If you wander the streets of Dublin, you will notice something different. No, Temple Street has not changed. St Patrick’s Cathedral still stands tall, and the Guinness factory still continues to dazzle tourists and locals alike with one of the country’s greatest exports. Not much physically has changed.
However, when exploring Dublin, you will notice that there are more people glued to handheld devices with thumbs and fingers furiously nibbling away at a screen. People around Dublin can also be seen pecking away at keyboards in coffee shops or stuck in thought taking in something on a tablet. This is nothing new, but the new norm.
The Digital Wave
The digital era is very much taking shape around us and as a result, the reliance on devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers, and even smart watches is significantly increasing. One of the first movements to shape the digital era was social media. From era-defining founders such as Facebook and Twitter, the latest phenomena can be found on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. With greater streaming capabilities, TikTok especially is proving popular amongst the younger generation who can export their interests to the watching world and even use TikTok as a money earner.
Social media has already stamped its influence on the world and quickly established itself as the new way to communicate in the modern digital world. Checking social media has embedded itself into the routine of those that own accounts on TikTok, Instagram and X. However, while social media accounts are checked at multiple times throughout the day, other virtual entertainment avenues have opened in the digital realm that are slowly becoming part of the digital routine, especially for sports fans.
Virtual sports are beginning to find its place in the new digital routine as another way to interact with popular sports in Ireland. The transition to the digital has created a new realm where online forms of entertainment can thrive and with sports being one of Irish folks’ favourite pastimes, a virtual version of sports is slowly growing in popularity.
The level of innovation possible on virtual sports platforms has benefited massively from strides made in technology and software as seen on online bookmakers with the wide range of dynamism and animation witnessed in virtual sports arenas, whether that is on the horse racing course, football pitch, or tennis court. However, much like with social media, it is the ease of access sports fans have to virtual sports action on mobiles and desktops that is giving the activity more exposure.
Especially on mobile phones, the ease of switching between a TikTok account for example and a sports betting app is seamless and opens up windows of opportunity for local Dubliners to semi multitask and quickly take in some virtual sports. Due to the bustling nature of Dublin, people are also constantly on the move and virtual sports betting on SpiderBets is also becoming a way to pass time whether on a commute, taking a quick lunch break or taking a study break at University College Dublin. And for super sports fans, virtual sports are proving a “snackable” way to get a sports boost between actual live events.
The Influence of Esports
The rise of virtual sports can in some way be attributed to the popularity of Esports. For the younger generation especially, the transformation of online multiplayer gaming into global competition on popular titles such as Call of Duty and DOTA 2 have created a spectrum where virtual sports sit somewhere between lifestyle and real life. For a long time, physical, live sports at the Aviva Stadium, Tallaght Stadium, and Thomond Park were the only way to take in sports. Nowadays, as a result of the digital drive, a new arena of virtual sports is attracting a new audience that are growing up with new digital routines.
Digital inhabitants of the present era are now able to combine convenience with fandom in a new virtual form of sports that is proving just as captivating. The allure of getting quicker results is also more appealing to an audience that is becoming accustomed to quick hits, whether watching short videos on TikTok or scrolling through Instagram. With virtual sports, the action is much quicker meaning fans can get their sports fix within a shorter timeframe, making the action a lot more instant compared to a full-length soccer or rugby match.
A significant chunk of virtual sports’ popularity can be put down to Esports and the way it normalised and promoted virtual gaming and competition to rival traditional sports. And with advances constantly being made in graphics and animation, virtual sports will only become more realistic as the years pass by.
A Digital Future
Not just in Dublin, but society across the world is changing. The digital movement has inundated us with an avalanche of capabilities that are changing our daily habits. Although locals and visitors alike still go down to the local pub for a pint of Guinness, people’s everyday lives are being transformed by the rising influence of technological devices and the possibilities within the digital realm.
Society is being digitalised and as a result of that digitalisation, new trends are emerging. Social media has been talked about for years already and has already manifested itself into the new digital routine. But for new trends such as virtual sports, the levels of conversation are building. The Irish are known as some of the most passionate sports fans in the world, proudly cheering on the national rugby team or the local Gaelic Football side. But with the new digital wave infiltrating more of society, new habits will emerge and for the next generation of sports fans, virtual sports could make their new matchday moments.
