Live performance of players, their actions, the roar of the crowd, fans’ reaction, the energy, all are some of the key components of a great sporting match that makes it exhilarating. However, with the coming of pandemic, and social distancing being a prime concern, experiencing sports on-ground have come to a halt.
It surely has put pressure on the sports industry; however, it has instead accelerated the mobile and online gaming sector, and particularly leveraged the dawning esports industry in India. From mobile to consoles to PC gaming, every player is competing in matches/tournaments from the comfort of their home, thus creating the trend of virtual stadiums.
AR/VR devices are providing these players with more representational experiences, essentially creating powerful emotional experiences for the players and followers to feel related with the game. Popular games like BGMI, FIFA, Fortnite, Free Fire, and many others have successfully enthralled the Indian youth and have let them establish themselves as professional players. Supporting these professional players and to continue the spirit of sportsmanship, World Esports Cup (WEC’21), South East Asia’s premier tri-nation esports championship, with prize pool of INR 75 lakhs is up for grabs as athletes from India, Pakistan and Nepal are competing in one of the most popular battle royale games, Free Fire.
The virtual tournament gives opportunity to the neighbouring country’s esports players to connect, engage and challenge each other with a single mission – to win the championship. These virtual tournaments are hosted live screening on social platforms like YouTube and Facebook giving viewers the chance to track every move of their favourite esports player and teams. The brevity of virtual stadiums that provide a look and feel of a traditional stadium.
The viewers, unlike in our traditional stadiums, get the opportunity to learn, interact, and gain experience in gaming tactics from some of the pro and renowned gamers. The premiership is providing an adventurous platform to the newcomers to learn and acquire skill sets from their smartphones at home.
The World Esports Cup brings a revolutionary change in the Indian esports ecosystem by providing not just the competitive gaming experience but also a chance to enhance their gaming skills which are also giving the players a chance to earn cash prizes and secure an alternative career option in the esports sector. The World Esports Cup with their exciting international esports exposure gave a strong message that even though the current situation is tough and challenging, it can never kill the spirit of esports. The gamers will continue the hustle and all the action from their homes.
After some nail-biting and thrilling moments, the Indian leg of the grand finale of the inaugural edition of South East Asia’s tri-nation esports tournament, World Esports Cup (WEC ’21) came to a fitting end as top teams, Arrow Esports, Chemin Esports, Total Gaming and Orangutan Elite secured the Global Finals berth and are all set to clash against the best teams from Pakistan and Nepal. The championship which went live on November 25, 2021, is in its last leg with the grand finale of the mega event starting from today January 10-14, 2022. Team Hotshot, The Guardians, Five mutants and Legend Style ES have qualified for the global finals from Pakistan while 2b Gamer, Tonde Gamer, Dada Gang and KM Brotherhood will represent Nepal in the global finals.
The inaugural edition of the WEC, which has smartphone maker Infinix Smartphones as the title sponsor, also has a whopping prize pool of Rs. 75 lakhs and the tournament is played virtually and will be streamed live on India Today Gaming YouTube channel.