Macau in good position to develop esports

Lou Sai Ho, founding chairman of Macau eSports Association

The success of esports in Southeast Asia is continuing as the region remains the world’s fastest growing region in terms of audience.

Predictive data has shown that esports enthusiasts in the continent will surge to 19.8 million by 2019, a 100 percent increase from 9.5 million in 2016.

A session held yesterday in the MGS (Macau Gaming Show) Summit 2017 noted that although China has the largest number of esport players in Southeast Asia numerically, Vietnam is leading the market with participation from 50 percent of its population.

Today, at a time when electronic games have an increasing amount of influence in the economy and society, esports is officially a competition and the potential of this growing sport has attracted several governments and organizations.

Lou Sai Ho, founding chairman of Macau eSports Association, stressed that Macau should take advantage of its resources and facilities to boost esports in the city. The main suggestion was to work towards being capable of hosting a global esports competition.

Although the sport in Macau is still in its first stage, Lou stressed that there are “boundless prospects” for future development in eSports.

“The esport industry has a combination of internet and emerging culture. It’s in line with the future direction of Macau,” Lou mentioned, recalling the Five-Year Development Plan of the government, which includes the aim of expediting the development of smart city characteristics and the integration of industries and the internet.

“Macau has rich experiences in holding many global competitions such as Grand Prix and FIVB Grand Prix, so Macau has an advantage to hold such competitions.”

Esports is set to make its debut at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, and will be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games.

The chairman noted that the cultivation of some esports teams will only develop in accordance to local citizens’ understanding of esports; however, he said his expectations were positive regarding Macau residents’ willingness to accept esports as a new form of sport.

Although it remains to be seen whether the esports industry will significantly contribute to the region’s economy, Lou implied that Macau should use its resources to build a hub for esports competition.

As esports in Korea are already interrelated with its economy, Lou added that Macau should learn from Korea and aim to nurture and train young esports players by holding seminars and relevant competitions.

Meanwhile, another esports expert Wang Rui, who is also a professor at Nanjing University of Agriculture, said that the percentage of the population engaged in esports may reach China’s participation percentage point – which stands at 15 percent.

“Reaching 50 percent [similar to Vietnam] might still be hard. It needs to invest a lot of time, money and effort to teach that. But reaching the same percentage as China should be okay,” Wang told the press on the sidelines of the event.

Since traditional sport facilities in Macau are maintained in good condition, the expert noted that this may be a factor that will hamper the development of esports in Macau.

Wang explained that the rapid growth of the esports industry in China, particularly in larger cities, might be due to the poor condition of its sports facilities, or the absence of sporting venues. In these contexts, esports are the only available alternatives.

“Esports don’t really need a lot of hardware, just software and internet. If we can do that and maintain it in good condition, I’m sure it will help Macau’s economy,” he said.

“But at this moment, I can’t foresee it happening but there is a possibility.”

Wang also echoed Lou’s sentiments over the significant advantages of holding international esports competitions in Macau, concluding that it would only take a few years for it to become a contributor to growth in the city’s economy.