Asia

How Esports is a real sport, and must not be clubbed with iGaming, Fantasy, or other gaming categories

Published

5 years ago

October 5, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes

The tremendous rise of competitive gaming is the greatest phenomenon of the 21st century. Once emerged as a hobby for many, competitive gaming gradually turned into a very professional and disciplined system.

Pandemic 2020 proved a significant year for Esports both in terms of increased engagement and its growing acceptance. With more time in hand being indoors, gaming became a viable option for entertainment. This amazing growth introduced competitive gaming to an entirely new breed of highly engaged audiences. Player participation in competitive gaming along with viewership for Esports events saw a significant spike.

As per statistics, Indian Esports accounted for around 4% of all online gaming users and 9.13% of aggregate revenue in FY20. In 2020, Esports viewership increased to 17 million and is projected to reach 85 million by 2025. India’s esports industry is set to quadruple in size to Rs 1,100 crore by 2025 from Rs 250 crore at present—clocking a compounded annual growth rate of 46%, according to an EY report.

Tarun Gupta, Founder, Ultimate Battle, which is India’s first-ever one-stop online esports platform, explained why Esports should not be clubbed in with iGaming, Fantasy, or other gaming categories.

Online Games are primarily divided into the following categories based on how the game is designed, the way the games are played, and the amount of skill required to play these games:

1. Card-based Games (ex. Poker, Rummy)
2. Casual Games (ex. Pool, Bubble shooting)
3. Fantasy Games (ex. Fantasy Cricket, Fantasy Football)
4. Esports (ex. DOTA 2, BGMI, VALORANT)

In India, people confuse esports with fantasy, rummy, or other casual games. There is no reason to associate these games with Esports. Esports is the organized form of video game competitions online and/or offline including video game genres of traditional sports, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), real-time strategy (RTS), and fighting & first-person shooter (FPS) games.

Esports games are designed with high indulging competitive experience in mind. The games have various elements to them which not only make them sporting in nature but also open opportunities for gamers to learn about the game, grow and become the best at it and compete at a professional level.

Esports is a Real Sport, Here is Why:
When you think of sports, count the things that quickly come into your mind? It surely would be fierce competition, physical activity, fans, practice, and adrenaline rush, etc. Moreover, we think of an Esports player sitting at a desk and staring at a screen all the time. Though Esports may not involve the same level of physical activities as compared to sports like football, athletes do need enough physical stamina, motor skills, and reflex to control gaming devices and compete well with the gameplay.

The amount of effort, practice, and discipline required by professional esports athletes is comparable to many popular sports. Despite all the statistics and data showing the steep growth in Esports over the past few years, there is still a debate going on- “Whether Esports can be categorized as real sports or if it’s a sport at all.”

Global sporting authorities have now started recognizing Esports as a sport. Recently the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced that eight games including FIFA, PUBG, and Dota 2 will be a part of the Asian Games 2022. To recall, Esports was a demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta.

Let’s look into the similarities to traditional sports and find out why these similarities match up and make Esports a real sport all the way.

1. Game Mechanics
Game mechanics are the rules and set of methods that guide the gamer’s actions and interactions between the player and the game. The depth and dynamics of in-game mechanics for Esports game titles are just as vibrant as sports in their gameplay and strategic movements. Combining this with the depth of the game’s mechanics which keeps evolving makes Esports a top-notch sporting match. Esports players have to master the game’s mechanics and concentrate on learning and improving game-specific skills. These game mechanics help to make gaming an engaging and fun-filled experience.

2. Learning Curve of the Game
Like traditional sports, Esports has a steep learning curve that helps gamers become more proficient with the game and gain a deeper understanding of the game. The curve elevates further as the player progresses through the game. As difficulty levels add up further, gamers have to play with more refined gameplay strategies to fight and win. To succeed in Esports, you’ll have to be the best in terms of game skills along with team coordination, opponent research, critical thinking, and multi-tasking.

3. Physical prowess and Strategic Thinking
Dive deeper into Esports games and you will find both forms of sports have a lot in common. Throughout the game, Esport athletes are required to sustain high levels of attention to make important decisions under time pressure. This is also true in the case of athletes in Esports. Traditional sports require mostly athletic abilities and then strategies to make scores. Esports, on the other hand, requires players to have flash reflexes, an understanding of deep in-game mechanics as well as coping with changing dynamics of in-game strategies to be implemented during gameplay. Only the players with superb athletic ability and strategic understanding of games can coordinate to strike at the right time.

