Video games are an interesting form of entertainment for the way in which they borrow from other mediums. Yes, they aren’t quite alone in this; we do still get the movie versions of our favorite books coming out, or a spinoff TV show based on the characters from a popular franchise, but I would argue that games do this far more than other forms of entertainment, and that their approach is even changing the way that people interact with the media they borrow from.
To better understand how this works, let’s take a look at two examples in particular: spectator sports and traditional card games. These two should give us some insight into the wider picture.
The Rise of Interactivity and Audience Participation in Sport
Passive viewing still has its place in the entertainment industry, but modern audiences often find it increasingly dull given the vast range of options available to them. In the past, fans of a football team would often be content to merely watch their team play, but perhaps because of the gaming industry training us to expect the ability to influence our media in some way, audiences are increasingly unsatisfied with being uninvolved. Fortunately, there are plenty of options that different teams are exploring to give viewers the sense that they are more involved in the process than simple observers.
Things like celebrity meetups where fans get to speak to their favorite players help people feel like they are truly connected to the game. Some teams are experimenting with new and innovative ways of giving fans more say over the decisions made and letting them vote on how to progress. This brings players into the fold and makes them feel much more an active part of the game. If your team wins a big match, was it at least partially thanks to a decision that you helped tip in the right direction?
If nothing else, try to name a sports team that doesn’t have a presence on social media these days, allowing fans to communicate directly with the team and voice their opinions and ideas.
Another great way to engage players and help them feel like active participants is live sports betting. This obviously allows players to enhance the excitement of the game by adding real-life benefits to seeing their favorite team win. No longer is seeing their favorite team claim a victory something that viewers are just hoping for in an abstract sense; it is now something that will actually affect them in a real and quantifiable way.
All these things help make players feel more invested in the game. They aren’t merely watching the show; they are helping out. And the desire for this has been at least partially driven by the presence of games like EA Sports FC. This, and other titles like it, give players the chance to be the manager of their own football team on a virtual screen… and after they have had that experience, it’s no surprise that they would want a little more influence over their favorite real-world team as well. Live sports betting at Bovada lets fans of the game increase their passion for their favorite teams, and become active participants in the match, even if they aren’t the ones on the field.
It also benefits those who aren’t loyal fans of either team playing a particular match. You don’t have to consider yourself an ardent supporter of a particular team to look through the numbers and decide that a given match looks interesting and worth wagering on. If you think the apparent underdogs in a given matchup have a decent chance, it might be worth placing a bet and seeing if you can prove your knowledge and insight into the game superior to those around you.
This is yet another way in which a previously spectator-only activity is increasingly becoming a game in which the public as a whole is able to participate, and some people find that studying the stats and matchups, trying to predict how certain matches will go better, can be just as entertaining as watching the match itself unfold. People love a challenge, after all, as well as the chance to prove their knowledge, and successfully predicting an unexpected win for a team offers both of these at the same time.
Traditional Games are Evolving Too
That’s sport covered, but what about forms of media that have always been games and thus always given their players the ability to actively participate? Well, surprisingly, the emergence of video games has been affecting those as well, and in almost the opposite direction to sports. It used to be the case that games were a fairly private affair. You wouldn’t exactly expect that someone landing on a hotel on Mayfair would reach the national papers, after all.
That assumption is a large part of why so many people were caught off guard by the emergence of global esports tournaments and large gaming conventions with fame and prestige for the top players. Streamers have taken to sites like TikTok in order to display their skills for the world to see, and they can attract massive audiences and fans alike. While traditional sports have evolved to allow their audiences more ways to be active participants, games have gone in the other direction, often becoming spectator activities that attract large crowds of enthusiasts.
It’s not just in esports, either: fans love watching people play card games like blackjack, and many viral moments have come out of these kinds of streams. Take, for example, the recent case of a wrestling content creator who was recognized by a live dealer while playing blackjack at an online casino. The dealer identified him by name and the moment went viral across Instagram. This demonstrates that, whatever the context, people love seeing their favorite celebrities play games. Spectating has become a key part of gaming these days.
Two Worlds Colliding
With sports increasingly becoming an activity that fans can participate in directly and traditional games now attracting audiences of spectators eager to see the outcome of a given match for themselves, these two previously distinct worlds are becoming increasingly interconnected as the boundaries between them blur. It seems like this can only be a good thing, with both industries finding the best aspects of the other and implementing those into their design to provide their audiences with the best possible experience.
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: https://matchedbets.com/blog/how-real-time-games-are-reshaping-entertainment-for-sports-and-card-enthusiasts/
