Transforming esports through a blockchain-enabled metaverse

On January 12th, 2022, game publisher Valve sent ripples across the esports community with the cancellation of Dota 2’s first tournament of 2022. Valve cited mounting Coronavirus concerns and the rise of new COVID variants for the cancellation, with the event supposed to conclude Dota Pro Circuit’s Winter Tour.

Valve’s decision was made to protect both players and fans. However, it wasn’t the cancellation itself that caused a rift in the Dota 2 community, but rather a lack of suitable alternatives to bring the tour to a climax.

In an age where the world’s biggest tech companies, such as Meta, are gearing up for digital transformation in a hyper-connected and metaverse-enabled world, are there not opportunities to host tournaments entirely in a virtual space?

Before delving into the metaverse, it’s important to mention that people can already tune in and watch esports tournaments online, and there are plenty of fans that do. Instead, the challenge is capturing the atmosphere, the spirit, the special item drops, the sense of belonging, and the energy of a major Esports event — something that to date can only be done in person. Or can it? 

What is the metaverse?

A metaverse is a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on building social connections and meeting like-minded individuals. Users can view, interact, and even make purchases in an entirely digital world, alongside hundreds of other users distributed worldwide.

Although this is currently made possible to an extent through a mix of web 2.0 and web 3.0 technologies, it’s easy to imagine a similar esports event making its debut in a digital metaverse world.

What’s not so easy to imagine, is where all the added benefits of attending an in-person esports event — such as merchandise, player and fan interactions, as well as socialising — come together in the metaverse. However, that’s exactly where blockchain technology can offer the most promise.

Beyond Play to Earn—Transforming esports viewership through blockchain

Both virtual viewership or a metaverse-enabled tournament taken in isolation would certainly solve the issue of digital viewership, but alone, these solutions can’t adequately address features only found at an in-person esports event. Being rewarded for your participation has long been a mainstay for physical conventions, conferences and esports tournaments worldwide.

Also published in: Esports Insider

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