An esports gamer practices and hones their skills for hours in order to perfect their movements on the keyboard and mouse while simultaneously coordinating with teammates. The Esports athletes achieve up to 400 movements on the keyboard and the mouse per minute, four times as much as the average person. The whole thing is asymmetrical because both hands are being moved at the same time and various parts of the brain are also being used at the same time.

4. Practice and Training is essential
In terms of practice and training, Professional esports and traditional sports athletes share several common characteristics. Like traditional athletes, Esports professionals exhibit a commitment to excellence, perseverance, and a passion for their sport. Moreover, they both go through physical and mental training to fine-tune their athletic and gameplay abilities.

Esports athletes work hard to physically and mentally prepare themselves and practice for each competition that they are competing in.

Conclusion:
It requires rigorous training and efforts to become a professional Esports professional. Like other traditional sports, Esports athletes need to have qualities like concentration, precision, and execution that only come after the solid in-game experience. The government needs to take this into cognizance and bring Esports under the umbrella of policies and legislations of Sports.

appointments

OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion

Published

4 days ago

June 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

os-studios-names-ishaan-arya-country-manager-to-lead-india-expansion

OS Studios has appointed Ishaan Arya as Country Manager for India, tasking him with leading the agency’s expansion across newly established hubs in Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Mumbai. The appointment was announced on 25 June, 2026 in Bengaluru.

OS Studios, a Project Worldwide agency, said it recently entered the Indian market and will deploy its ‘Fan Z’ approach for brands looking to engage with gaming, esports and live events audiences in South Asia. The company said the expansion will leverage the infrastructure and production capabilities of sister agency George P. Johnson (GPJ) India.

“The future of gaming will be shaped by the communities that care about it most, and few markets embody that more than India,” said John Higgins, CEO of OS Studios. “To build something meaningful, you have to be part of the culture, not looking in from the outside. Ishaan understands that better than anyone. He’s exactly the kind of leader we want building the future of OS Studios in India.”

In the role, Arya will oversee operations, drive strategic brand partnerships, and scale local capabilities, according to the company. “Brands are investing heavily in Indian gaming, but true fan experience is too often an afterthought,” said Rasheed Sait, Chief Growth Officer for India and South Asia at Project Worldwide. “Alongside GPJ India’s experiential footprint, OS Studios will set a new standard for fan engagement in the region.”

Arya previously co-founded The Esports Club and most recently served as Vice President of Partnerships at Nodwin Gaming, where he led Comic Con India. “A massive gap remains between brand intent and authentic community engagement in India,” said Arya. “I’m thrilled to leverage Project Worldwide and GPJ India’s operational strength to build culture-defining experiences for brands and fans alike.”

The post OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion

Published

5 days ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

philweb-secures-₱202-billion-strategic-investment-from-lance-y.-gokongwei-to-accelerate-ai-driven-technology-expansion

PhilWeb Corporation, a Philippine Stock Exchange-listed technology company serving licensed digital entertainment and gaming platforms, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for a ₱2.02 billion strategic equity investment by prominent business leader Lance Y. Gokongwei.

The investment marks a significant milestone in PhilWeb’s transformation into an AI-enabled technology infrastructure company serving the regulated digital entertainment sector. Beyond the capital infusion, PhilWeb expects to benefit from Mr. Gokongwei’s strategic perspective, institutional experience and extensive business network as the Company strengthens its long-term technology roadmap and growth strategy.

Strategic Capital Infusion for AI and Technology Expansion

Under the definitive agreement, Mr. Gokongwei will invest an aggregate amount of ₱2,026,978,840.00 in PhilWeb. The strategic placement will be facilitated through a proposed increase in the Company’s Authorised Capital Stock from ₱2.6 billion to ₱3.6 billion, subject to the required corporate, stockholder and regulatory approvals.

