Yes, finally the Indian government has given the green light to signal esports as an official part of the “multisports event” category in India under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and sports. As we all know, the trend for esports started late in India but its official recognition has been pending until now when the Indian president made online gaming a part of formal sports.
In regard to this recent big news, this cleared the air that Esports must not be clubbed under the umbrella term “Gaming”. Esports (Electronic sports) is a competitive sport where esports athletes use their physical and mental abilities to compete in certain genres of video games in a virtual, electronic environment.
Now, Indian gamers who officially aspire to become professional athletes can be proud to make a career as well as be recognized by the government like other sporting events. Here are the reactions of notable esports industry stakeholders:
1. Mr Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF):
Great news for us to begin the New Year. We have been constantly working on establishing the difference between esports and iGaming, and finally, our efforts have been fulfilled. We welcome this announcement by our government under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Modi ji, which will open new avenues to pour in more investment opportunities in this booming industry. From now onwards, we will have to build the proper infrastructure, training facilities and coaching for our young esports athletes. Only a short time until we see Esports being placed in the same league as cricket, football, basketball, etc. and having similar fan power, scale and craze.
With the latest announcement and India recently competing for medals at the inaugural Esports Asian Games, people are shaking off the misconceptions linked with esports as a passion or career option. The year 2023 beholds greater opportunities for esports and we are anticipating more favourable developments, only making it bigger. It surely has been a great year for Indian esports.
2. Rohit Jagasia, Founder & CEO, Revenant Esports:
Today can be said to be the greatest day in Indian Esports history. The collective efforts of the entire gaming fraternity along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and sports have finally reaped its rewards. We can now proudly consider Esports a legitimate sport in India. This revolutionary decision will not only transform the country’s gaming landscape in terms of improved infrastructure, funding, exposure and providing education about the sector but will also put India on the global Esports map as a force to be reckoned with. The year 2023 is undoubtedly going to be the start of the country’s golden era in Esports and with the Asian Games as well as the Olympic Esports Week also set to take place soon, there is a lot of success expected to be in store for the entire community.
3. Mr Animesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, 8bit Creatives & an ex-esports athlete:
The entire Esports fraternity in India will be rejoicing with this welcome news which has certainly been a result of the gaming community’s collective efforts spanning over the last few years. Esports have already been considered as a medal sport in the Olympics and Asian games and this news will further boost the sport in the country as it was long overdue. The industry inclusive of developers, players and creators as a whole is growing at a fast pace and to come full circle this recognition will be very thriving for the industry. It presents a clean slate for gamers and proves to neigh-sayers that Esports is, in fact, a serious sport that deserves to be recognised for its skilled and hard-working players who will be competing against some of the world’s best players and put India on the map of professional gaming countries.
At 8Bit Creatives & S8UL, this is a defining moment for us. The future of Indian esports holds great things from our side. We are committed to nurturing and supporting more and more esports players in our country, starting from ground zero with a refined vision of putting India on the map globally.
4. Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder and Managing Director NODWIN Gaming
While this is a great first step by the Indian government, it’s important to take cognizance of the nuances that could emerge from this statement. The insertion of “e-Sports as part of multi-sports events” needs to be closely examined so as not to exclude popular esport titles that are not directly linked to a traditional sport. Games like Valorant, Dota 2 and those created by Indian game developers should also have the opportunity to be classified as esports, and their players as athletes.
5. Sooraj Balakrishnan, Head of Marketing, Acer
This is fantastic news because it would give the Indian e-sports industry a huge boost. The e-sports fan will be inspired by this to pursue the game professionally. Players will be able to seek out tutoring and instruction to advance their game thanks to the official recognition. Congratulations to the Indian government for recognizing the enormous potential of e-sports. It’s time for India to excel in the world of e-sports with our amazing players.
