think differently about the possibilities across devices, audiences and visual opportunities. The design spectrum has enhanced significantly in recent years, giving us a broader visual palette and a wealth of options and possibilities. Undoubtedly, this has made the decision process much harder, but also more exciting.

Asia 2016 Video Coverage

Jasper Mah: Esports for Everyone | Casual Connect Video

August 21, 2016 — by David Radd

You don’t make an esport title hoping that it turns out to be an esport. - Jasper MahClick To Tweet

The new generation of millennials doesn’t think the same way as an older audience, so esports might be the sport millenials will be into. It already is the fastest-growing sport in the world. ESL Asia Pacific region Business Development Director Jasper Mah emphasizes: these games should be fun to play and watch, and not just overly competitive. They discuss this from a perspective of the leading live streaming and video platforms in a Casual Connect Asia 2016 panel, as well as share their own story with Gamesauce.

Editorial

Fighting Game Esports Come of Age at EVO 2016

August 15, 2016 — by David Radd

EVO 2016 was a watershed moment for esports, when the world’s biggest fighting game tournament reached a larger audience then it ever had before. We examine the reluctance of the fighting game community (FGC) to embrace esports before now, how EVO and fighting games can naturally work as well as esports, and how they’re still room for improvement.

World Championship of Fighting Games

The ratings have come out for the final day of EVO 2016’s Street Fighter V tournament was televised on ESPN2. According to Nielsen, there were roughly 201,000 viewers through ESPN2, in addition to 213,927 Twitch viewers and 182,716 on the main stream. On top of the record 14,000 competitors and largest number of attendees made this the largest EVO in history. The numbers also make it one of the biggest esports events in the U.S. this year.

Editorial

Counter-Strike: Know When to Hold, When to Fold

August 5, 2016 — by David Radd

The recent controversy over “skin gambling” has blown up and forced Valve to take direct measures. We look at what led to this and what developers and publishers should really consider before adding any sort of gambling element to their game.

Skin in the Game

This saga truly began in 2011. That was the year that Valve added features to Steam to allow users to trade in-game items in for credits that would let them get the items they wanted. Team Fortress 2 turned free-to-play and made money from various cosmetic purchases, becoming the model that would later be integrated into Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

Europe 2016 Video Coverage

John Gaudiosi: Journalism in the Blood | Casual Connect Video

June 14, 2016 — by Catherine Quinton

'Even smaller mobile games require a lot of work and creativity from a small team.' - John GaudiosiClick To Tweet

ESports is the most talked about subject in the games industry as well as media business. As games and video converge into cross-screen entertainment franchises, professional gamers and streamers are the celebrities of the new generation. Stadiums around the world are filling up each weekend and over 100 million fans are tuning into esports every month. It is not surprising that advertisers and traditional media are rearing to get involved. At the Casual Connect Europe conference, learn what the future will bring as the stakes get higher from leaders within the esports economy on how they see the future. The moderator for this informative panel, John Gaudiosi explained, “When it comes to esports as a journalist, every game developer and publisher is always telling me they have got the next that they have got the next esports title.” Find out how you can stand out and what is up next.

Events News

Competing and Winning in the eSports Field

June 14, 2016 — by David Radd and Sasha Paleeva

Casual Connect USA is about matching the creativity of the games industry with new media innovation and investment. There will be many talented speakers at Casual Connect USA 2016, and today we are giving you a glimpse of some the esports track speakers. Now that streaming has come of age, esports is a more important sector than ever. Experts will talk about what gaming audiences demand and how publishers, developers and platforms should react.

The speakers come from established developers, investors, and streaming focused companies and all have huge passion for esports.

Asia 2016 Video Coverage

Hal Bame: The Nemesis of eSports | Casual Connect Video

May 23, 2016 — by David Radd

The Nemesis platform experience is the result of extremely hard work and dedication by a lot of…Click To Tweet

With eSports being one of the fastest growing industries in the world, how will business models evolve over time and what will the industry look like in 3-5 years? In this recent session from Casual Connect Asia, panelists brought perspectives from North America, Europe and Asia and discussed the intersection of traditional sports, betting and wagering and video games. Nemesis CEO Hal Bame predicted that the eSports industry is “only going to get bigger because the limitations to getting into eSports is you don’t have to be the best athlete in the world, you don’t have to have thirty years of training behind you but these guys work just as hard.” Hear more insights from Hal and other professionals in the video below.

Events Industry News

Casino Industry Betting on eSports to Lure in Millennials

May 14, 2016 — by Casey Rock

Editor’s Note: This is part 1 in a three-part series focused on changing trends in the casino gaming industry. Part 2 focuses on socialization inside the casino, skill-based gaming, and selling experiences as opposed to offering traditional gambling. Part 3 focuses on new technologies and changing business models.

eSports is the hottest new trend in video games and casinos are acutely aware of that fact. Many in the gambling industry are looking to it as a potential lure for the highly desired millennial demographic – but ideas on how to make use of it or implement it in casinos are varied.

GiGse 2016, one of the premier educational and networking events for the casino industry, dove deeply into esports at their recent conference in San Francisco. With multiple lectures devoted to the topic, attendees walked away with a new understanding on the esports environment, players and spectators.

Exclusive Interviews Indie Studio Spotlight

Gert-Jan Stolk: Feeling the Need for Speed

May 8, 2016 — by David Radd

24777_381295864862_7338448_n — Gert-Jan Stolk

SpeedRunners recently sprinted across the finish line to a full release after five years in development. It’s been a long process, but after a few years using Steam Green Light, awards from SXSW and Indie DB and various play-throughs by famous YouTubers, it’s now fully released for Steam, with an Xbox One release coming later.

We talked with Gert-Jan Stolk of DoubleDutch Games about SpeedRunners. They detail how publisher tinyBuild helped with the game’s aesthetic, how SpeedRunners eventually became an eSport and why indie developers should have a back up plan because their first game probably won’t be profitable.