The Shadow ministers of Wales call for Wales to get excited about Esports.
Welsh politicians had a debate last week in the Welsh Parliament, recognising the growing impact of the Esports and gaming industry in Wales.
Shadow minister David Melding, launched the debate in Welsh Parliament recognising the growing impact of the Esports industry. They spoke about economic benefits of growing Esports and gaming in Wales, and potentially looking at bringing a major tournament to Wales.
Photo taken by bridgend office furniture.
As we know there are a wide range of roles within professional Esports, including players, coaches, marketing and business management and game developers. Being a multi-skilled environment it offers a great potential for Wales.
Some English universities are now offering Esports degree courses, We already have Coleg Gwent and Coleg Merthyr looking at developing the skills associated with gaming, such as rapid decision-making and problem-solving, digital literacy and communication skills, these have a wide applicability within the economy and particularly STEM-based businesses.
The growing industry involves competitive gaming with people playing against each other online or played in a professional setting. These tournaments normally are played in front of a large group of spectators, either online on platforms like twitch or in venues.
The winnings of these tournaments can win large cash prizes and
The Motion (Amended/Final Version)
The Senedd:
- Recognises the growing impact that the e-sports industry is having on local economies around the world, such as the 2017 tournaments in Valencia and Cologne which attracted between 15,000 – 40,000 attendees.
- Notes the UK Government are undertaking an inquiry to explore the potential for e-sports and welcomes the recommendations of the Bazalgette Review into the Creative Industries, which outlines recommendations such as: raising the status of e-sports with government-sponsored competitions, national teams, and media coverage; increasing the UK Government’s investment by £23.7 million over five years to extend the UK Games Fund and Transfuzer programmes.
- Notes the significant investments made by the Welsh Government and its partners that have helped establish a thriving Creative Industries sector and its intention to take a cross-government approach to grow e-sports.
- Calls on the UK Government to ensure that additional funding for creative industries is made available to Wales and other devolved administrations.
Fresh and exciting
This is the the first time esports have been raised in the Senedd by David Melding. He said that despite a stigma, the Esports scene is growing massively and it was time for Wales to seek out opportunities.
“We’ve all heard of the League of Legends, Call of Duty, FIFA and Halo 5. In 2018, Goldman Sachs estimated that the global monthly audience for e-sports is 167 million people, and by 2022 it’s estimated the audience will reach 276 million….to put it in perspective, similar in size to the NFL. Other estimates claim e-sports has $900 million of annual revenue….and 380 million viewers globally.”
– Shadow Culture Minister, David Melding AM
Vote:
| For | Abstain | Against | Total |
| 52 | 1 | 1 | 54 |
https://senedd.assembly.wales/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=25285&Opt=3
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