iGaming Business magazine iGB 112 Sept/Oct 2018 | Page 20

Tech & Innovation
A VIRTUAL CERTAINTY
for ESPORTS
Anthony Ure looks at the potential for sustained growth and accesses
some of the challenges to be addressed at the intersection of esports and VR/AR
Anthony Ure was appointed head of egaming
at the Isle of Man Department for Enterprise
in 2017. He has spent more than 30 years
working for some of the biggest names in the
industry, including Ladbrokes and IGT.
There are very few topics within the igaming sector that manage
to conjure up images quite so exciting or spectacular as the
increasingly innovative use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented
reality (AR) technologies.
Once heralded as the future of all interactive experiences across
a whole host of consumer industries, the buzz surrounding the
potential impact that VR and AR could have on esports has long
preceded the arrival of the hardware itself.
One of the main drivers behind innovation within the esports
sector is the desire to improve the spectator experience. As such,
the adoption of VR and AR technologies has largely been motivated
by the need to offer customers a unique, dynamic and authentic
gaming experience.
Gaming companies