Will Esports Become Serious?

 ■Will Esports Become Serious?

Esports were a demonstration sport at the Asian Games in Jakarta.

Because Japan won the Gold Medal for “Pro Evolution Soccer,” the Japanese flag was raised at the center while the Japanese national anthem was played.

It will become an official sport at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

I took the podium at the “Gekito Esports!” symposium.

First, I would like to share some notes on what I spoke about.

Previously, I had stated that Japan is a developing country in terms of esports and that it faces 2 major issues.

1. Regulation. The Act Against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Information by the Consumer Affairs Agency restricts the prize money for tournaments to a maximum of 100,000 yen. This restriction must be removed.

2. Professionalization. The 3 related organizations must be unified to blaze a trail for international advancement.

In February 2018, these 3 organizations disbanded and unified to form the JeSU, the Japanese Esports Union.

The issue with the regulation was arranged to be cleared up with the Consumer Affairs Agency, making it possible for major tournaments to also be held in Japan. This resulted in an environment in which the industrial world can invest capital and human resources with assurance.

In this instance, I stated that I would like to make 2018 the first year for esports in Japan, and this materialized.

Many companies started to host major tournaments, and the Soccer J.League and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) also started their own leagues. Many different industries have gotten involved, exemplified by the serious involvement of Yoshimoto Kogyo.

However, there is a big gap with the advanced nations like the United States.

Looking at efforts at universities alone, over 80 universities in the United States and Canada have esports programs according to the National Association of Collegiate Esports.

The University of Utah offers full scholarships to their LoL team.

The University of California Irvine has set up a 325 m2 gaming arena.

The efforts in South Korea are amazing.

CJ Corporation has set up the largest esports stadium in Seoul Digital Media City (DMC), which the South Korean government and the city of Seoul built together with the industry.

There are games in the 650-seat venue every day, and these games are broadcast on cable TV and through the internet.

This work is handled by the local government operated by the city of Seoul.

The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the South Korean government agency for cultural content, created a 1,552 m2 esports pavilion in this building.

It has archives and hands-on experience areas.

Japan has recently listed popularizing esports as an item in the Japanese government’s “Intellectual Property Promotion Plan 2018,” which I was involved in under the guidance of Secretary-General Sumita, but in South Korea, the government is directly involved in the business.

Future tasks are preparing the environment and nurturing human resources.

First is to prepare the environment that will serve as the foundation of the industry.

There is a need to build opportunities by working with the Japan Sports Agency to gain recognition from the JOC to help esports participate in the Olympics as an official sport.

Next is nurturing human resources. People pin their hopes on Keio University, but it would be faster to establish a school.

Therefore, we will start a new university. We will open a university called “iU” specializing in IT business in Tokyo and set up a satellite campus in Takeshiba CiP, and I will serve as the president.

Since iU will be an IT university, I would like it to focus its efforts on esports from the beginning.

I would like to set up a quota for esports admissions, offer scholarships, and nurture professionals and Olympians.