When we think about developments in technology and gaming, we tend to think first about the latest pieces of equipment that can enhance video game experiences. This is why new gaming consoles from the big-name companies can dominate tech news for a full year or more, and it’s why the expansion of virtual reality technology has been such a buzzy topic. But in addition to the introduction and spread of more advanced technology, there’s been another fascinating development in the gaming world: the move toward spectator activity.
To some extent, this development has been going on for a while. As online streaming for competitive events has become more popular, the gaming industry has created a full-blown competitive sport. Professional leagues and major competitions now draw massive crowds of people who simply want to watch others compete, rather than play the games themselves. In fact, 27 million people watched the League Of Legends World Championships back in 2014 —a number that rivaled major sporting events such as baseball’s World Series. In the years since, professional gaming (often referred to as eSports) has only grown more popular and now regularly outperforms conventional sports when it comes to viewership.
Where eSports are concerned, however, most of the action actually revolves around games (or at least styles and genres) that have been around for a while. Some of the most popular games tend to be the latest first-person shooters or sports games, while competitive fighters like Super Smash Bros. have also drawn a lot of attention. Thus, we’ve largely seen the development of spectator gaming with regard to firmly established titles and genres. But as people get more used to the idea and the various technologies involved in live streaming improve, we’ve also seen the general concept of spectatorship spreading to other forms of gaming.
One interesting example comes via the online casino industry, which is always exploring new innovations to keep content fresh for players. There is now the options to stream gaming content in a way that involves players interacting directly with dealers, which even invokes other innovations (namely, virtual reality). But where this ties into the spectator aspect is that it takes one of the biggest attractions of a physical casino—watching/playing at a table, surrounded by onlookers—and brings it to the virtual realm. Basically it’s a form of entertainment combining spectatorship and active participation that caters to anyone with a keen interest in online casino play.
Even more recently we’ve seen another fascinating example, as the idea of watching a video game has (perhaps inevitably) reached virtual reality. The ridiculously popular Dota 2 will be getting a VR spectator mode. The report indicates that Valve, the developer behind Dota 2, is already working on this kind of mode. But it also suggests that this could lead to VR becoming “the definitive way to watch other people play video games,” which seems to mean we may soon be able to put on headsets and effectively live out the actions of a professional gamer somewhere.
That’s a pretty wild new twist on modern gaming! Given all of these developments, it may be about time for us to shift our perspective on what exactly the gaming industry stands for. While it’s still primarily about playing the games, the spectator arena seems to be gaining steam. Video games now represent a diverse, multi-faceted form of entertainment that’s increasingly catering to viewers as well as players.
Written by Thomas Holloway
