Esports finally recognized as a Sport by the Indian Government

In quite the news to end the year. The Indian Government has officially stated that Esports will now come under multi-event sports. While this news has made quite the waves already since its announcement. It does seem that the government has finally begun to recognize the gaming industry.

While not only just focusing on fantasy games but also on the professional side of the industry. As such either part of online gaming as well as professional Esports will be handled by different committees.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Department of Sports will oversee esports. Online gaming will fall under MEITY in the meanwhile (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology).

As such the development and regulation of professional gaming will be under the government now. One can expect there to be more regulations within the young industry. As such there will be certain benefits for tournament organizers similar to the likes of companies who host sporting events. This announcement in the eyes of many is the first step to making sure that the gaming industry in India is healthy. In the past due to less classification, Esports was considered in the same criteria as online Fantasy Gaming.

What does this mean for esports within India?

In the past, there wasn’t the apt infrastructure within India for the esports industry to thrive. Nowdays, with various companies manufacturing their processors within the nation and the introduction of widespread 4G, there are more people introduced to the world of gaming as a whole.

Multiple tournament organizers compete for calendar spots in games such as Valorant, CS: GO and Dota 2. The likes of Pokemon Unite and PUBG New State are also taking the stage in the mobile esports section.

Each game can now in theory have its form of gaming league that can take place. In similar ways to the cricket league in India called the IPL, there could be one for a mobile game like Pokemon Unite. While using this format to even initiate a form of tournaments to make sure there is exposure to new talents within the country. India recently came third place in Dota 2 within the Esports Commonwealth games. This announcement as such will now promote there being more players for every single international Esport tournament.

Read also: Valorant esports in Pakistan threatened by new rules

New legal aspect of Esports in India

On the legal side of things, we could see a lot of changes that will be taking place within the industry. Firstly as Esports is now under sports there will be multiple concessions for gaming events. Secondly, sports come under a different bracket than online gaming. This will help promote there being higher prize pools with less tax being deducted from the winnings. Professional Esports athletics can as well be recognized as an athlete for a given sport. Thus allowing them to venture into various sponsorships in relation to their image rights for companies.

Another thing to note is that organizations could now have an academy for a given game. As such providing opportunities for various younger players to learn and improve in Esports. Only time will tell what will be the other regulations that organizations have to abide by. This announcement as a whole is a major step in the right direction to give a platform for the millions of gamers in the nation.

Read next: New State Mobile is the next big esports in India