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The Rise of #Mobile #Esports in 2018 $GMBL $KUU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:03 AM on Monday, April 9th, 2018
  • Competitive mobile games are slowly making their way into the spotlight and are successfully cementing themselves as the next big thing in the world of esports
  • You heard it right – 2018 might be the year of mobile esports
Julian Elona

If you told your parents years ago that you wanted to make a career out of playing mobile games, chances are they would have shrugged it off and got mad at the thought of their child make a living with a mobile phone.

But that is not the case in 2018, as competitive mobile games are slowly making their way into the spotlight and are successfully cementing themselves as the next big thing in the world of esports.

You heard it right – 2018 might be the year of mobile esports.

Esports is currently a popular spectator sport that has gained a lot of fans over the years. In fact, data shows that it may have overtaken some traditional sports when it comes to viewership. One example of this is when the Mid-Season Invitational 2017 League of Legends, a popular esports game for PC, garnered over 360 million unique viewers last year. That is more than the Super Bowl, which only took around 111 million unique viewers the same year.

As for mobile esports, they could not yet reach a viewership count equal to traditional esports games. According to Esports Chart, last year’s Clash Royale tournament only had around 20 million views while the lowest viewership was from Vainglory World Championship 2017 with only 56,000 viewers at its peak.

However, competitive mobile gaming has seen a huge increase this year. Mobile games such as Vainglory, Clash of Clans, and Arena of Valor have been organising successful tournaments and fostering a healthy environment for its professional athletes.

Clash Royale recently made a big announcement that it will be organizing one of the biggest mobile esports events called Clash Royale League with a prize pool of over $1m. Notable teams from other esports games such as Fnatic and Team SoloMid have also announced that they will be participating in the event.

Tencent, a Chinese tech company, also tried to capitalise on the western market by releasing Honor of Kings in the US and Europe and renaming it to Arena of Valor. The game drew heavy inspiration from traditional MOBAs. They also announced this year that they would be holding an international tournament with a prize pool of around $500,000.

Super Evil Megacorp, the developer of Vainglory, has also announced a partnership with Alibaba that will include Vainglory in the official lineup of games in the World Electronic Sports Games 2018 (WESG). Vainglory also announced before that it would be having a new 5v5 format, having had only a 3v3 format previously.

This will be the first time that a mobile game will be integrated into the WESG and will be headlining along with other popular games like Dota 2, Starcraft II, and Counter Strike: Global Offensive.

With no signs of backing down, mobile games may be the next big thing in esports. It’s only a matter of time before we fully embrace the notion that you can have a successful career just by playing with your mobile phone.

Source: http://www.foxsportsasia.com/esports/839328/rise-mobile-esports-2018/

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL Announces Winners Of Beta Test Competition On #VIE.gg #Esports Wagering Platform; All Participants To Receive 50 Euros Credit $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:44 AM on Thursday, April 5th, 2018

Esports large

  • Announced winners of the Beta Test Competition on VIE  (https://vie.gg) 
  • The world’s safest, most secure and transparent esports wagering platform.

ST. MARY’S, Antigua, April 05, 2018 – Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (OTCQB:GMBL) (or the “Company”), a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming, is pleased to announce the winners of the Beta Test Competition on VIE  (https://vie.gg)  the world’s safest, most secure and transparent esports wagering platform.

VIE offers bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global esports audience, excluding jurisdictions such as the USA that prohibit online gambling. VIE features wagering on the following esports games:

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)

  • Dota 2
  • Call of Duty
  • Hearthstone
  • StarCraft II

BETA TEST WINNERS AND PRIZES

Esports Entertainment Group congratulates our top three winners and wishes them great success going forward.  The Company would also like to thank all beta contest participants for their time and invaluable feedback that helped make VIE even better for our launch on March 20th.  All participants will have their accounts credited with 50 Euros.

Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group stated, “I am very happy for Kevin, Andres and Karolis and very thankful to all of our amazing participants for the help they provided us in beta testing VIE prior to our launch. As a result of their feedback, we made changes to some of our wagering terminology, boosted our help page with videos, expanded our FAQs and fast tracked future features such as hosting live viewing of actual matches our players are betting on.  They earned their account credits and I look forward to watching them grow with VIE, including becoming affiliates to attract their networks and earn even more money as our partners.”

