Game over? 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s young people have no interest in e-sports as a career
An NGO calls on city officials to recognise video games as a sport after survey shows lack of interest in what is expected to explode into a multibillion-dollar industry
Hong Kong’s largest youth NGO has asked the government to hit the reset button on video games and recognise the pastime as a sport after a survey revealed 80 per cent of young people had no interest in pursuing the potential multibillion-dollar industry as a career.
The respondents, aged between 15 and 29, cited peer and parental pressure, the lack of career prospects and even the stigma associated with video games as reasons for holding them back.
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The organisation behind the study, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, called on city officials to boost the industry’s image, saying a complex housing an arena, training facilities and lodging for players should also be built to aid e-sports development in the long run.
Formally designated video games as a sport would “raise the status of the industry, and open up funding reserved for elite athletes,” Dennis Huen, a researcher with the federation, said on Tuesday.
An e-sports hub should also be built as a permanent base, the federation said, as the group noted talented players have left Hong Kong for neighbouring regions such as Taiwan and the mainland, which have complete training and tournament facilities.