Cast your minds back to around a year and a half ago to September 2019. Things were looking pretty different compared to now, right? September 2019 was the last time the passionate world of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was able to enjoy one of its annual Major Championships, with Danish org being crowned champions for a fourth time at the StarLadder Berlin Major.

Few in the world could have predicted the events that would unfold around six months later, with the outbreak of the coronavirus triggering various lockdown measures around the world, and the subsequent abandonment of sporting and entertainment events for nearly a whole calendar year now.

The outbreak forced the Esports events around the world that would normally be presented on big stages in front of thousands of spectators to  be split into localised, online regional events and whilst some orgs like Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses and FURIA moved to Europe to bootcamp and try to recreate the feeling of an offline experience, there’s no denying the scene has been starved of a true experience for far too long now.

But, could a return to the huge spectacles in packed out arenas be on the horizon following the announcement of the PGL 2021 Stockholm Major?

How Did We Get Here? 

Ever since 2015, Valve Corporation have funded two Major Championships every year around the world, bringing together all of the world’s best teams. Though CS:GO has one of the most lucrative and busy competitive calendars in the Esports world, the Majors are what the most legendary of sides have built their legacies off.

Rio de Janiero was chosen as the city to host the first major of 2020, with the tournament being scheduled for April for what would have been the first Major to take place outside of either Europe or North America. Brazil houses one of the most passionate scenes in the entire game, leading to a level of hype never before seen prior to a tournament.

IEM Katowice had already seen its format restructured in March with fans no longer being able to attend, and it would turn out to be the final LAN event any CS pros, pundits or fans have been able to taste to date. As the pandemic continued to grind everything to a halt, the ESL One Rio Major was postponed a month and a bit before its planned start date, with an online regional system of qualifiers being established to determine who would be attending when lockdowns and restrictions were lifted.

The Rio Major was then postponed to the later date in the winter in November, with the planned prize pool being doubled to $2 million, which is essentially two Majors rolled into one. Despite everyone in the community thinking ESL were being conservative with that date, that too was cancelled in the autumn and the online qualifiers have continued to roll on.

With most of the world’s best sides still currently in Europe, and the emergence of a new strain of COVID-19 in Brazil, it was announced in January that the next Major Championship would be housed in Stockholm during the winter of 2021 with PGL as the tournament organisers.

Will It Be The First Offline LAN Event? 

Hopefully not. It’s currently the only tournament booked in the calendar to be an offline LAN event, but it’s assumed that, providing the global situation improves, there will be a host of warm up offline tournaments established before November.

Will Brazil Still Get Its Major? 

Short answer: Yes. Eventually.

Long answer: Brazil has a lot of hurdles to overcome before hundreds of teams, organizations and such can begin to book passage and set up residence for the better part of a month. The issues of timezones and a viable hosting company remain obstacles as well as the obvious health concerns that are currently rife in the region.

Who Should You Be Backing? 

The competitive scene in CS:GO is one of the hardest ones to predict, with roster reshuffles, map rotations and drops in form coming at a much faster pace than what real world sports fans might be familiar with, so predicting an event all the way in the winter is nearly impossible.

Astralis are the game’s most legendary organisation with four Major wins under their belt, including the previous three in a row, and their legendary legacy will undoubtedly make them favourites in most CS:GO odds pre-tournament. Team Vitality and Natus Vincere are currently the two teams vying for supremacy alongside the Danes, but don’t count out the likes of G2, BIG and Heroic who all rounded off a good 2020 in the top 10.

There are also plenty of upcoming teams such as Complexity, Team Liquid, Fnatic and Cloud9 who could all improve on their disappointing 2020 and be nestled amongst the big boys in the game by the time the Major rolls around too.

 

Gaming has come on leaps and bounds during its short stint on the market and has quickly become one of the fastest growing industries in the world due to the rapid advances in technology shown. Due to this, we thought we’d create and highlight a list of some of the most innovative gaming features in recent times and why they changed the industry forever.

One of the most impressive innovations to come out of the gaming industry has been the gesture control which was first displayed on the Wii and then brought out of the Xbox Kinect and then the PlayStation Move. This type of innovation uses RealSense technology allows you to use your body on a 3D camera to track your every movement to allow you to play your game with your body. Many different types of games can be played on this type of platform and when they were initially released, they were hugely popular.

Furthermore, one of the biggest leaders in terms of innovation to the gaming industry has been the surge of mobile gaming which now is the bread-winning to the industry as it currently creates the most revenue for the industry by a clear mile, and this number is only due to rise. Because majority of people are now reliant on the use of their smartphones for their everyday life, the gaming experience can now be enjoyed anywhere due to this so gaming has become accessible to everyone and that’s why we are seeing such exponential rates of expansion in recent times.

Other industries have also been able to benefit from the smartphone generation too as online casinos have also witnessed a switch in trends with many now gambling on their phones. Some American Casinos are accepting players from the UK now and these particular casinos have recorded record numbers due to the smart phone phenomenon. Not only that, but these casinos are currently offering unbeaten promotional deals and sign up offers for all new customers signing up now – something certainly worth checking out.