This press release is available on our Online Investor Relations Community for shareholders and potential shareholders to ask questions, receive answers and collaborate with management in a fully moderated forum at https://agoracom.com/ir/EsportsEntertainmentGroup

About Esports Entertainment Group

Esports Entertainment Group Inc. is a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming. Initially, Esports Entertainment intends to offer bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global esports audience, excluding the US and EU. In addition, Esports Entertainment intends to offer users from around the world the ability to participate in multi-player mobile and PC video game tournaments for cash prizes. Esports Entertainment is led by a team of industry professionals and technical experts from the online gambling and the video game industries, and esports. The Company holds licenses to conduct online gambling and 18+ gaming on a global basis, excluding the US and EU, in Curacao, Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. The Company maintains offices in Antigua and Poland. Esports Entertainment common stock is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol GMBL.  For more information visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com
.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.

Contact:

Corporate Finance Inquiries
Stephen Cotugno
Vice President, Corporate Development
[email protected]
201-220-5745

Investor Relations Inquiries
AGORACOM
[email protected]
http://agoracom.com/ir/eSportsEntertainmentGroup

#NBA2K League Draft: TV And Stream Info For Wednesday’s Event #Esports $GMBL $KUU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:49 AM on Wednesday, April 4th, 2018
Brian Mazique , Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

If you were wondering how you can watch the first-ever NBA 2K League, here are your answers.

  • live pre-draft press conference featuring NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue, and Take-Two Interactive Chief Executive Officer Strauss Zelnick
  • begins at 12 pm ET and can be seen on NBA TV, the NBA App, NBA.com, and the NBA 2K League Twitter handle.

NBA 2K League Draft Lottery

There will be a live pre-draft press conference featuring NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue, and Take-Two Interactive Chief Executive Officer Strauss Zelnick. That begins at 12 pm ET and can be seen on NBA TV, the NBA App, NBA.com, and the NBA 2K League Twitter handle. Silver will announce the league’s first overall pick.

At 1 pm ET, the draft will begin. The entire first round can be seen on NBA TV and the NBA 2K League’s official Twitch channel. The second through sixth rounds will be streamed on Twitch exclusively. There are 17 teams and each will select six players. The draft will progress in a serpentine order until the final pick is announced.

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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmazique/2018/04/04/nba-2k-league-draft-tv-and-stream-info-for-wednesdays-event/#348df2736f93

INTERVIEW: Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL Discusses Launch Of VIE.GG, The World’s Safest, Most Secure and Transparent #Esports Wagering Platform $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:25 AM on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018

#Twitch Launches #Esports Digital Channel #SuperLeagueTV $GMBL $KUU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:24 PM on Monday, April 2nd, 2018
  • Debuting on Twitch, SuperLeagueTV is the first ever network dedicated to amateur esports and competitive amateur players
  • Initial programming will include top tier gameplay from Super League’s City Champs tournaments

Debuting on Twitch, SuperLeagueTV is the first ever network dedicated to amateur esports and competitive amateur players. Initial programming will include top tier gameplay from Super League’s City Champs tournaments, as well as the most compelling storylines that emerge from among the thousands of individual and team-vs-team competitions happening throughout the year within Super League’s League of Legends and Minecraft events.

Broadcasting from Ultimate Media Ventures, Super League Gaming’s Huntington Beach-based production partner, SuperLeagueTV will offer commentary and analysis during hotly contested matches and original programming that shines a light on the increasing number of people who are making competitive video gaming their sport of choice. Beginning this week with Super League Gaming’s League of Legends City Champs season, the channel will feature known shoutcasters and other esports influencers, including play-by-play from Alexander “Opal” Archumbault, and color commentary by Alex “Mad_Magical” Whieldon.

“Super League Gaming is a player-first company. SuperLeagueTV is a player-first network,” said Matt Edelman, Chief Commercial Officer of Super League Gaming. “We are creating a channel dedicated to the massive community of amateur gamers seeking opportunities to play their sport in a trusted, competitive environment where they also can create lasting real-world connections. SuperLeagueTV is a natural extension of our core value proposition.”

SuperLeagueTV‘s launch lineup will consist of multiple nights of gameplay taking place in heated City-vs-City battles within movie theaters across the country. Woven into the programming will be pre- and post-match content, including player interviews and City Club profiles, all of which will be available on SuperLeague_TV via Twitch. Additional content and distribution announcements will be made throughout the year.

Coming on the heels of Super League’s recent four-city expansion to Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Washington D.C, and Philadelphia, SuperLeagueTV’s launch continues Super League’s 2018 momentum as the top esports brand for amateur gamers. New strategic, brand and game publisher partnerships will be announced soon.

