It is not just about gaming; e-sports is now a booming industry, creating promising careers and potential businesses
KUCHING: Electronic sports or e-sports has grown into a multimillion dollar industry in recent years; creating career opportunities, such as professional players, coaches, team managers, referees, game designers, media and writers, marketing experts and many more.
The industry comprises an entire ecosystem, from game developer, player and e-sports event or tournament organiser; all these which translates into potential businesses.
Professional gamers are considered athletes with careers and salaries as well as generating incomes from prize money, sponsorships and content creation.
According to the Statista Research Department, the highest earning e-sports player in Malaysia in 2021 was Yap Jianwei (xNova), with total winnings of around USD1.89mil.
However, the general public, including in Sarawak, especially among parents, still do not see the benefits of e-sports and how promising it could be as gaming is often viewed in a negative light.
Playing video games is commonly associated with side effects such as addiction, indiscipline, poor time management, leading students to fail at their studies.
Go beyond gaming; e-sports is transforming into an industry
To expedite the development of e-sports in Sarawak, Afiq Fadhli Narawi, the president of Sarawak E-sports Association (SESA), said the negative perceptions and concerns of the parents must be addressed; as not all are correct or well-informed.
“When we talk about e-sports, many people only think about spending hours in front of a screen – playing video games. That’s it.
“It sounds like something very unproductive and a waste of time. There are also arguments that it is not a real sport.
“It is extremely crucial to raise awareness and educate the public that e-sports is more than just playing video games.
“So, we have been conducting seminars and workshops highlighting the spillover effect of e-sports, which can spur economic growth,” he said.
Apart from gaming, Afiq said the general public, parents or gamers should look at other aspects; such as video game development and production, which transform e-sports into an industry.
Citing the example of video game production, he said, it requires the knowledge and skills of other experts for graphic material digitisation, programming of digital sound and characters, and the creation of creative content.
Meanwhile, e-sports tournament companies can create plenty of jobs and business opportunities for the youth as well as the local community as the industry continues to grow.
“As for the e-sports athletes or professional gamers, they can opt to become coaches, analysts, and team managers as well, when they decide to stop competing or gaming; similar to those in other traditional sports.
“When the public understand the spillover effects, I believe it is easier for them to support gaming and recognise e-sports,” he stressed.
Sarawak E-sports Association (SESA)
Realising e-sports is a global phenomenon, with no signs of slowing down; Afiq founded SESA in 2018, to create a fair and inclusive ecosystem in Sarawak.
It is a representative body to develop, operate, promote and manage e-sports in Sarawak; providing necessary knowledge and skills for gamers, e-sports teams and enthusiasts to move towards professionalism, career building and entrepreneurship.
“We want to promote the potential of the e-sports industry and support those who find it hard to go beyond gaming due to lack of guidance or other challenges.
“We provide a platform to discover new talents, unlock gamers’ true potential as well as organise development programmes to produce more world-class e-sports athletes,” he said.
Among the programmes include technical skills, game development, healthy gaming, competition management, leadership, administration, and team management; to ensure high quality standards of performance among committee members, affiliates, and associate members of the e-sports community in Sarawak.
The establishment of SESA, he said, is also in line with the direction of the Sarawak government to strengthen the use of digital and technology in the “Sarawak Digital Economy Strategy 2018-2022”; to place greater emphasis on the e-sports industry, increase the establishment of game development start-ups (digital nomad) and enhance sports science using digital technology.
Bachelor of Mobile Game Development
Meanwhile, the state-owned University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) in Sibu, has also become the first university in the country to offer mobile game development programmes for the e-sport and entertainment industries.
Afiq was appointed as UTS Board of Study for Bachelor Mobile Game Development (Hons) member in 2021; to evaluate the purpose and objectives of the programme; curriculum structure and contents; learning outcomes and general attributes.
He believes that the initiative to include and introduce the programme on game development is able to strengthen the ecosystem of the e-sports industry in Sarawak.
E-sports hub in Sarawak
Sarawak is already having a group of world-class electronic sports athletes, coaches and highly qualified e-sports officers, which is a step closer to achieving the sustainability of the industry.
Moving forward, Afiq said, Sarawak must provide a conducive environment to host international sporting events, in the efforts to become the e-sports hub in Malaysia.
“The development of e-sports is not just about organising tournaments but also requires a physical hub to continue to ensure the continued growth of e-sports in Sarawak.
“Thus, the effort needs to be followed by an e-sports hub that serves as an organic conduit for networking and learning centres – to ensure continued growth in the industry,” he said.
Video game consoles for rural villages and longhouses
As for the interior locations in Sarawak, which may not have the high-speed internet to run e-sport games, he suggested that the public and private sectors look into equipping these villages or longhouses with video game consoles.
Video game consoles such as Xbox, PlayStation, he said, offer a wide selection of games that do not require internet connection to enjoy.
He hoped elected representatives – whether a state assemblyman or a Member of Parliament can consider the suggestion; to allow the rural children the opportunity to try their hands at gaming.
“This will support our efforts to promote e-sports and discover more talents in the rural areas. As such, Sarawak also can ensure inclusivity in esports.
“Strong infrastructure and ecosystem are needed to take Sarawak’s e-sports to greater heights,” he emphasised.