The proceeds are intended to strengthen PhilWeb’s balance sheet and support the integration of advanced data and AI capabilities across its core technology roadmap:

• Enhanced Risk Management and Compliance Systems: Developing intelligent platform tools to support real-time risk scoring, transaction monitoring, suspicious activity detection and responsible gaming controls.

• Data Analytics and Platform Intelligence: Building secure data models designed to interpret user behaviour, optimise player lifecycle management and improve platform operating efficiency.

• Intelligent Recommendation and Retention Tools: Investing in automated recommendation engines to help licensed operators improve content discovery, platform performance and user engagement.

• Operational Automation: Enhancing internal and partner-facing systems through automation tools to optimise compliance workflows, reporting and high-throughput platform monitoring.

Strengthening PhilWeb’s Technology Moat

The transaction reflects growing investor interest in scalable technology infrastructure serving regulated digital entertainment ecosystems. PhilWeb has established a strong market footprint across the Philippine digital gaming and entertainment ecosystem, working with leading licensed operators, integrated resorts and platform partners including Hann Casino, Okada Manila, Newport World Resorts, NUSTAR Resort and Casino, FBM Philippines and PT Gaming. The integration of next-generation AI tools is expected to further strengthen PhilWeb’s domestic B2B infrastructure layer, enabling the Company to deliver greater operational efficiency, stronger compliance support and more scalable platform capabilities to its ecosystem partners while evaluating potential regional growth opportunities over time as market and regulatory conditions permit.

Management Perspective

“We are profoundly honored to welcome Lance Y. Gokongwei as a strategic anchor investor in PhilWeb. His investment represents a strong endorsement of our technology platform and long-term vision. Data intelligence and automated compliance tools are becoming essential layers of modern digital infrastructure. With Lance’s strategic investment and business network, PhilWeb is well-positioned to expand our AI technology roadmap, serve our established ecosystem of leading partners more efficiently, and evaluate long-term growth opportunities,” said Edgar Brian K. Ng, President of PhilWeb Corporation.

The post PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

ArenaPlus

DigiPlus Wins “Digital Operator of the Year” Award at 2026 Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific

Published

2 weeks ago

June 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

digiplus-wins-“digital-operator-of-the-year”-award-at-2026-global-gaming-awards-asia-pacific

DigiPlus Interactive Corp. (DigiPlus), the country’s premier digital entertainment provider behind BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, has been named Digital Operator of the Year at the 2026 Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific, marking its second consecutive annual win in the category and reinforcing its leading industry position in the APAC region. The recognition was announced during the Global Gaming Awards ceremony held on June 2 at Conrad Manila.

One of the international gaming industry’s most prestigious awards programmes, the Global Gaming Awards, powered by Global Gaming Insider, recognise excellence in innovation, player experience, responsible gaming and operational excellence across both land-based and online gaming sectors. Winners are selected by a panel of senior industry executives with extensive experience and deep knowledge of the market, with the voting process independently adjudicated by KPMG to ensure rigor and transparency.

The Digital Operator of the Year category recognises operators that have demonstrated outstanding growth, innovation and player engagement over the past 12 months. DigiPlus emerged victorious from a shortlist of eight nominees, besting seven other operators across APAC.

Judges highlighted DigiPlus’ strong 2025 performance, the addition of over 500 new e-games on its platforms, and the rollout of industry-first responsible gaming tools. The company also continues its momentum in 2026 through major partnerships, including recently launched collaborations with Manny Pacquiao and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

In addition to its top industry honor, DigiPlus earned further recognition for its social impact initiatives, securing the first runner-up spot in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the Year category.

The awards body commended DigiPlus for its impressive CSR work via the DigiPlus Foundation which delivers healthcare, education, disaster relief, and social empowerment programs to over 1 million beneficiaries and counting across the Philippines.

“We are honored to once again be recognized by the Global Gaming Awards. These prestigious international industry accolades reflect DigiPlus’ unwavering pursuit of excellence and our drive to continuously innovate, deepen player engagement, and champion responsible gaming across BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone,” said DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio H. Tanco.

“Together with the recognition for DigiPlus Foundation, this back-to-back win affirms our commitment to delivering world-class digital entertainment to Filipinos while contributing to nation-building.”

The Global Gaming Awards also hold annual editions in the Americas and EMEA regions, recognising industry excellence across the globe.

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