SINGAPORE, June 12 — Like many other parents, Ms Jolene Poh’s folks were initially concerned when she became interested in gaming in primary school since it might affect her studies.
Almost in tandem, Singapore, too, is making strides in becoming a choice destination for top-tier e-sports tournaments. The economic opportunities presented by the industry has certainly not gone unnoticed. Responding to TODAY's queries, Ms Ong Ling Lee, executive director for sports and wellness at the Singapore Tourism Board , said: “With Singapore’s growing reputation as an e-sports destination, we continue to attract gaming companies with regional ambitions to Singapore."
Capitalising on these strengths, they said, would help grow the Singapore's e-sports industry and at the same time, provide a boost to the tourism sector which is making up for lost ground after two barren years. Meanwhile, for games with smaller following — which would lead to lower viewership numbers and thus less advertising revenue — TODAY understands that athletes can earn anything between a few hundreds to below S$2,000.
Mr Wong Jeng Yih, or “nutz” — who had played alongside Mr Reitmeier and Mr Koh in 2016 when the latter set up Team Faceless — reportedly earned over US$230,000 in prize money before he announced his retirement last year. Team Faceless disbanded in July 2017.Mr Reitmeier recalled his competitive days, when weeks or months leading up to competitions would include routines that encompassed physical exercise and game practice sessions.
“They shouldn't be playing 10 hours a day and just forget about school and all that. That's not how you become an e-sports athlete, that is more like casual gaming,” he said. While the developments have opened up opportunities for some to turn gaming into a serious career, it also means that in the bigger picture, countries are sitting up and eyeing a slice of a increasingly lucrative pie.
League of Legends players compete at Hyperplay, an e-sports tournament held in Singapore, August 4, 2018. Singapore's investment in building up a strong digital infrastructure has been key to attracting major e-sports events here, thereby allowing it to leverage the positive trends in the industry, said some experts. — Reuters pic