Game on for virtual contests
JAK ARTA: “Slay the dragon!” Thailand’s national coach yells, rallying his players as they rehearse an elaborate assault for the 2018 Asian Games.
Their sport, making its debut at a major global athletic event, requires only one piece of equipment: a mobile device for playing Chinese tech giant Tencent’s online game Arena of Valor.
Competitive video gaming, dubbed esports, will appear at the Asian Games in Jakarta as an exhibition event sponsored by Alibaba’s sports arm Alisports.
It is a trial run for inclusion as an exhibition event in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
But companies and telecoms are betting that the spotlight will grow the region’s esports market to match its East Asian peers, where tournaments can sell out entire stadiums in minutes.
“The Asian Games will help esports become more mainstream in Southeast Asia and Asia,” said Johnson Yeh, who manages the region for the Tencent-owned studio Riot Games, whose blockbuster game League of Legends will be in the event.
Analysts also expect a significant boost in sales for the six games featured, half of which are owned by Tencent.
Two more titles — Hearthstone and Starcraft II — are made by US gaming powerhouse Activision Blizzard, while Pro Evolution Soccer is from Japanese firm Konami Holdings.
Esports’ regional governing body, the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF), chose the games for the competition, but has not made its criteria public.
The federation said in May that each title must promote “integrity, ethics and fair play.”
The AESF did not respond to requests for comment.
The International Olympics Committee has said games involving violence or shooting would not be considered for exhibition events.
Although AESF says it is the “sole competent authority for electronic sports” in Asia, South Korea’s International e-sports Federation organises separate world championships. There is no single international body.
But for esports to graduate to being a medal event at the Asian games, it must be represented by just one organisation.