Beto Vides participates in the final session of BgC's lectures, BRANCH-OUT: NEW TRENDS IN GAMES, on April 24th, at 5pm. He will speak specifically about the future of eSports in Brazil, answering questions such as: the development of the eSports market and its growing impact on young Brazilians; the state of eSports in Brazil; the challenges and opportunities in the Brazilian market; the size of the challenge for National Games Industry in entering their products in the competitive landscape of Brazil and the eSports in a land based casino environment vs bets on eSports.
GMB - What are the main topics you want to address in your talk during the BGC?
Beto Vides - In my talk I will mainly address the relevance that the electronic games and sports segment has acquired in the sports and entertainment industry, as well as its potential as a marketing tool due to its great power of engagement and amplification.
One of the topics of the talk will be the impact of eSports on young people. Do you believe that eSports can be a bridge between young audince and gaming and lead them to participate in casino and bingo activities?
eSports are defined as skill games, there is a cultural and structural shift in the ecosystem of sports entertainment that allied with the convergence of communications to the digital media, and opens space for the large-scale growth of this practice. There is not necessarily a correlation with casinos and bingos or a direct increase in the frequency of young people in these activities, coming from eSports.
Another point is competition between eSports in casinos and bets on eSports. Tell us a little about this concept. What impact can it bring to the gaming sector in the country?
The impacts that the eSports bring are mainly economic, they are part of an engine that generates consumption-based economy. Additionally when we talk about eSports, we are talking about a sport like any other, but of a digital nature. When it comes to sports, we have the same ingredients of other established modalities, such as football, basketball, baseball, etc. So sports performance, fanaticism, and the competitive nature of these certainly open space for sports betting practices, for example. In fact, the practice of sports betting already exists on a large scale, including having as currency of exchange virtual items of games, with regard to games and eSports.
By being considered a sport of mind and skill, such as poker, do you believe that eSports can be exploited in Brazil and linked to gaming even without a general regulation for the activity in the country?
Yes, I believe. Obviously, a regulation that clarifies the mechanisms, the possibilities of work and aims to promote the expansion and popularization of the segment will always be welcome. But regardless of this, all the personal and economic development benefits that the popularization of the practice brings to society and its practitioners are proven.
What is your assessment of the process of legalization in Brazil? Despite the difficulties in arriving at a definitive law, does the country maintain a prominent place in the international operators' investment plans?
Brazil is in the radar of big investments and it sustains today the 3rd largest audience of the worldwide electronic sport. There are leagues today that have audience numbers similar to matches in the Brazilian football series A. Our economy is made up of approximately 70 million gamers, whether declared or not, a positive scenario for potential investors, be they brands, leagues, teams, manufacturers and any type of offer that relates to this audience.
Source: Exclusive GMB
