In the last year, esports have taken off in North America. But when compared with Asia, the Western world still trails behind. The best players and teams in many esports come from South Korea and China, and the Asian Games have announced that esports will be a medal event in 2022. Hong Kong is not the esports hub that Seoul or Shanghai is, but that may change thanks to a recent HK$50 million (US$6.37 million) investment from government-backed tech incubator Cyberport to work on esports venue infrastructure.
What you need to know:
–First reported by the South China Morning Post, the $6.37 million investment in esports infrastructure is half of the total money allocated by the government to Cyberport for its 2018-19 budget, a testament to the significance of esports within the overall tech sector.
–By creating venues across Hong Kong, the goal is to be a destination for international tournaments and regional events. In addition to hosting competitions, there will be areas for non-gamers to experience esports and media centers for broadcast.
—Yes Media, current holders of Pan-Asian broadcast rights to NFL and NHL games, has plans for a 30,000 square foot esports facility at Cyberport.
SportTechie Takeaway:
Esports venues in the West are popping up, mostly in California. Team Liquid and Alienware recently joined up to create one of the first esports training facilities in Los Angeles. In addition to Team Liquid, there is the Sandbox Esports Training Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and the facility inside the Sacramento Kings Golden One Center. At 8,000 square feet, Team Liquid has the biggest facility of the three, but that pales in comparison to the 34,000 square feet already accounted for in Cyberport. (Both the Kings and the Sandbox facilities are about 2,000 square feet). Government support for esports is not unique to Hong Kong. In 2000, South Korea created the Korea e-Sports Association that has been the managing body of all esports in the country since its inception. The goal of the association is to legitimize esports and push them towards classification as sports. The years of institutional support have no doubt had an effect on the success of South Korean esports athletes.