eSports, the revolution, is truly here and to stay. During the last 18 months, within the pandemic that gripped the world in its grasp, amongst all the misery eSports has stood out as a winner. Millions switched to online gaming to bide away their time. Many still turned to eSports in order to find ways to remain engaged.
eSports is competitive online gaming. The games that saw the most traffic were Call of Duty Mobile, Valorant and PuBG. After pressure from the Indian Government to protect the data of the users, Tencent were forced to take PuBG offline. After an extended period, they're-introduced the game in its new avatar, government approved - BGMI. The surprising winner though has been chess, the most downloaded game in 2020 during the pandemic months. Tacticians of the black and white board, trying to outwit their online opponent, are true representatives of eSports- though they may yet not be aware of this. The eSports revolution of the pandemic had truly arrived.
Today, there are scores of competitions which are played daily. Prize money for these tournaments vary from paltry sums to princely amounts. Professional players are sough after entities. Organised team set-ups hire pro-gamers to be part of their team. Beyond these gamers there is a wide universe of gamers who are professional streamers, streaming their gameplay or engaging their audience with seemingly random banter. Streamers and pro-gamers are commanding hefty fees, some rightful digital stars of their own making.
While the pandemic seems to be ebbing, the eSports surge is not. Hundreds of thousands of young gamers are pulled into the world of professional gaming, attracted by the glitz of fame and the glory of earning while still in their teens or early twenties. This professional break for the younglings is a perfect hunting ground for those who are looking to make a quick buck. Stories are strife of tournament organisers not paying out to winners, as was promised during sign-ups. There are multiple tales of good gamers, signed up to teams to compete, but with agreements so skewed against them that the only way to describe these contracts is slavery bonds.
There are instances where organisers have ‘forced’ young players to sign away their image rights for perpetuity. Any other industry, such a clause would have been, mildly put- frowned upon. But eSports is unregulated. There is a marked optimism with the Asian games and Olympics introducing eSports as medal events. There is also a definite turn in the way guardians view their wards spending hours in front of screens playing games or talking about playing games. But the positive is mitigated by the negative of young players being taken for a ride.
eSports in India needs to be regulated. While we wait and watch how the scene changes, there is some thing to cheer about. An independent organisation has raised their hand to take onus of protecting the gamers. eSports Players Welfare Organisation is a non-profit organisation committed to representing the cause of the players. EPWA- in short, is an independent body with the self-appointed task of charting the course of eSports in India, while the welfare of the players is accounted for. This has been an encouraging development in a space which at times has seemed nothing short of the wild wild west, where only the ‘strongest’ survive. Democratising eSports and protecting aspirational players, where they feel safe and confident to build a career, is the cornerstone on which the industry of eSports in India can be built.
If you are a pro gamer or have aspirations to compete online, visit epwa.in and become a member. It is the community of gamers who can chart the right course of eSports in India.
