Malaysia Has Edge To Be A Hub For eSports

By Massita Ahmad SINGAPORE, Aug 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has an edge over other countries in Asia to be a hub for eSports, said Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. “eSports is about the present and future. No one can beat Malaysia. “We are centrally located in relation to Thailand, Singapore dan 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 Agrobazaar, Sultan Gate, Sunday. The minister was on a two-day working visit here starting Saturday, 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 eSports industry,” he noted. Syed Saddiq also said a lot of investors, including from China, were keen to sponsor Malaysian eSports players. “Malaysia has many expert players. AirAsia 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 eSports was about “just playing a game.” “The notion that eSports involves solely playing games is wrong. It is a large industry that can potentially provide high-quality 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 AirAsia Saiyan, attracted about 100,000 spectators who were physically present, but the online platform reached more than a million viewers. It was reported that eSports 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. -- BERNAMA