France is ready to recognize eSports official

Over the years, eSports has been fighting for the right to be an officially recognized sport, and in some countries this has been successfully implemented.



In mid-October, at the initiative of the Minister of Culture of France, a bill was introduced that is directly related to e-sports. It refers to the fact that e-sports should rise to a new level and should be officially recognized in the eyes of the law. Now it will be possible to control various violations and punish e-sportsmen under the law, because now they are equated with athletes of other sports.



The French government has published the text of a bill designed to develop computer relations in the country. One of the articles of the future law is devoted to the recognition of the official status of e-sports along with official sports.

The bill went through several stages of discussion, and was also approved by online voting by users.

100,000 people supported the bill, which defines clear rules for such events, the rights and obligations of the parties, as well as the economic prospects of this segment of the virtual entertainment industry. In an online conference, the Government of the Republic is ready to consider any proposals, answer exciting questions, and everyone can leave their feedback. French Secretary of State for Digital Technology Axel Kemer said that this decision was made jointly with the Ministry of Sports. According to the authorities, this will help ensure the economic development of e-sports, separate it from gambling, and help parents of players understand the features of this area of ​​hobby that their children are passionate about.



“ESports has the right to leave the legal underground. Thus, the state is going to support this practice, ”the French Secretary of State commented on the draft.

According to article 37 of the bill, the state will establish control over e-sports. Within 6 months after the adoption of the law, the authorities will create a legal basis for it, based on the experience of real sports. In addition, it will help separate eSports from the realm of gambling.

The main goal of the new project was the desire of the authorities to ensure the economic stability of the developing area, as well as to reassure parents and warn them of possible risks.

In accordance with article 38 on the recognition of e-sports in France as an official sport, computer sports in this country were equated to sports competitions.



SuperData Research estimated the annual cash turnover of the eSports market at $ 747.5 million. According to the study, $ 578.6 million (or 77.4%) comes from sponsorship and advertising revenue. The least profitable segments are the sale of thematic goods and tickets for tournaments (2% each). The largest prize pool at the championships in Dota 2 ($ 25.9 million). Next come the professional competitions in League of Legends ($ 4.6 million), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ($ 4.1 million), SMITE ($ 3 million) and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ($ 2.5 million). Analysts expect that with such indicators and the pace of development, industry turnover will increase to $ 2 billion by 2018.

France will not be the first country where professional gaming competitions have received the status of an official sport. In Russia, for example, e-sports was equated with sports first in the world on July 25, 2001, but after changes in the leadership of the State Sports Committee of Russia in 2006, it lost this status.

The leaders of France have to settle minor formalities. Parliamentary debates on the recognition of computer sports in France as an official sport are scheduled for January 2016.

“ESports has great prospects!” - This phrase increasingly appears on the pages of online media. Well, this statement is absolutely true: just look at the growth of the professional gaming scene in recent years to see this. But how far can eSports go? And, just as importantly, how fast?



The other day, very interesting information appeared on the network. British bookmakers, known for the widest range of events available for betting, predicted the appearance of video games in the program of the Winter Olympic Games in 2030. True, they estimate the probability of this from 1 to 499 to 1 to 49, depending on the discipline. Which, by the way, is much higher than zero. What made them believe that in 15 years the whole world would watch the competitions of the Cyber ​​Olympians?

It is no exaggeration to say that the whole world is watching such competitions today. True, in the framework of more modest tournaments. Competitions from the ESL, ESEA, Starladder, WCA, LCS, The International series constantly attract thousands of players from all over the world. The number of spectators during tournaments is often in the tens of millions. Many professional gamers are no less stars than their counterparts from traditional sports, and their battles attract the attention of people around the world.



However, this is not enough to ensure that the keyboard and mouse replenish the number of Olympic shells. First of all, it is necessary for e-sports to meet the criteria of the IOC Rules No. 47 “Sports program, the inclusion of sports, disciplines and types of competitions”. Moreover, the inclusion of any sport in the program of the Olympic Games is a long and complicated process, consisting of many steps. And whether computer games have time to go this way until the year 2030 is a big question.

However, the first steps towards Olympia have already been taken. So, at the beginning of the year, eSports was recognized by the Korean Olympic Committee, as a result of which it was assigned the category of “second level discipline”. The Korea Electronic Sports Association (KeSPA), which controls the industry at the national level, played a major role in this decision. It is worth noting that, largely thanks to the local association, Koreans make up a significant percentage of the total number of professional players.

In general, the "Olympic" prospects for e-sports are difficult to predict. But it should be noted that only a few years ago anyone who would undertake to consider this topic would be looked at as a madman. Obviously, we are on the right track ...

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