Source: http://worthplaying.com/article/2018/4/2/news/108035/

Gary Vee’s Throughts On #DRAKE & #Twitch #Esports #LOL $GMBL $KUU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:50 PM on Thursday, March 29th, 2018

“It is now a forgone conclusion that millions of people will sit for trillions of hours and watch other people game.”

“I’m in love with my these of eSoorts and virtual reality in a year window.”

“Do you know how many kids are making real bank on twitch playing video games all day?”

#Esports Monday Morning Briefing, 26/03/2018 $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:04 AM on Monday, March 26th, 2018

Modern Times Group will split off its esports/gaming portfolio into a new company, while the German Olympic Committee remains firm against esports recognition.

Missed any of the biggest esports business news last week? The TEO Monday Morning Briefing recaps the top headlines from the last seven days!

MTG to Split Into Two Listed Entities

Modern Times Group (MTG ), the Swedish media firm that acquired a majority stake in ESL in 2015, and the entirety of DreamHack  that same year, has announced it will split off into two separately listed companies. This follows on from a failed $2.5B takeover bid from Danish telecommunications TDC to acquire MTG’s Nordic TV businesses, which will be part of a separate entity listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

While we won’t feel the esports impact of this for some time, the idea of MTG becoming a full-on digital company with an emphasis on esports and gaming is fairly significant.

Facebook and Amazon Compete for Esports Crowd with New Developer Tools

As part of last week’s Game Developer Conference (GDC), Facebook and Amazon have both announced new tools for video game developers, both with potential esports applications.

For Facebook, it’s a software development kit that allows games to be streamed directly to Facebook Live, a feature tested with the Paladins Premier League. Meanwhile Amazon will allow game makers to add tournaments and leagues directly to games, and even ship prize deliveries through the e-commerce giant.

Tennis Joins Virtual Sports Space with French Open Esports Tournament

Let’s list all the popular sports that are trying to make it in esports: basketball, hockey, European football, American football…anything missing? Well now the French Tennis Federation wants to host a competition around the unreleased game Tennis World Tour, with a final to be held at the French Open.

Perhaps the most noteworthy part of this news is that the series will be backed by the competition’s main sponsor, BNP Paribas.

Sponsorship/Partnership Round-Up

In partnership news, DreamHack is not only extending its 10-year relationship with Twitch with a new multi-year deal, but in Spain the company is also partnering with recruitment company Page Personnel to introduce career development opportunities at events, starting with DreamHack Valencia and DreamHack Sevilla.

Elsewhere, performance drink eNgage enters the Chinese market with a sponsorship deal with LGD Gaming, and eSports.com becomes the newest jersey sponsor for Astralis in a deal—sources close to it say—is worth $2M over three years.

German Olympic Committee Opposes Coalition Esports Agreement

Finally, when the new German coalition government formed, it pledged to support esports as an organized sport in the country. It’s one of the most significant movements of its kind in Europe, but it also faces a lot of hurdles, namely the German Olympic Committee, who last week called the attempt to integrate esports into Germany’s organized sports as the work of “specialist politicians” in the digital sector. We’ll update you further as the story progresses.

Source: https://esportsobserver.com/teo-monday-briefing-march-23-2018/

Everyone Is Betting On Growth Of #Esports Wagering In 2018 $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:21 PM on Thursday, March 22nd, 2018

 

  • Optimism for the future of betting on esports is very high
  • In survey filled out by thirty-one respondents representing small endemic sites (esports-first or esports-only) to the largest non-endemic global operators (mainstream betting operators that also offer esports), 100% of the respondents indicated a belief that the esports handle will grow in 2018;
  • 82% hypothesize that the sophistication of esports wagering will catch up to traditional sports within two years.

Darren Heitner , Contributor

Betting operators are excited about the potential for growth surrounding wagers on PlayUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) matches. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Optimism for the future of betting on esports is very high. In a survey filled out by thirty-one respondents representing small endemic sites (esports-first or esports-only) to the largest non-endemic global operators (mainstream betting operators that also offer esports), 100% of the respondents indicated a belief that the esports handle will grow in 2018, and 82% hypothesize that the sophistication of esports wagering will catch up to traditional sports within two years.

The survey was conducted by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming and reported in its Esports & Gambling Monitor for 1Q 2018.

The vast majority of respondents also indicated that esports betting activity has increased from the prior quarter, with no respondents revealing a decrease in handle.

