‘Malaysia has edge to be a hub for e Sports’
SINGAPORE: Malaysia has an edge over other countries in Asia to be a hub for e Sports, said Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
“e Sports is about the present and future. No one can beat Malaysia.
“We are centrally located in relation to Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. It is a big market. We can capture (the market comprising) all three,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of a meet- and- greet session with the Malaysian diaspora at Agro bazaar, Sultan Gate, yesterday.
The minister was on a twoday working visit here starting yesterday, where he met three Singapore Ministers, including Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu.
Syed Saddiq said Malaysia had the critical mass with a population of 32 million people while its nearest competitor only had 4 million.
“We have more players than Singapore as well as more land to develop the e Sports industry,” he noted.
Syed Saddiq also said a lot of investors, including from China, were keen to sponsor Malaysian e Sports players.
“Malaysia has many expert players. Air Asia has become a sponsor. Corporates from China are also interested, but we have not created an industry structure,” he added.
Syed Saddiq said he wanted to change the stigma that e Sports was about “just playing a game.”
“The notion that e Sports involves solely playing games is wrong. It is a large industry that can potentially provide highquality jobs for the youth.
“We are talking from (those involved in) sport infrastructure to viewers, advertisers, coaches, trainers, software engineers, software developers, and gaming developers,” he added.
Syed Saddiq noted the recent Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup 2018, which saw the participation of Malaysian team Air Asia Saiyan, attracted about 100,000 spectators who were physically present, but the online platform reached more than a million viewers.
It was reported that e Sports would be included as a full-medal event in the 2022 Asian Games, while the International Olympic Committee is mulling over its inclusion in the 2024 Olympics in France.