Students majoring in eSports attend a class at Eunpyeong Meditech high school in Seoul, South Korea.
South Korea’s move is in contrast to that of China, the world’s biggest eSports market, which in late August drastically limited the amount of time under-18s can spend on video games to a mere three hours a week. Park said the private academy has seen a 30-fold jump in daily consultations since it started this programme in 2016.Despite the growing international status and interest among prospective professional players, government support for the eSports industry, estimated in 2020 to be worth around 17.9 trillion won , has been lacklustre, experts say.
In the meantime, the space has been filled with investments from big businesses and private educational institutes.gaming team, Nongshim RedForce, late last year, joining other South Korean conglomerates that have seen potential in the industry. Oh said businesses consider the eSports scene as a platform to reach younger generations and improve their brand image.gamer of all time, plays – opened its eSports academy last month. The 20-week programme costs 5.6mil won , but applications are flooding in, it said.