The biggest factor believed to be spurring an increase in betting is the growth of existing major events, followed by the introduction of new leagues like The Overwatch League, which is a global esports league with city-based teams that is based on the Blizzard Entertainment game Overwatch. Players in the league receive a $50,000 minimum base salary, healthcare and retirements savings plans and housing.

Traditional professional sports also continue to cross over into esports, whether it be the NBA’s 2K League or MLS’ deal with EA Sports to launch eMLS, and that type of expansion is believed to at least play a role in continuing to improve the esports industry’s bottom line and additionally increase interest in betting.

Additionally, the respondents also revealed that the average spend per esports bettor is either increasing or staying the same, with no respondent answering that the amount of betting is on the decline.

The titles with the most betting volume are the traditionally mentioned games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends, but there is clear optimism surrounding one particular up-and-comer: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). That game was one of the most watched on Twitch for the second half of 2017 and is the main reason why 64% of respondents believe Battle Royale-style games can drive substantial wagering activity.

Yet, an unfortunate data point for esports betting growth is that the results were mixed when it comes to the value that operators place on an esports bettor as compared to a traditional sports bettor. While one-third of the respondents indicated a belief that an esports bettor is more valuable than a traditional sports bettor in terms of lifetime value, a big jump from the mere 5% who indicated same the previous quarter, over 60% of respondents said that the esports bettor will provide less value to the operators’ bottom-line over the span of many years.

Darren Heitner is the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C. and Sports Agent Blog. He authored the book, How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know.

Follow @DarrenHeitner

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2018/02/12/everyone-is-betting-on-growth-of-esports-wagering-in-2018/#c4c7cb045820

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL Announces The Launch Of VIE.GG, The World’s Safest, Most Secure and Transparent #Esports #Wagering Platform $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:12 AM on Tuesday, March 20th, 2018

Esports large

  • Announced the launch of VIE  (https://vie.gg)
  • World’s safest, most secure and transparent esports wagering platform
  • bet exchange model provides for player versus player betting (PVP) with the house taking a small percentage of each wager
  • PVP model means a VIE player always wins and the Company removes all risk, creating a win-win for players and the Company

ST. MARY’S, ANTIGUA, March 20, 2018 — Esports Entertainment Group, Inc. (OTCQB:GMBL) (or the “Company”), a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming, is pleased to announce the launch of VIE  (https://vie.gg)  the world’s safest, most secure and transparent esports wagering platform.

VIE offers bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global esports audience, excluding jurisdictions such as the USA that prohibit online gambling. The bet exchange model provides for player versus player betting (PVP) with the house taking a small percentage of each wager, as opposed to a sports book model that pits the player versus the house. Our PVP model means a VIE player always wins and the Company removes all risk, creating a win-win for our players and the Company.

The launch of VIE follows months of extensive, final financial compliance with applicable regulators, financial institutions and payment processors, as well as, beta testing that provided the Company with valuable feedback from esports enthusiasts around the world. VIE features wagering on the following esports games:

    • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)
    • Dota 2
    • Call of Duty
    • Hearthstone
    • StarCraft II

LAUNCH ROLL-OUT INCLUDES OVER 60 AFFILIATE STREAMERS AND WORLD LEADING SUPER AFFILIATE

A core element of the Company’s customer acquisition strategy is an affiliate program powered by Income Access, which won eGaming Review’s B2B Award for ‘Affiliate Software’ four years in a row. Income Access has been fully integrated into VIE to manage our affiliate program, which has received attention far beyond Company expectations to this point.

On September 6, 2017, the Company announced the signing of over 60 affiliate esports streamers at gamescom 2017, representing an audience of esports viewers which collectively generated over 250 million online video views in the preceding 30 days.

Some affiliates have already commenced the onboarding process, with the majority expected to be completed over the next 45 days. At that time, VIE will launch a contest for its affiliates that will feature significant prizes and rewards throughout 2018 to further incentivize registrations.  Moreover, with VIE now officially launched, the Company expects strong continual registrations of new affiliates throughout 2018 and beyond.

Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group stated “Today marks a major milestone for Esports Entertainment Group, our investors and the entire esports industry.  With esports experiencing rapid global growth and set to hit mainstream sports in 2018 with the launch of initiatives such as NBA 2K later this year, esports fans have told us loud and clear that they want a licensed, secure and transparent wagering platform to augment their experience.  We are thrilled to launch and deliver VIE to them at this great time for esports.”
During the rollout, the Company expects to announce significant new features, including the addition of multiple languages such as Spanish and Russian next month and further additional languages until all the major languages of global esports enthusiasts are serviced.

