The Commonwealth Games committee declared last week that they will not be keeping esports as a competitive medal category for the 2026 edition, playing spoiler during the holiday season. This comes after a number of esports competitions that were held in conjunction with the CWG 2022. By winning bronze in the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championship, the Indian DOTA 2 squad contributed to the annals of history, which led to the industry celebrating the triumph and what lied ahead.
According to sources, this exclusion was caused by concerns from various sports bodies over doping, which is simply the usage of stimulants to give e-athletes an unfair advantage in competition. However, Rohit Agarwal, the founder and director of the gaming-focused marketing firm Alpha Zegus, notes thatThere have been instances of doping in the past in international competitions involving many sports.
"We have always seen tough measures implemented against the offending individual or squad. But this is the first time a sport has been prohibited because of a few bad apples. It's a little hard to think that doping may be the main cause, but esports still have a long way to go in terms of infrastructure and growth," he continues.
Insiders in the industry had hoped that the pilot project to include esports in this year's games would fuel the Indian gaming industry, which is already humming along on all cylinders and is expected to be valued at USD 7 billion (roughly Rs 58000 crore) by 2026, with India already claiming the title of the world's largest gaming market.China has the second-largest gaming population in the world, and is shortly anticipated to overtake it.
"The expansion of eSports has been nothing short of a Saturn V rocket that propelled the man to the moon," wryly comments Vidur Naik, Managing Partner, TCM Platform. The news that eSports was being eliminated from the event has come as a surprise because close to half a billion people play and watch eSports, which led to eSports being included in international sporting competition.ecosystem can only develop when all parties involved cooperate, and the goal should be to include it as a sport in all international sporting competitions.
As others have expressed, Jagasia is also not certain that doping will be the only factor, and she adds, "There is a lot more to it, which we expect to know in the coming future. We must view this decision as a significant setback and learn from it that we must create a suitable programme for our esports athletes in order for them to represent the nation in these renowned competitions and bring honour to the nation.
The 2018 Asian Games will still have esports as a medal event, which is wonderful news.
In light of this information, says Rohit Jagasia, founder and CEO of Revenant Esports, "we must recognise the need for sufficient infrastructure, training facilities, trainers, and most importantly, health professionals who will look after athletes' mental and physical well-being in our new-age sports." “ Anecosystem can only develop when all parties involved cooperate, and the goal should be to include it as a sport in all international sporting competitions.
As others have expressed, Jagasia is also not certain that doping will be the only factor, and she adds, "There is a lot more to it, which we expect to know in the coming future. We must view this decision as a significant setback and learn from it that we must create a suitable programme for our esports athletes in order for them to represent the nation in these renowned competitions and bring honour to the nation.
The 2018 Asian Games will still have esports as a medal event, which is wonderful news.be held in China, following a significant wait, in 2023. Most people view this as a tiny detour on an otherwise constantly increasing highway due to this and the existing devoted fan base that gaming and esports already have in the nation.
"We expect the impact will be negligible on the whole category," says Naik, "as long as players, brand advertisers, and publishers continue to heavily spend in eSports. Esports is expected to generate more than USD 2 billion (about INR 16,558 crore) next year as it continues to grow rapidly.
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