User:Hancun123/The rise of Esport in China

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Over the past two decades, esports and competitive video games have risen rapidly in China. Since entering the 21st century, electronic games have become one of the mainstream entertainment industry. With the growth of mobile phones and social media, millennials have taken the video game industry to a national level. As a populous country, China has a huge video game market. After China's deeper integration with the world, electronic games and their derivative e-sports have become an important business card of China. With the promotion of the Chinese government, Chinese e-sports has slowly grown from the bud in the early 21st century to a towering tree. It has become an important cultural phenomenon. And China has become a global powerhouse in the esports industry.

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History:

Early Years (2000s):

Early years' Internet Cafe

Internet cafes became popular in Chinese cities in the early 2000s, providing a platform for young people to participate in multiplayer online games. The widespread popularity of games such as Dungeon Fighter Online and League of Legends paved the way for organized tournaments. The most significant milestone in the development of esports was the official recognition of esports as a sport by the General Administration of Sport of China in 2013. This official recognition provides a "passport" to the development of esports.However, esports did not receive social recognition at the time. Electronic games are highly addictive, which led parents to fear their children's exposure to such games. This also led to society at the time that considered esports to be a mental drug. In addition, China has no experience in the development of the e-sports industry. To make matters worse, China's Internet did not enter a high-speed development stage at that time. These obstacles resulted in esports not being taken seriously in China in the early 20th century. However, it is worth noting that at that time, the young group's interest in video games was very high, which was also the last piece of soil for the survival of esports in China. Arguably, young people's love for esports is one of the most important factors in the development of this industry.

Government Recognition (2010s):

The 2010s were a turning point for esports in China. At this stage, video game players have come of age and have a voice in society. They see esports as an industry with great potential for growth. Moreover, after entering 2010, the network development has entered a golden stage. These factors have spurred the development of esports and put the industry on the Chinese government's vision. This was followed by massive investment in the sector by the state and private companies, which drove the establishment of professional teams, leagues, and arenas in China. However, some obstacles remain. For example, Chinese parents still haven't changed their misconceptions about e-sports. To make matters worse, esports was a completely new industry in China at the time. In other words, there were no specific laws or regulations in China to constrain the e-sports industry at the time. As a result, the competition form and mode of Chinese e-sports are completely copied from foreign experience.

Global Dominance (Late 2010s - Present):

Team EDG won a world championship in 2021.

During the growth of China's e-sports industry, the Chinese government and private enterprises introduced advanced management experience through various channels. After a thorough analysis of each country, most esports clubs in China decided to learn from South Korea's experience. On the one hand, South Korea is a country where e-sports are relatively popular. On the other hand, South Korea has a relatively complete esports industry chain. More importantly, South Korea has integrated esports into the national education system, such as Korean professional esports professional athletes can earn a bachelor's degree. In this context, China's esports industry has been developing at a high speed. For example, China has developed esports majors at the university level, which has made esports an established career. Since then, Chinese esports teams have begun to make their mark internationally. Teams such as Invictus Gaming, FunPlus Phoenix and Edward Gaming have won world such as "League of Legends". In addition, Chinese companies began investing in and acquiring foreign esports entities, further expanding their reach. In the 2023 Asian Olympic Games held in China, esports has historically become one of the Asian Games. All this information shows that China's e-sports has become a well-known business card in the world.

Economic Impact:

China's esports industry has experienced significant economic growth. The market size for professional esports in China in 2017 will be $1.26 billion. In 2020, almost 665 million Chinese players spent over RMB 278 billion on video games, with a year-on-year growth rate increase of 20.71%. In 2021, esports revenue in China alone will reach $403.1 million. In addition to these economic data, various enterprises in China are also accelerating the layout of e-sports. Big companies like Tencent and NetEase, for example, have invested heavily in the sector. In this context, esports related job opportunities, media rights sales, and merchandise trade ushered in a rapid growth. Among them, Shanghai has become a global esports center.

Challenges and Criticisms:

Despite its rapid growth, China's esports industry also faces challenges. The first challenge is that the addictive nature of these games leads most parents to have a hostile attitude towards them. With the development of social media, more and more cases of gaming addiction are pushed into the public eye. Some extreme cases make many parents oppose their children to learn e-sports. This has a very bad impact on the development environment and talent training of China's e-sports. In addition, although the esports industry has been developing for more than 20 years, China does not have enough laws to regulate the industry. This has led to an anomaly in the development of the industry. What's worse, although some Chinese universities offer esports majors, esports education in China is still in its infancy. Therefore, relevant educational theories need to be slowly explored by relevant practitioners in China. In addition, the intense training regime and high pressure faced by professional esports players have also come under scrutiny.

Future Prospects:

The future of esports in China looks promising. With the integration of technologies like 5G and virtual reality, the viewer experience is expected to evolve. Furthermore, with esports being considered for inclusion in the Olympic Games, China's stature in the global esports arena is poised to grow even further.

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