And finally, the last innovation that gamers have been seriously impressive with during recent times is the wearable gaming tech that is now on offer. Gamers are now able to benefit from wireless controllers, wireless headsets, smart watches and even gaming glasses and has ensure that gaming has become portable without being too invasive. This type of technology was initially released for the fitness world but the gaming industry quickly jumped on the trend once it noticed the success that it was delivering.

 

Streaming is an industry full of opportunities and in this piece, you will learn about these two easy to set up features that will help you bring in more viewers. Ever heard of the dynamic duo that is Twitch offline banners and Twitch intermission screens? These two additions can help improve your streaming experience by capitalizing on areas that other streams lack, and keeping your viewers engaged and interested. If you want to get the knowledge on where you can find some well thought out designs as well as how exactly they help you gain viewers then keep reading.

The Benefit Of A Well Designed Offline Banner

So you have heard of the name Twitch offline banners but don’t know the impact it has. As streaming has become a more serious form of broadcasting, sites like Twitch started allowing streamers to use an image to be displayed while they are offline. Most started noticing this image can be a perfect form of advertising. Overlay design sites like Streamplay thought “how can we take advantage of this” and began including important information relating to the streamer like stream schedules and names of their social media sites. A genius method that you can use for free to pull in more viewers while offline either indirectly through social media promotion or telling them when they can view the stream.

Improve Your Stream With Stunning Intermissions

Intermissions are something you will find in most vents and musicals but they hold an important in a streamers experience as well. Every streamer no matter who they are they benefit from having stream starting soon overlay/game and stream intermission overlay. These take the same advantages that the offline banners had where it is possible to promote social media platforms and showing other information but relatable information like the top donation. What a better way to give back to the viewers other than showing off their dedication to your stream on a somewhat consistent basis.

Where Do The Views Flood In From?

Now comes the big question of how do these two additions help increase your new and returning viewers. With all this talk about promoting your social media and supplying information to your viewers, how do these things correlate to more viewers? Through the power of advertising of course. Advertisement is easily one of the best methods of gaining more viewers that is outside of asking people directly. Just getting your existence into the viewer’s brain already makes you a more clickable person. Not only are your advertising what times you will be streaming but by including your social media you can directly promote to a different audience through it. If you haven’t heard, social media as well as having a social media influence is how a lot of streamers gain an audience. Consider adding this addition to stream today, it’s an easy and affordable process.

Affordable And Visually Appealing

If you are planning on getting yourself some Twitch offline banners and/or Twitch intermission screens then look no further than Streamplay. You have a custom option available so you can design your own image that is made by one of our well-qualified staff or choose one of our huge selection of premade options. Guaranteed to be visually appealing and well-made, this decision couldn’t be easier. Quality is important but affordability is our forte as upgrading your stream with these benefits will cost you only a snacks worth of money. Buy your own offline banner and intermission screen today.

 

If you wish that you could get paid real money for playing games, you’re in luck. Simply continue reading to discover how you can start winning money gaming today. As there are a variety of exciting, fast paced games which you can play in order to win cash prizes. Some examples of some of the popular games which you can play for cash include PUBG, League of Legends and Fortnite.

Bet on yourself to win:

If you believe in your skill as a player, one of the best ways to make money online gaming is placing bets on yourself to win live matches. As an example, if you enjoy survival shooters like Fortnite, you’ll be able to place a bet that you’ll be the last player standing at the end of your match. Alternatively if you enjoy playing team based fantasy games such as League of Legends you may want to place a bet that your time will defeat their next opponent.

How much can you bet:

If you’re new to betting on yourself, you may want to start off with a small $10 bet. However, once you get the hang of making wise bets, you may want to bet larger amounts such as $20. Just ensure not to bet money which you can’t afford to lose. As it’s a wise idea to bet on your games thoughtfully and responsibly.

The advantage of making money by betting on yourself:

One of the key reasons why you can’t go wrong trying to make extra money by betting on the outcome of your games is that if you already spend countless hours a week gaming, there is a high chance that you’ll have the skills and experience to win your bets. As you’ll rely on your skills as a player to win cash. As an example, if you’ve spent hundreds of hours winning Fortnite games or competing in League of Legends matches with your online friends, you should be able to make decent money betting on yourself.

How to increase your chances of winning:

It’s a great idea to focus on playing a single game, which you’re skilled at, in order to greatly increase your chances of winning bets. As when it comes to winning live matches, the key is to practice, practice, practice. Before you play a match for money.

Another tip which you may find helpful is to play your chosen game with friends who are more skilled than you, during your practice sessions. As the more often that you play against highly competitive players, the more chance you’ll have of beating strangers from around the world. Alternatively if you don’t have any friends that are stronger players than you, start watching live matches of top professionals. As you can learn a lot from the strategies of more seasoned, professional players.

So if you love playing popular games such as PUBG and Fortnite, it’s well worth turning your passion for your most loved games into a side hustle by learning how to make wise bets on yourself.