This press release is available on our Online Investor Relations Community for shareholders and potential shareholders to ask questions, receive answers and collaborate with management in a fully moderated forum at https://agoracom.com/ir/EsportsEntertainmentGroup

About Esports Entertainment Group

Esports Entertainment Group Inc. is a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on esports wagering and 18+ gaming. Initially, Esports Entertainment intends to offer bet exchange style wagering on esports events in a licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global esports audience, excluding the US and EU. In addition, Esports Entertainment intends to offer users from around the world the ability to participate in multi-player mobile and PC video game tournaments for cash prizes. Esports Entertainment is led by a team of industry professionals and technical experts from the online gambling and the video game industries, and esports. The Company holds licenses to conduct online gambling and 18+ gaming on a global basis, excluding the US and EU, in Curacao, Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. The Company maintains offices in Antigua and  Poland. Esports Entertainment common stock is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol GMBL.  For more information visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com
.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.

Corporate Finance Inquiries
Stephen Cotugno
Vice President, Corporate Development
[email protected]
201-220-5745

Investor Relations Inquiries
AGORACOM 
[email protected]
http://agoracom.com/ir/eSportsEntertainmentGroup

 

#Esports: Why pro video #gaming will be bigger than the #NFL $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:44 PM on Thursday, March 15th, 2018

Players of ‘Dota 2’ and ‘League of Legends’ reap millions

SHOTARO TANI, Nikkei staff writer

Teams face off at the League of Legends Champions Korea tournament in Seoul on Feb. 1. (Photo by Koji Uema)

TOKYO — For those above a certain age, sports are all about pushing the lungs, muscles and mind to the limit in the pursuit of victory. They are played in the open air on a track or field, or indoors on a court or in a pool.

But for many people who have never known a world without the internet, that definition looks incomplete. For them, sports are just as likely to be played sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a glowing PC. Instead of a bat, racket or ball, they are equipped with bulky headphones, state-of-the-art keyboards and a lightning-fast mouse.

Han Ki-hoon, a 25-year-old from South Korea, is one of these new athletes. Sitting in a small room on the seventh floor of an apartment on the outskirts of Tokyo, curtains shut to block out the sunlight, Han quivers his mouse with his right hand, directing his character where to go next. On the screen his half-human, half-monster character faces off against other digital creatures, and a number pops up every time a character inflicts damage on another.

Han, whose gaming name is viviD, is one of the millions who play the online game “League of Legends,” or LoL for short. What sets him apart from the rest is that he plays professionally, lending his talents to Japanese gaming team DetonatioN Gaming.

Han’s esports career prompted his move to Japan two years ago. “I was playing for a South Korean team, but it ran into operational difficulties,” Han recalled. “I declared myself a free agent, and DetonatioN Gaming came calling.”

South Korean esports pro Han Ki-hoon came to Japan on an athletic visa. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

LoL is a strategy game that pits teams of three or five players against each other. Good communication among teammates is essential — so much so that Han lives, eats, sleeps and trains with four other DetonatioN LoL players and a coach in room 701 of their apartment building. They call it “The Gaming House.”

It is easy to dismiss the idea that playing video games, even at a high level, is the same thing as athletics. But esports players argue that the act of professionally competing in top titles such as LoL, which require quick thinking, fast reflexes and dedication, is as demanding as standard sports. When Han is not playing the game, he is either eating or sleeping. “I don’t play any other games,” he said, not even for fun.

Whatever the purists may say, Han has some important supporters who have little doubt that he is an athlete — including the Japanese government. Han was one of the first esports players to be granted an athletic visa by Japan.

Japan is just one of the countries seeking to catch up with the more developed esports markets — South Korea, China and the U.S. — in the hope of nurturing a new, fast-growing industry. The Hong Kong government recently vowed to invest HK$100 million ($12.7 million) to develop the Cyberport business park as an esports training and competition venue.

Such official support is understandable, given projections that the industry will generate around $1 billion a year by 2021. For Japan, nurturing the esports scene should pay off later by boosting tourism and helping its domestic gaming companies, like Nintendo and Capcom.

 

Source: https://asia.nikkei.com/Features/Cover-story/Esports-Why-pro-video-gaming-will-be-bigger-than-the-NFL