Research: Esports is the future of all sports

Andy Miah, Chair in Science and Future Media at the university, has been leading the research in this area and said: “Esports have become a huge industry in the five years, with a growing realisation that gaming skills can greatly contribute to wider creative and intellectual development.

“The latest transformation that is bringing these two worlds even closer together is the creation of new, virtual reality gaming experiences, which are turning Esports into physically active experiences. Virtual reality may just be the technology that unites the two worlds of sports and Esports which are, otherwise, struggling to find common ground.”

The VR Olympics?

There have been rumours that the International Olympic Committee is interested in virtual reality as a possible route for Esports inclusion within the Olympic programme. In less than one year the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will take place with widespread speculation that Esports will feature.

Andy said: “While Esports won’t be a medal sport in Tokyo next year, 2019 is the first year in which a major sports event has included Esports medals. In this respect, the South-East Asian Games is pioneering the association with Esports and further indicating that this emerging technology is gradually finding its way into sports mega-events.”

There’s a great deal of technological evolution still to come within Esports and we are only at the beginning of this journey.

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The full article written by Professor Andy Miah can be found on The Conversation