Esports as a New Professional Business
The rapidly developing esports or electronic industry promises professional career opportunities. No longer seen as a game, esport grew into a growing industry.
A market research and consultancy company specializing in the game and esports industry in Southeast Asia and China, 41 percent of the 266 million Indonesians are casual mobile or PC gamers. Revenues for online PCs and mobile games in Indonesia reached 606 million US dollars in 2018. That number is expected to increase to 1,156 million USD in 2022.
The President of the Indonesia Esports Association (IESPA) Eddy Lim explained, electronic sports (esports) in Indonesia had actually appeared since 2000. But when it was just a game, it had not become a sport — six years starting to develop into sports. Indonesia itself has hosted game matches at the 2016 Tavisa event.
“Esports is not just playing games, but brain battles, fighting strategies. Precisely the physical training needed to improve concentration,” said Eddy while speaking at the IEL Campus Seminar, Esports: Beyond Gaming at Maranatha University, Bandung, Friday, February 8, 2019.
He said, esports is a sport of the future. This sport develops by riding on technological advances.
Profession Other Than Players
According to him, the development of esports provides opportunities for new professions. Not only as an athlete and referee but explore the business side of esports. For example, being a game organizer event organizer, also to prepare for the production of game competition.
“We invite universities to form Esports SMEs to prepare their human resources. Esports is 30 percent talking about achievements, 70 percent about the preparation of human resources in the esports industry,” he said.
The business side of esports can be explored and studied through the UKM. “Esports start from a business. Because it is down from business, the business side is very thick,” said Eddy.
In this event, four speakers explained their career in the world of esports. They are Stanley Tjia as an international referee of Esports, caster, and influencer Clara Mongstar, PBIC 2012 World Champion, who is also an alumnus of Maranatha University August Urip Santoso, and Nixia founder and NXA-Gaming team manager Fram Shaw.
Deputy Rector III of Maranatha University Robby Yussac Tallar said games are the world of the millennial generation now. Like a knife, games can be used for both good and bad things.
“Not only playing games but also developing ourselves. This is not just a game,” he said.
He hopes students and young people generally not only play but also get to know all the ins and outs of esports.
“In the coming era, everything is virtual and digital, and it’s your world,” he said.
Prize of IDR 1 billion at the 2019 University Series IEL competition
He expressed his pride for the success of the Maranatha University team, which became one of 12 universities in the 2019 Universities Series IEL competition.
MIX 360 ESPORTS, as a business entity with a commitment to developing the esports industry in Indonesia, is currently working on various initiatives to build the esports ecosystem in the country, starting from fostering professional athletes and caster esports seeds, to preparing quality esports team management. One of the first steps was by launching the 2019 IEL University Series.
Ministry of Youth and Sports (KEMENPORA) supported the 2019 IEL UNIVERSITY SERIES which is the first official and famous esports competition for university-level in Indonesia, (KOI) Indonesian Olympic Committee, the Federation of Indonesian Community Recreational Sports (FORMI), and (IESPA) Indonesia Esports Association. This competition was also approved by (AeSF) Electronic Sports Asia Federation, which later will become part of the official local university league under the auspices of the IESPA.
“To develop esports, it must first start from changing the traditional paradigm of parents and educational institutions towards esports,” said MIX 360 ESPORTS Chief Operational Officer Harry Kartono.
In the IEL 2019 University Series season 1 event, as many as 12 selected campuses were ready to send representatives to win. One of them is Maranatha Christian University.
Two branches of the competition are Dota 2 and Mobile Legends. The 12 participating IEL Universities will be divided into two groups that will play an online preliminary round from January to March 2019. Then, the best four teams from each branch will compete in the semifinals and finals at the end of April 2019. As for the place, the final round of the IEL 2019 University Series took place at the LigaGame Arena. The total prize of Rp. 1 billion will be contested by the IEL 2019 University Series participants in this first season.