Competitive gaming - the video kind - is big business on the Strip

If Las Vegas were a person, it could be described as an overachiever and trendsetter. Sin City has always tried to stay one step ahead of people’s desires and to capitalize along the way. Once there’s an idea, investments are heavy and Las Vegas tries to capture the category and become the “capital” of whatever is in vogue.

While Las Vegas has been attracting national league sports teams such as hockey’s Golden Knights and football’s Raiders, esports is the next bracket to conquer. Serious attention is being paid now to embrace and capture the mega-million-dollar global competitive video gaming market.

The momentum has already begun and leading the way is the new Esports Arena Las Vegas at Luxor, which opened last year as the first dedicated esports venue on the Strip. Realizing the arena took over space occupied previously by Ra and LAX Nightclubs, shows the interest in esports is serious business.

This new 30,000-square-foot multilevel arena is about attracting tourists, locals and big-name gamers while offering comfortable seating, two bars, a restaurant and space to compete. It’s designed to host competitive gaming from daily play to high-stakes esports tournaments. The venue has a competition stage, 50-foot LED video wall, telescopic seating, PC and console gaming stations and a network TV-quality production studio.

It’s not just for “major league gamers.” Opening at 11 a.m. daily, the Esports Arena is also a destination for daily video game play. There’s a charge to play games, starting with one hour for $10. Many tournaments are open to the public to participate, while some are only for the pros.

Yep -- the pros. Esports has turned video gaming into a spectator sport. Pro gamers are attracting their own fanbases and over 100 players have won more than $250,000.

Another venue, the Millennial Esports Arena, located in Neonopolis downtown, is not generally open to the public. The arena space can be easily customized for esports events of all sizes.

If you want to practice up, gaming lounges like The Wall Gaming Lounge in the Rio Hotel & Casino have been popping up around town, and large scale off-Strip arcades such as GameWorks and Dave & Busters, which is in the Downtown Summerlin Mall, are great for growing the base for the esports movement.

No question, esports in Las Vegas is graduating from its infancy and becoming big business.

esportsarenavegas.com / millennialesports.com

-Jackie Brett, Custom Publishing Writer