There have been many attempts to answer this question, and yet, still seems like we’re in lack of an acceptable answer. Today we’re gonna grapple with the question for a bit, like a small foreplay in what’s coming in a few days, the World Esports Summit which gonna take place in Busan, Korea.
So, why we are stuck for such a long time when it comes to Esports? The progress throughout the years is evident, but there’s still lacking a wide public recognition of whether it is acceptable as a profession, career path, or just a daily leisure activity. In most countries, it is not recognized as a Sport, even though it fills out the definition of Sport completely, and there are decades of international competitions that serve as supporting evidence. Yes, there’s the physical inactivity that heavily burdens the industry recognition and acceptance, but then again, what about chess and other “passive” sports that have reached their recognition way more smoothly?
We don’t have this dilemma obviously, here in the IESF, with the rest of the Esports entities and a growing number of countries and their governments, Esports is a Sport, a competition that involves both, physical and mental effort, crowned by a scoring and ranking system, therefore deserving winners and losers.
So, today, when we ask the Esports community, Why Esports, we get a clear and precise answer: because I want to be an Esports Athlete, or a Coach, or a Referee, or a team manager…So how do we interpret this? This tells us that Esports today has a firm infrastructure, built by the Esports pioneers and people devoted to the industry. It means that it has gained the scarcely-needed sustainability to move forward and face bigger challenges. Throughout this period, the Esports family has made massive steps toward securing its future, and today, here it is, on the global stage, standing firmly and presenting the world of competitive gaming for what it is, a global phenomenon that includes millions of people, passionate about expressing themselves through the games.
Has it reached its final destination? Not even close. This is one of those big scenes that requires continually investing resources and effort in order to grow. Growth on the other side, is never easy. The more an industry grows, the bigger the emerging obstacles are. And one of the best ways to address them is through public events and gatherings, just like the one we have ahead of us, the World Esports Summit, which will take place in Busan between November 28-29.
We’ve invited numerous amount of experts from different segments of the Esports ecosystem, to share their knowledge on the latest innovations and happenings in the world, but also to answer the controversial questions that our community is struggling with, the most sound of them being: “Esports – is it Passion or Addiction?”. For this topic, we’ve prepared a special format where our guest will present their arguments for both cases, and stimulate an open debate in the community, and in that manner breaking the ice into finally providing a sustaining and firm answer. We must remind the world, that every activity can be seen and done both ways, in a healthy and non-healthy way, the only difference being in the attitude and the level of knowledge presented and absorbed by the participants. Well-educated and trained Esports athletes, won’t suffer negative consequences. Guided and informed gaming community can develop a healthy relationship with the games.
Following the opening debate, there are educational workshops and panel discussions that will cover a variety of topics including a Dota 2 Masterclass led by Dominik Reitmeier “Black”, one of the greatest athletes to play and compete in the game, the correlation between health and gaming led by Michael Anderson, Co-Founder of FITGMR, and many more topics and Esports professionals that are willing to travel all the way to Busan, from all across the globe with the purpose of revealing the knowledge, awareness, and expertise in front of the world.
We’d like to invite every Esports enthusiast to join us in the almost completely booked BEXCO Convention Hall in Busan and use this unique opportunity to connect with fellow attendees, all of them sharing the passion and the drive Esports brings with itself. Everyone interested in participating in the World Esports Summit can register for free at the following link.
