e-Sports

Key updates-

• The President of India, in exercise of the powers “conferred by clause (3) of article 77 of the Constitution” amended the rules governing Esports and asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Sports Ministry to include “e-Sports as part of multi-sports events”.
• There had been a growing demand for Esports to be included in the curriculum of multi-discipline events after it was included in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games as a demonstration sport, meaning medals won in the sport were not counted in the official overall medals tally.
• But following the President’s notification, issued on December 23, that IT Ministry will be the nodal agency for online gaming-related matters and the sports ministry will have to include it in its curriculum, it has come as shot in the arm for Esports enthusiasts.
• Esports will now fall under the purview of the Department of Sports, which is a division of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 
• Since athletes compete with one another in a variety of video game genres, video games will also be recognised as a competitive spectator sport. 
• Since the Indian Esports Industry has long pushed for such an official recognition, this represents a significant change.
• Since the term “Gaming” will also be included in the official multi-sports sections, competitive gaming will now have a lot more depth to its structure. 
• As a result, all competitions will be given the same serious consideration as other forms of athletic competition. Additionally, this action will promote the local gaming industry and help develop a more vibrant environment for esports. 
• The Asian and Commonwealth Games have already been held in India, and now they can compete fiercely in the esports world.

What is Esports?

• The term “eSports” refers to the organised, competitive video gaming industry. 

• In the same video games, including Fortnite, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Madden NFL, players from various leagues or teams compete against one another. 
• Millions of fans who tune in to live events, watch them on TV, or follow them online keep track of these gamers. 
• Popular gamers typically develop their fan bases on streaming platforms like Twitch because they can watch their favourite players play in real time.