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Can eSports Save The World?

Almost two years ago, the Gamers Without Borders tournament was held to raise funds worldwide for pressing causes and give a glimpse into how the future of fundraising could be tied into the future of gaming.

With a $10 million prize fund up for grabs, the tournament consisted of one-off tournaments for a variety of eSports titles – from Fortnite to FIFA. Those who played, commentated, and watched were all persuaded to donate to a charity – from UNICEF to Direct Relief and International Medical Corps.  

https://twitter.com/i/status/1269642242068754432

The tournament gained widespread attention.

The final FIFA tournament even had an appearance from Snoop Dogg and One Direction’s Liam Payne. Some of the world’s most prominent footballers, such as Paulo Dybala, Dele Alli, Joao Felix and Andre Silva, managed to raise around $1.5 million through their gaming exploits. By combining some stars of traditional sports and recognizable celebrities with the eSports tournament, not only did the industry managed to raise funds for charity, but they also proved that they could be deployed as a force for good going forwards.  

Part of the crusade for eSports as an industry is to prove to the mainstream that it is a valid and legitimate counterpart to traditional sports and traditional gaming.

By merging the two, eSports is able to benefit from both sides. The success of Gamers Without Borders could prove just how much of a fundraising machine eSports could be and how, with a greater uptake in those who engage with the industry, the industry could do many more benevolent acts. 

There are many ways that eSports is gaining the legitimacy it deserves, and this charitable tournament helped prove it. Indeed, as eSports betting attests to, allowing eSports fans and spectators to wager on the outcome of matches and tournaments gives it further credibility as a likeness to traditional sports. Indeed, bettors can wager on games from Dota 2 to StarCraft 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to Overwatch and Rainbow Six in a similar way to how they bet on football, basketball and horse racing. 

The interconnected nature of eSports – that often involve connecting with hundreds of people across social media and streaming sites like Twitch – means that causes can be amplified to audiences around the world. The younger generation who are likely to be participating in and watching eSports are also arguably more likely to think altruistically, according to research, and will often use their platform as a professional eSports player to spread positive information.  

eSports is thriving, and its supportive community is in part to thank for that.

But the main barrier to its further success is its need to be legitimized by mainstream society. Given its professional polish, the good works it’s doing, the chances for careers, and the engagement of fans, it’s clear that the eSports industry is proving itself to be a real contender. The eSports industry might not be able to save the world single-handedly, but as it continues to gain tremendous steam, it could definitely be a vehicle that helps affect positive change.  For the Silo, Bethany Riley.

Esports Betting Data Levels Up Via Artificial Intelligence

AMSTERDAM — HUDstats, the pioneering esports data analytics company, has partnered with the leading multi-channel supplier of 24/7 live betting services, Sports Information Services (SIS) to deliver actionable, real-time data for esports betting purposes

“We’re looking forward to working with SIS and providing esports fans and esports betting aficionados with engaging and fascinating data and statistics for their favourite streams,” said Andrei Bălănescu, CEO of HUDstats. 

As part of the partnership, HUDstats will use its proprietary Advanced Video Analysis (AVA) technology to collect, standardize and distribute accurate esports data from SIS Ebasketball and Esoccer streams for the creation of real-time esports betting products. 

“Our technology stack allows us to provide a great number of accurate match data points in real-time, at a sub-second speed,” said Bălănescu. “Our partners, SIS, can use them to create engaging on-screen graphics and betting commentary that increase performance for their customers.” 

Live AI stats from Counter Strike provide bettors informed choices when wagering on this popular esports game.

Conleth Byrne, Product Director at SIS added, “HUDstats provides a ground-breaking and easy-to-integrate solution that enables us to scale our 24/7 Competitive Gaming content with automated and accurate in-play event tracking.”

Tracking Multiple In-Game Events for Ebasketball and Esoccer

The HUDstats – SIS partnership currently involves tracking more than 20 major in-game events for Esoccer and 40 in-game events for Ebasketball.

For example, in Esoccer, HUDstats covers data points from events such as ball location, free kicks, goal kicks, throw-ins, substitutions, added time, offsides, goals, corners, and more. For Ebasketball, HUDstats can track free throws, 2-pointers, 3-pointers, timeouts, fouls, the team in possession, and others.

“HUDstats showcases all the noteworthy aspects of the match and even more in-depth features, such as what side a corner is taken from or if a free-kick is from a dangerous position,” said Bălănescu. “That’s a feat otherwise impossible to obtain in real-time by manual input.”

Highly-Scalable, Reliable, Sub-Second, Fast Data Collection

HUDstats covers a full range of esports titles such as EA FIFA, NBA2k, EA NHL, EA NFL Madden, as well as the big three: League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. 

Its proprietary technology generates data directly from the esports stream or game server and can collect over 1,000 data points for every single minute of a game.

HUDstats is able to scale its data-collection solution to numerous streams at a time, analysing hundreds of angles and allowing esports bettors to experience a new dimension of esports. 

esports team doing their best in CS:GO

About SIS (Sports Information Services)

SIS (Sports Information Services) has been at the forefront of live pictures and data delivery to the global betting industry for over 35 years with a rich heritage in creating and distributing betting events for horse and greyhound racing, as well as esports and live numbers draws. 

SIS is the leading supplier of high-quality 24/7 live betting services, delivering a range of 24/7 channels to retail and online operators globally 365 days a year. To complement their horse and greyhound racing, they provide a flexible SIS Trading Services offer, which now includes a fully outsourced managed trading service. 

In addition to racing, they also offer over 150,000 highly competitive esports events a year, all underpinned with robust integrity, and provide over 300,000 Live Numbers draws annually. 

SIS partners with over 400 operators in more than 50 countries, offering rights holder partners the opportunity to showcase their first-class content across six continents. 

Supplemental-

How to bet on CSGO Counterstrike: Global Offensive

How AVA is used with sensors to mine consumer behaviors and patterns. by Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian.