Asian Games 2022 are almost upon us, and they will bring a new coming of age for the world of esports as well as traditional sports. Asian games 2022 will be featuring 8 video games, as a medal event. This is the first time that esports will be integrated on the same level of traditional sports at the Asian Games.
Seeing how big of a player base India has, and how it can excel at esports, a member of the Upper House of the parliament – the Rajya Sabha spoke in support of esports.
Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, a member of Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra said “A special mention about developing a prudent ecosystem for esports, including legally permissible e-gaming. This has earlier also been mentioned in the house. Out of the 8 games that are medal events at the Asian Games, 2 are banned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology due to Data pilferage concerns (eg. PUBG Mobile)”
He added “What is required is to have a more holistic outlook towards esports and gaming and in that regard, there have to be some efforts from the Government, to ensure India’s flag is represented and players are selected for these tournaments in a fair and transparent manner. I request that wider consultations need to be held to develop a prudent esports ecosystem to further economic growth and job creation”
This will bring more attention to the world of esports, and its growing market in India and across the world. These topics being brought up in the parliament are a sign of life for esports and video games, and a nod to the bright future India has in the gaming world.
There will be a total of 8 esports that will be medal events at Asian Games 2022, these are:
- Arena of Valor Asian Games Version
- Dota 2
- Dream Three Kingdoms 2
- EA SPORTS FIFA branded soccer games
- HearthStone
- League of Legends
- PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version
- Street Fighter V
With the inclusion of various esports titles, fans all around the Asian region will be able to watch their favorite pro players compete live in the 2022 Asian Games.
