Marcus Richards
Cyber Gaming, or eSports, and iGaming are two hot forms of gaming right now. While on the surface, the two might seem worlds apart, they contain more similarities than are first apparent. At their core, they are about two distinct things – having fun and winning! While traditionally, iGaming was more concerned with winning money while Cyber Gaming was more about winning prestige and thrills. However, both have become big business opportunities with huge tournaments and jackpots up for grabs. As two of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors in the world, let’s look at both.
Betting
Ever since the beginning iGaming has had a heavy focus on betting and winning money. Of course, there are friendly matches and free play options available. But, these tend to be used to try out new games or practice strategies for use during real money matches. It was quite the opposite with Cyber Gaming whose roots lie in gamers playing from home on their own. The internet revolutionised Cyber Gaming as players from anywhere in the world could network and take part in huge online battles. One early popular game was Counter-Strike where teams of soldiers took on terrorists for kills and glory. These days’ eSports betting is massive and can be found at most online casinos alongside iGaming. Betting markets get deeper by the day with increasing numbers of options.
Tournaments
Both iGaming and Cyber Gaming communities now have access to a huge number of tournaments. This includes live events in a physical setting as well is fully online comps. The explosion of poker tournaments gave birth to televised coverage which brought the action and opportunity into millions of living rooms. With video games overtaking Hollywood in popularity, a gigantic market formed more or less under the radar. Now both industries are firmly mainstream forms of entertainment.
Big Prizes
For some players, it is all about the enjoyment of kicking back and playing their favourite game. Whether that is Counter-Strike, DOTA, poker or blackjack. For others, enthusiasm has transferred to a high skill level and desire to win and make a living from it. Most people know about the huge amounts of money that can be won from iGaming, but Cyber Gaming isn’t far behind. For example, the International 9 tournament had a prize pool of over $34 million. Or, take a player like Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf who picked up $3 million at a recent Fortnite competition. Financially, the gap gets closer each year.
Conclusion
As we mentioned in the intro, iGaming and Cyber Gaming might seem different at first glance. But you will agree that they share more commonalities than differences. At their core, they are forms of entertainment that require involvement from the player. Unlike movies and TV which are more passive, players take part in the action which provides a more engaging experience. They are also competitive pastimes that players are in to win. And with the huge prizes on offer to the winners, both iGaming and Cyber Gaming can be a highly lucrative pastime as well.
