If Esports wasn't growing rapidly enough already, the coronavirus pandemic took it up a notch. And more. From being a demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games, Esports will be a medal event at the Hangzhou Asian Games. As many as 24 medals will be given out in Esports.
Tirth Mehta is one of those from India who will hope for a medal. Bronze medallist at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Mehta hopes to remain on the podium when the stakes get higher.
"With the introduction of Esports as a medal event in 2022 Asian Games and demonstrative event at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, it is overwhelming to see how corporates are now coming forward and supporting Esports," Mehta said on association between Esports Federation of India (ESFI) and INOX.
"As a player, such backing gives us a sense of assurance that the ecosystem will continue to strengthen and we as a Esports players will be benefiting from such associations."
At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Esports will be a pilot event for the first time. Albeit played under a different umbrella and to be governed by Global Esports Federation (GEF), it points at the event's growth. Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) committee expects Esports to be a full, permanent event by the time the 2026 edition comes around.
"Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth Sports Movement," said CGF president Dame Louise Martin.
ESFI, which governs the event in India, shared the enthusiasm. "Effectively we now have two big events for our Indian esports community – Asia Games’22 (medal event) and CW Esports Championship’22. As the member federation of GEF we are equally excited on this announcement," said ESFI director Lokesh Suji, who is also the VP of Asian Esports Federation (AESF).
For Indian companies that cater to Esports, growing the industry is met with two key challenges: infrastructure and policies.
"Online skill gaming companies, which have flourished amid phenomenal investor interest, are well-placed to create jobs in roles ranging from VFX designing to software development. The Union Budget should consider levying a lower tax slab than the existing 18% to aid this. With Esports a medal event at the Asian Games, and continuing to gain prominence, this will also help incentivise a greater number of professionals to get into esports and represent the country at global tournaments of this stature," said Sai Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Mobile Premier League (MPL).
"The industry will also benefit from a fund that can provide capital to talented developers and designers, putting India on the path to becoming the hub for game development globally. Access to infrastructure will be crucial in this regard. This can be achieved by establishing specialized AVGC Centres and Universities for talented designers, visual artists, and developers who may have the capabilities but not the resources to build world-class games," he added.
The bigger challenge, seemingly, comes on the legal and policy framework front. States are divided over the legality and technicalities of skill vs luck based gaming. Across the country, "game of chance" are illegal but for "games of skill," the state judiciaries have different views.
In February, Karnataka High Court struck down an amendment that criminalised games of skill, including online gaming, by risking money.
Government of India (GoI) admitted they're aware of the risks and harms linked to online gaming involving money transactions and their advertisement, but Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar conceded they have no proposal to bring them under the category of 'gambling'.
"While the Indian gaming economy continues to boom, we are also addressing certain key things. As a gaming ecosystem, we are working towards having a centrally regulated policy framework for RMG and allied online games, till the time we don’t have a common policy in place the growth across various regions might not be fully actualized. I believe we have come a long way in educating the audiences and the policymakers about skill-based gaming and as an industry, this would be continued further," said Navkiran Singh, CEO and founder at Baazi Games.
At stake is the future of an industry that is expected to employ 40,000 in India by 2023, according to the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF). Revenues from online skill-based gaming in India expected to double to $3 billion by 2023.
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