#esports

danie10@squeet.me

South African gaming and esports surge

Man with headphones on, working in front of large computer monitor
A new PwC report said African gaming and esports are expected to grow significantly in the next few years, with South Africa leading the pack (think that is across Africa).

The PwC Africa Entertainment and Media outlook revealed that South Africa leads the Nigerian and Kenyan markets in video games and esports revenue.

South Africa saw strong growth in these sectors in 2022. This was especially prominent within the esports category, with total revenue up 30% year-on-year.

I’m glad to see this category growing because as long as you have electricity, a fibre connection, and a reasonable computer, you can compete fairly equally. The only downside can be where latency times to Europe and the USA lag a bit. But we are seeing more and more gaming servers being established within South Africa.

Some of the most popular mobile games include PUBG Mobile, Clash of Kings and Call of Duty Mobile.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/investing/517201-south-african-gaming-and-esports-surge.html
#Blog, #esports, #gaming, #southafrica, #technology

anonymiss@despora.de

#Gamewashing #Problem

source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/saudi-arabia-to-host-esports-world-cup-in-the-summer-of-2024/ar-AA1janX7

#SaudiArabia adding an Esports #WorldCup is part of the country’s national gaming and Esports strategy. The Middle Eastern nation hopes to use competitive video games as a means to contribute to the country’s GDP. Saudi Arabia wants to create over 39,000 jobs by 2030. In doing so, it sees economic gains exceeding $13.3 billion, according to Sports Pro Media.

#game #gamer #esports #humanrights #politics #entertainment #news #finance #money #economy

anonymiss@despora.de

Olympic #esports #tournament adds #Fortnite, but not any Fortnite mode you've seen before

Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/olympic-esports-tournament-adds-fortnite-but-not-any-fortnite-mode-youve-seen-before/

I can't say that I think Fortnite target shooting sounds very exciting otherwise—I don't think "technical shooting and ballistics simulation" when I think Fortnite—but I have in the past been riveted by Farming Simulator esports, so maybe it'll surprise us.

#Olympia #gamer #game #news #violence

waynerad@diasp.org

Automatic Observer in StarCraft. The idea here is to replace the humans who control the in-game "cameras" for esports audiences with an automated system. Rule-based automated systems already exist, but this system uses (Mask R-CNN) to turn video of the gameplay into objects, and this is then fed into a supervised learning system that uses camera control from humans as its training data. So the idea is it makes an automated system that controls the in-game cameras like humans.

In this example video from StarCraft, it did seem to me like the Automatic Observer did a better job of "anticipating" action and showing it coming, for example by showing attackers marching towards a defended position before they get there, while the rule-based system would jerk you over to the action after it had already started.

Automatic Observer using Human Observing Data in StarCraft

#solidstatelife #ai #computervision #esports

danie10@squeet.me

How top esports talents are plucked from obscurity – Shows the levels that esports are already attaining

Bild/Foto
When an esports team or player is acquired by an investor, they can be provided with practical and financial support, such as gaming devices, computers and coaches. In exchange, they take a small share of winnings.

Prince’s big break came this year when GcX was acquired for an undisclosed sum by Ampverse, an esports holding company based in Singapore that could provide the team with a further step-up in assistance. As part of the deal, the four players of 7Sea moved into a gaming house in August 2021, which is for their exclusive use. The six-bedroom villa in Pune has the latest gaming technology, high-speed internet, meals prepared by a chef and domestic staff. The players have a coach, performance analysts, a personal trainer and “social ambassadors” who create online content and hype around the 7Sea brand.

It’s clear to see that professional esports is already taking on all the characteristics of traditional pro sports, from the coaching, investment, equipment, time, and money. One key difference, though, is they don’t just play one big match, as esports may be a 9-hour-long session, with time still spent reviewing their performance.

See https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220118-how-top-esports-talents-are-plucked-from-obscurity

#technology #gaming #esports #sport
#Blog, ##esports, ##gaming, ##technology

danie10@squeet.me

Japanese Esports Team Is Filled With Senior Citizens Ranging From 66 To 73 Years Old

Meet the Matagi Snipers. Based in Akita, the eight-person team is Japan’s first senior esports professional team, complete with a sponsor and everything.

The team was established as a way to show the health benefits of esports for older adults, as well as to impress the grandkids. NHK reports that twenty-one people applied to join the team, but only eight made the cut. The hopefuls were selected on their gaming aptitude, even if they weren’t necessarily huge gamers — or ones, at all.

This is needed way more to keep seniors mentally agile and competitive. I'd also hope that all seniors homes also consider having Internet available, as it is sad to see so many just stuck with a small room and a library of paper books. We are all going to be older (every second of every day), and you want to ask yourself what you'd like to have available one day so that you can make use of it.

See Japanese Esports Team Is Filled With Senior Citizens

#technology #gaming #esports #seniorcitizens #oldagehomes

Image/photo

The ages of the team members range from 66 to 73 years old


https://gadgeteer.co.za/japanese-esports-team-filled-senior-citizens-ranging-66-73-years-old

danie10@squeet.me

Olympic Committee will hold its first official licensed esports event, though not part of the Games itself

Competitive videogames may have moved closer to becoming an official Olympics sport after the International Olympic Committee announced plans to hold a virtual esports event ahead of the Tokyo Games.

The Olympic Virtual Series will run from May 13 to June 23 and include events featuring baseball and racing videogames, according to a statement Thursday.

This will be the first licensed Olympic esports event, though not part of the Games itself.

More details including planned games at Olympic Committee will hold its first official esports event

#technology #esports #olympics #gaming

Competitive videogames may have moved closer to becoming an official Olympics sport after the International Olympic Committee announced plans to hold a virtual esports event ahead of the Tokyo Games.


https://gadgeteer.co.za/olympic-committee-will-hold-its-first-official-licensed-esports-event-though-not-part-games-itself