决策者 | 杭州第19届亚运会：电竞运动的里程碑
转自：CGTN
Editor's note: Decision Makers is a global platform for decision makers to share their insights on events shaping today's world. Chris Chan is the Global Esports Federation President. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
As global attention turns to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in China's Zhejiang Province, we are seeing esports making its debut as a medal event.
China's General Administration of Sport nominated esports as the 99th official sport on November 18, 2003, and later changed it to the 78th in 2008. At the 39th Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly held on December 16, 2020, esports was approved as the official medal sport at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. Seven events will take place at the Games.
It is remarkable progress for a section of the sport whose qualification for this stature has been long debated.
Esports had a difficult time getting to where it is today. Skepticism about it always existed and people from various generations hold different opinions. People have openly questioned that it lacks a sense of physicality that's required in other sports. And at a certain stage, even the word "esports" was met with reluctance. "Virtual sports" was the term used to describe it.
Esports does not mean kids locking themselves in their bedrooms and playing games simply for the sake of playing the game. Esports, in essence, is just like any other sport. It involves strategy, teamwork, dedication, and fitness – not just physical fitness, but mental fitness as well, especially for elite athletes who go into professional competitive events representing their countries.
It is a sport that requires great dexterity in its contestants. Players have to have incredibly fast and smooth hands-and-mind coordination. They are required to have fast and sharp finger moments and control over the mouse and keyboard. And just like any other sport, it requires the contestants to be in their top shape with exceptional mind, body, eyesight etc. if they seek to stand out and reach the top in this category.
Players from China and Thailand take part in Arena of Valor at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. /Xinhua
China is the largest esports market in the world. It has an enormous player base as well as a fan base. This helped create a very robust ecosystem. And the investments from the public and private sectors have fuelled the growth of the esports industry.
Based on various reports, more than one-fifth of male gaming earners, people who play Esports for a living, reside in China. And the top players could earn a whopping $1.4 billion on average in a single year. Esports' revenue reached 144.5 billion yuan (nearly $20 billion) in 2022, an increase of 70 billion yuan from 2017. China's domestic esports industry generated 75.9 billion yuan ($10.6 billion) in the first six months of 2023.
And it is a huge market in Asia. Esports market is projected to exceed $1 billion in 2023, with an annual growth rate of 8 percent.
Esports is a field that will keep growing. During my four years as the President of the Global Esports Federation, I've seen the industry grow despite difficulties. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as other traditional sports stayed relatively the same, esports kept its momentum forward. It grows because it's linked with technology and technology is always evolving. So, as long as the technology is there, esports will go forward with it and get more exciting.
The game's including as a medal event in the Asian Games in Hangzhou is indeed a milestone in the industry. It is by itself an acknowledgment of the importance of esports and a stamped approval of its legitimacy as a sporting event. But, this is only the first step. I hope that as this event gets more attraction and attention, we can see esports gain the same stature in all events as other sports have.
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)
编者按：决策者是一个全球平台，供决策者分享他们对影响当今世界之事件的见解。克里斯·陈是国际电子竞技联合会主席。本文仅代表作者的观点，并不代表本台观点。
全球瞩目的第 19 届亚运会在中国浙江省杭州市开幕，电子竞技迎来了亚运会正式首秀。
2003 年 11 月 18 日，中国国家体育总局正式批准将电子竞技列为第99个正式体育竞赛项目，后于2008年改批为第78号正式体育竞赛项目。在 2020 年 12 月 16 日举行的第 39 届亚奥理事会大会上，电子竞技被批准为 2022 年杭州亚运会的正式奖牌项目。本届杭州亚运会电竞赛事包括 7 个比赛项目。
这对于一项长期以来备受争议的体育运动来说，是一个了不起的进步。
电竞发展到今天，可谓历尽艰辛。外界对其一直持怀疑态度，不同年龄阶段的人对其也有不同的看法。人们认为电竞缺乏其他体育运动所需的身体对抗意识。有段时间，甚至连“Esports（电子竞技）”一词也遭抵制，转而代之的是“虚拟体育”。
电子竞技并不是指孩子们把自己关在卧室里，仅仅为了玩游戏而玩游戏。从本质上来说，电子竞技与其他运动一样，要求运动员有良好的技术水平、体能和精神素质，还要有团队合作和奉献精神。这对代表国家参加专业电竞赛事的精英运动员们来说更是如此。
这是一项对参赛者灵巧性和敏捷度都要求极高的运动。他们必须要有异常快速、流畅的手脑协调能力，手指必须快速灵敏地控制鼠标和键盘。与其他运动一样，这项运动也要求参赛者在精神、身体、视力等方面保持最佳状态，这样才能在比赛中脱颖而出，发挥出最佳水平。
中国拥有全球最大的电竞市场。这里有庞大的电竞玩家和粉丝基础，这有助于创建强大的电竞生态系统。同时，公共和私营部门的投资也推动了电竞产业的发展。
据各项报告显示，超过五分之一的男性电竞收入者（即以电竞为职业的人）定居在中国。2022 年，电竞总收入达到 1445 亿元人民币（近 200 亿美元），比 2017 年增加 700 亿元人民币。2023 年上半年，中国国内电竞产业收入为 759 亿元人民币（约合 106 亿美元）。
在亚洲，这是一个巨大的市场。预计到 2023 年，电竞市场规模将超过 10 亿美元，年增长率为 8%。
电子竞技势必不断发展下去。在担任国际电子竞技联合会主席的四年里，我见证了这个产业在磨难中的历练与成长。新冠疫情期间，传统体育项目鲜有突破，电子竞技却勇立发展潮头。因为它的发展与科技密切相关，而科技一直在发展。因此，只要科技在，电子竞技就能永葆发展势头，取得更大突破。
电子竞技被批准为杭州亚运会正式奖牌项目，无疑是电竞产业的一个里程碑似的事件。这是对电子竞技的肯定，也是对其作为体育赛事合法性的认可。但这只是第一步。我希望，随着电子竞技吸引力和关注度的提升，电竞在所有赛事中都能获得与其他体育项目同等的地位。
