Esports and Emerging Tech Hot Topics at Asia Gaming Summit

Launched three years ago, the Asia Gaming Summit Taiwan (AGS) concentrates on Taiwan as hub for the Asian gaming industry. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to generate $72 billion in gaming revenue in 2019 and account for 47% of the video games market.

This year’s AGS started November 5 and began with discussions about changing regulation and the online gambling industry in Asia. The growth of esports betting was also a topic. Sportradar’s Managing Director for Asia, Michael Maerz, as per Calvin Ayre reporting, said that esports betting has benefited from arriving later and can learn lessons from the current gambling industry.

$12.9 billion could be gambled on Esports by 2020

As an aside of data, research by NJGames.org, reported by Casino.org, puts the amount gambled on esports in 2016 as $5.5 billion rising to an expected $12.9 billion in 2020. The esports industry itself could reach a value of $3 billion by 2022 according to Goldman Sachs.

Stephen Hanna, Director of Global Strategy and Partnerships for the Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC), said games publishers who organically venture into gambling do well. Further topics of the first day at IGS included social and mobile gaming.

New technologies attract, engage, and retain players and fans

The second day at AGS saw a greater focus on esports and the next steps for gaming and new technologies. Across gaming, gambling, and esports, companies are looking to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and blockchain to engage players.

Eric Jou of ESL Gaming described Southeast Asia as an “emerging superpower” in esports and said the region is generating $1.2 billion in esports revenue. In the region, mobile esports gaming is popular, whereas in others computer or console esports play is more prevalent. Games like Free Fire and League of Legends are commonly played.

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Competing with traditional sports for viewers and building industry integrity

Jason Fung, Senior Director of Global Esports at Alibaba Sports explained to the AGS audience that the esports audience now rivals traditional sports, albeit with younger viewers, and that League of Legends competes with the NBA in terms of total viewers.

Speaking on the second day at AGS Stephen Hanna said ESIC hoped to promote integrity in esports and the organisation has measures to prevent cheating and doping. ESIC is also building a framework of rules for partner tournaments and working with governments in regard to regulation.

Global video game associations, including ESA, ESAC, UKIE, IGEA, and ISE, this week published a set of esports principles for “fun and fair” play for the esports industry.

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