eSports' Plan to go Mainstream!

eSports, electronic sports, are continuing to grow drastically, as online streaming of national and international gaming events are increasing in viewers. Although online video game streaming is generating over 38 million viewers monthly, many still struggle to consider competitive gaming as a sport. For this blog post, we will take a look at how the “largest competitive gaming league and online multiplayer platform” company is working on a model to broadcast competitive gaming on a greater level.

Major League Gaming, the premier league for viewing competitive gaming competitions, announced that they would be working on a business model that is similar to ESPN’s SportsCenter TV show. Instead of only streaming live video game competitions online for millions of viewers around the world, they will also broadcast interviews and provide news coverages on what is going on in the competitive gaming community on a daily basis in an ESPN-like fashion.

According to an interview with MLG commentator Chris Puckett, plenty of coverage can be made on eSports. Similar to how ESPN covers topics on team roster changes, player issues, current/past events, and anything else that would impact the sport in general, eSports would have its own “SportsCenter” that would serve as a one-stop source for viewers to get the latest news on the fly. This content would not only be entertaining, but it would also engage the audience more into the world of eSports.

To distinguish itself from other low budget competitors that are attempting such programming, Chris Puckett states that these shows will be enhanced with professional graphics and the latest technology to give it that “SportsCenter” polish. Of course, careful planning and proper execution will determine the success of this business model that may be coming before its time.

Imagine eSports becoming mainstream within the next 10 years. Do you think that competitive gaming should finally be recognized as a professional sport? Watch the video below to learn more about eSports and decide for yourself!

Biometric Technology in the Cell Phone Industry

So, Apple had announced their new fingerprint technology on their new iPhone 5S that is supposed to revolutionize security in the cellphone industry. With their fingerprint recognition scanner, it would grant all users the ability to use their own unique fingerprint designs to lock and unlock their iPhones and to make quick purchases.

Similar technology is already being used in the Samsung Galaxy S4. The S4’s eye tracking system allows for the user to scroll through their browser, prevent the phone from falling into an idle state, and allow the user to pause and play videos with the use of only their eyes.

As amazing as these functions are, exactly how safe are these technologies when it comes to security?

In 2013, it is clear that biometric technology is developing as a new standard for how we operate things. As stated in the New York Times, “the use of biological markers like fingerprints, faces and irises to identify people are rapidly moving from science fiction to reality.” However, security measures are always a concern, especially when introducing something as permanent as one’s own body design.

The new buzz on the Internet is about a German hacker group that had already “successfully bypassed the biometric security of Apple’s TouchID” by creating a copy of the fingerprint. This was done by taking a high-resolution photograph of a fingerprint on a glass surface and recreating it, using either wood glue or liquid latex. Since people are likely to leave their fingerprints on everything that they touch, the German hacker group stated that “fingerprints should not be used to secure anything.” 

As for eye-tracking technology on handheld devices, its use as a dependable security measure has not been developed yet. However, it is already being used in high security areas. As for facial recognition technology, Homeland Security is already developing their own facial recognition system to pinpoint criminals in larger crowds. Although there are apps for handheld devices that function similarly, it is only a matter of time until someone figures out a way to bypass the system. 

The question lies on whether the cellphone industry is ready to use biometric technology as a security measure. What do you think about this? Click on the link below to read an article on biometric technology and decide for yourself!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/opinion/biometric-technology-takes-off.html?_r=2&