Factbox

In 2016, there were 424 e-sports events worldwide, according to market analysis by Newzoo, which specializes in games, e-sports and mobile intelligence.

North America hosts most of the significant events and receives the highest ticket revenues globally, followed by Western and Eastern Europe respectively.

Last year, global e-sports revenue was estimated to reach $906 million, year-onyear growth of 38.2 percent, according to Newzoo. It estimated that North America would account for $345 million of the revenue and China $164 million.

At least five countries — China, the United States, Italy, Malaysia and South Korea — have identified e-sports as a professional sport.

Hundreds of professional teams have been training for more than 10 years worldwide, while Hong Kong only took its first e-sports steps in recent years.

In Asia, South Korea is the leading country in the industry. The nation’s gaming market value is estimated to reach 12.49 trillion won ($11 billion) this year, according to Statista.

The Korea eSports Association was established in 2000 as a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote e-sports as a profession and as a competitive industry.

Successful e-sports athletes in South Korea are marketed as stars and heroes with the help of government policies and promotions by entertainment companies.