“When I started to win prizes, like money or gaming gears or even a laptop, then they were more supportive, but my mum still wanted me to remember that studies is No. 1,” said Ms Loh, 27, who began competing in the League of Legends mobile game at the age of 17.
In October, Singapore will be the first Southeast Asian nation to host The International — the biggest global tournament for multiplayer online game Dota 2, which last year offered over US$40 million in total prize money. She added: “The live telecast or streaming of e-sports events also offers branding opportunities for Singapore, which can become the top-of-mind destination for e-sports fans globally."
Nonetheless, much work needs to be done for Singapore to establish itself as a key player in the global e-sports industry beyond hosting international tournaments, they added. This includes building up the domestic talent pool in e-sports and make it more attractive as a career option.When it comes to money matters, the way e-sports works is similar to how other conventional sports, such as football, operate, said industry stakeholders.
Mr Dominik Reitmeier, 29, a former competitive player-turned-commentator with experience playing in teams in Europe, China and Singapore, said the basic earnings here are “very far behind” compared to those in more mature markets. Mr Kelvin Tan, a former competitive player who is currently the secretary general of the Singapore E-sports Association , said that part of the group's work is to impress upon parents that becoming an e-sports athlete is a pursuit underpinned by disciplined and holistic training.
And before players could even begin competing in major tournaments, they need to first hone their skills and climb game rankings in order to be noticed by teams, with a chance of getting recruited.A confluence of factors — from the explosive growth of digital devices to pandemic-enforced indoor confinement — has fuelled the growth of the global e-sports industry.
“Other important areas that are not seen by consumers are things like facilitation of entry visas, efficient processing of required paperwork for crews and teams to be able to travel to compete,” she said.League of Legends players compete at Hyperplay, an e-sports tournament held in Singapore, August 4, 2018.
“Most of them will use overseas production people because one of the key things is they already have a relationship with the publishers. And they have the know-how on how things are done,” he said. “They will sometimes use local companies, but not a lot.” The growing e-sports industry in Singapore has led to the setting up of several companies in recent years.
“The vision of ALMGHTY is to be a leading gaming organisation representing Asian faces in global gaming. However, the bigger population sizes of its neighbours offer them an advantage both in terms of potential talent pool and event attendees and viewers — a key consideration for event organisers when picking a venue to hold their event.
Still, while the audience's physical presence has traditionally been a big part of tournaments, the pandemic resulted in greater emphasis on online viewership and streaming — and this has become a consideration for sponsors and tournament organisers. He highlighted Indonesia and the Philippines in particular, which “have a huge fan base there who are very enthusiastic about e-sports, even more enthusiastic than Singapore fans”, and are working on upgrading their telecommunications infrastructure.INDUSTRY HERE GREW DURING PANDEMIC YEARS. WHAT'S THE WAY FORWARD?
“For us who have been operating the past 15 to 17 months, we already are working with 89 brands. So there is huge potential, with more people coming on board,” he said. And culture and talent are areas which Singapore has to work on to push e-sports to greater heights here, industry players told TODAY.
Singaporean pro gamer Jensen Goh, who has been coaching professional e-sports teams in Asia and the United States, suggested shifting the approach in developing e-sports talent in Singapore. “If we ignore the grassroots level, anything else just becomes a short-term thing that benefits like five people who will move in and out of the e-sports space,” Mr Goh added.