Story by Christopher Tan
Photos provided by PYDC
WHAT comes to mind when you see these – Defense of the Ancients 2 (DotA 2), League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds?
Video games? eSports?
The electronic sports (also knowns as eSports) industry is a fast-growing industry and a global phenomenon.
It has drawn the interest of more than 270 million fans worldwide and touted to be the fastest growing form of entertainment in the world.
Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC) chief executive officer Teng Kok Liang said the eSports industry is not all about ‘playing video games’.
“The industry is huge and can offer various career opportunities to those who are willing to venture into it.
“You can be a gamer, coach, competition organiser, technical specialist, network specialist, brand specialist, and so much more.
“For us, it is a platform to engage the youths,” Teng said in an interview in Komtar recently.
Teng said PYDC was hoping to reach out to the younger generation through eSports.
“We support eSports competitions in Penang, we conduct outreach programmes, and we have public-private partnership with the industry players to raise awareness on eSports.
“The support from the public is growing but the eSports community in Penang is rather small as compared to Kuala Lumpur.
“We can’t deny that most educators and parents are skeptical of the industry.
“We faced challenges when we try to approach schools due to the ‘unpleasant labels’ of eSports.
“eSports athletes or ‘gamers’ are often labeled as anti-social,” he said, adding that a positive approach is needed to counter the negative perception of eSports.
Teng said an eSports athlete needs to have discipline.
“Besides that, the athlete requires a sharp mind, good coordination skills, and being able to communicate well with his team,” he said.
Teng said the Penang government had allocated RM1 million to PYDC to help develop eSports in the state.
“The Penang government hopes that eSports can be a platform for youths to cultivate interest in science and technology; which is in line with the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teaching initiative,” he said.
Teng said the corporation hoped to work with more investors and industry players to promote eSports.
PYDC is a state agency that promotes youth development. The corporation focuses on three core pillars – education and career, leadership and self-improvement, and democracy and civil awareness.