Esports

The Indian government has given official recognition to e-sports by integrating it with mainline sports disciples. Recognizing Esports as a part of the mainstream sports in India by the sports ministry is indeed a welcome move. The President of India Droupadi Murmu released a notification for the Cabinet Secretariat revealing that esports in India is now a part of “multi-sports events” under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Yuvak Karyakram Aur Khel Mantralaya) under the subheading Department of Sports (Khel Vibhag).

The official recognition of Esports would give the Indian e-sports industry a huge boost. Online gaming is also officially recognized and it falls under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Promotion Task Force, which was established earlier this year after the Union Budget of 2022-23, has also submitted a report outlining the opportunities, challenges and recommended actions that the Government of India can take to promote and nurture the industry.

It is time for India to excel in the world of e-sports with our amazing players. The e-sports fan will be inspired by this to pursue the game professionally. Players will be able to seek out tutoring and instruction to advance their game thanks to the official recognition.

The more fundamental difference that needs to be brought in, still, is that between gaming and gambling - gaming as we and the world know it today will always have ties with eSports, being the top-tier competitive level as with any other sport.

What we can expect through regulation (hopefully) should be clarity on what the scope of 'online gaming' is exactly that the MEITY plans to regulate, as well as how it will coexist with State laws - it's entirely possible that this development could further complicate an already ambiguous Legal space.

It is important to note that esports that fall under multi-sports events are recognized under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports but standalone events might not be included. It is currently unknown if esports tournaments hosted by independent tournament organizers will fall under the same regulation. Undoubtedly a great start to 2023, and hope to see esports level up even further in the years to come!”