The Future of Virtual Sports and E-sports in 2050

The future of virtual sports and e-sports in 30 years looks promising. It is rising quickly and gaining momentum in the gaming industry. By 2050, there will be good internet connections, an upgrade of computer hardware and gaming software, gaming equipment will be less expensive and cheaper to import and the number of gamers in Africa will increase.

The popularity of virtual sports and e-sports increased in 2020 after real sports were suspended due to the global pandemic. The global pandemic affected sports events, sportsmen, sportsbooks, and sports entertainment as a whole. Betting companies had to keep the ball rolling in all aspects.

Betting companies wanted to ensure that all their customers are being entertained even when sports events were suspended. Virtual sports and e-sports came into the picture. A lot of marketing and branding was done to keep the betting industry afloat. With time viewing figures and betting activities increased and in the end, sports bookies received new customers and retained the old customers as more people gained interest in virtual sports and e-sports.

In the next 30 years, e-sports and virtual sports will dominate the sports industry. More e-sports and virtual sports games will be invented. There will be top-rated games created by powerful software. Players will be in a VR space and the gaming community would have already embraced the VR technology. By 2050, VR technology would have moved from mouse clicks to voice commands and keyboard buttons to hand movements.

It is expected by 2050, e-sports and virtual sports will birth careers in Africa. Colleges and universities will likely to offer scholarships to promising top e-sports players. Courses in relation to the gaming industry like game design will be offered. Talent ecosystems in the gaming industry will emerge with coaches, trainers, e-sports talents developers, high school and college teams, e-sports and virtual sports amateurs, and full-time pros.

Careers in virtual and e-sports will be popular like professional athletes in real sports. Gamers in Africa will work as hard as their counterparts in real sports to become professional gamers. It is also expected, the number of female players will increase in the gaming industry in Africa in the next 30 years. As it is known, the gaming industry is male-dominated. By 2050, Africa’s gaming community will possibly have a gender balance.

Before the next three decades, there is a likelihood virtual sports and e-sports will be universal. Bookies and stakeholders offering virtual sports and e-sports are planning to have a universal operating system to unify the gaming industry. The only difference will be the branding and marketing of the products.

The internet in Africa will not be a problem. The internet would have upgraded and available 24/7. Plus, the internet connection will be so good to allow live streaming and live matches from other countries outside Africa.

Virtual sports and e-sports events will be a huge deal in Africa in 30 years to come. African gamers will be competing in international tournaments putting Africa on the global map. Gaming fans would fill up the stadium for different reasons. They will come to be entertained; to see professional players play; for socialism and some will come to watch to improve their skills, and others come to bet because high-stakes are involved. It has happened before but not in Africa. Back in 2017, 173000+ persons came to watch Intel Extreme Masters World Champion.

The inclusion of virtual sports and e-sports in the Olympics is still debatable. The International Olympics Committee has not made a decision yet. Although virtual sports and e-sports games were canceled in Paris Olympics 2024, the gaming industry is optimistic that the decision to include video games in the Olympics will have been made by 2050.

Will Africa’s gaming industry take virtual sports and e-sports to the next level by 2050? It is difficult to answer this question. But the gaming community in Africa expects by 2050 e-sports and virtual sports will look different. It will be available to everyone and will contribute heavily to the Africans’ leisure time.