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Esports Sees Growth In China As Public's Perception Of Video Games Shifts

Esports "has come a long way in China, acquiring a patina of respectable professionalism after once being seen as either a useless diversion or a danger," according to Leah Liu of FOREIGN POLICY. By '03, possibly influenced by South Korea’s booming esports industry, China’s General Administration of Sports (GSA) "declared e-sports an official sport." But for years afterward, the Chinese market for esports "was extremely limited." Esports clubs and gamers "struggled to find sponsors and to play their way into high-level international competitions." The Chinese mainstream viewed the internet and video games as "electronic heroin" that lured students away from school and family. China "was a pioneer in diagnosing and attempting to cure so-called internet addiction." But things "have been changing, if slowly." In '10, the GSA "started organizing national e-sports competitions, and later international ones." It "also encouraged video game companies to organize their own gaming competitions." The changes "likely reflect, and in turn shape, shifting public perception of e-sports." Playing video games for long hours and ignoring schoolwork "remains an understandably unpopular decision for most children." But "practicing the skills, techniques, and gaming strategies needed to pursue a career as an e-sports athlete now appears acceptable, at least to state media." People’s Daily, the state-owned newspaper, published an article in Feb. '15, called "E-sports Should Not Be Seen the Same As Gaming Addiction." It argued esports was "good for teenagers," just like football. The market for competitive gaming "has likewise expanded." According to an industry report published by Beijing-based consulting firm iResearch, the esports market in China will be worth about $4.5B by the end of '16 (FOREIGN POLICY, 8/26).

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