From Real Life To eSports: Rise Of Digital Motorsport

eSports is fancy jargon for the world of competitive computer gaming. Thanks to technology and graphics advancements, the youth can take a bite of digital motorsports through eSports.

Motorsports online gaming has sprung from marketers´need for new avenues of business. And now that it´s here, its likely to stay on for several years, if not a decade, at least. The current transition of motorsports jumping onto the bandwagon of eSports is quite interesting, so let's learn more!

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eSports: Motorsport Marketers´ Latest Obsession

Motorsport racing is expensive and marketers of most teams as well as the regulatory bodies themselves are constantly looking for new avenues of business. That´s where e-sports comes in. Competitive online gaming has been around for years, as has been online racing games. Marketers saw a unique opportunity for convergence of the massive worldwide motorsport audience with the gamer audience. And it made sense too. People who enjoy watching their favourite wheels competing against each other have always wanted to experience a slice of that same adrenaline rushing intensity. And this is where eSports steps in. Unlike traditional motorsports, eSports is inexpensive and can be taken up anybody without even undergoing years of rigorous physical training. And thanks to virtual reality, the experience is fairly close to real life.

In 2017, when Brandon Leigh, an 18-year old computer gamer, won the world championship title in the Formula One eSports Series, 1.8 million people logged in to watch his final championship race. Despite it being the debut year for that championship, the impressive viewership stats from 4 years ago is indicative of the sheer following that digital motorsports commands.

What's more, with most people being grounded at home over the last two years due to the pandemic, participation and fan following for eSports has grown multifold.

The main eSport series are those backed by real life motorsports championships. Formula 1, MotoGP, World Rally Championship and NASCAR have Esports series on their officially licensed video games. Le Man eSport Series holds its final on the weekend of the Le Man 24 Hours itself via the Forza game franchise.

Even Polyphony Digital launched the GT World Tour based on Grand Turismo Championship. But the makers went a step ahead and got this eSports league sanctioned by the FIA. Now, tournament players can also opt for ´FIA Gran Turismo Digital License´ and winners are invited to an end of the year FIA prize giving ceremony.

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Youngsters are Easy Targets

With the increasing popularity of F1 eSports, marketers have realized there is a massive demand to even watch gamers play. As a result, F1 eSports are now being aired on TV and streaming platforms to reach their target audience.

People between the ages of 13-35 are the primary audience for F1 eSports. Sports such as F1 are like natural magnets for young viewers. There is one more reason why motorsports decided to go virtual, and that is because it offers ample means for players to replicate a realistic experience.

You can grab your PlayStation, steering wheel, pedals and start racing! Owing to its realistic experience, motorsports online gaming enjoys immense legitimacy.

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It seems like in the coming decades, the only racing for youngsters would be on virtual platforms!