Researchers in Hong Kong found that 72% of people want to see funding for esports from their government. That is a massive number without a doubt. It could mean really good things for the people of Hong Kong. One of the things that esports lacks is organization and government support. It’s a huge source of income for people who find success in it, and why wouldn’t the government want to get in on that? We’re honestly surprised more governments haven’t as of yet. We do know that there is a real push for it from the Hong Kong public though.

That does sound like a huge number, for sure. The survey came from telephone calls on 1500 residents, age 15 and over. There was also a questionnaire survey on 2,100 secondary and university students in Hong Kong back in 2020. These people overwhelmingly supported esports development in Hong Kong. Given the bracket being worked with, it’s not really too big of a surprise. 69% of people also think the government should subsidize this development through funding in Hong Kong. 

There is a need for a solid infrastructure in esports, so each game and league doesn’t feel vastly different. Resources are needed for smaller games to grow, that’s for sure. That and advertising, but that’s a problem the studios and scenes need to work on. An interesting thing to point out though is that only 28% of these people didn’t know that esports made their debut as a demo sport at the 2018 Asian Games.

Professor Chung Pak-kwong, HKBU Associate Dean (Development) of the Faculty Social Scenes led this research and said the following:

“Esports is a major global development trend in electronic technology, sports and entertainment industries, and the public in general holds a positive attitude towards its development.”

This is with a Hong Kong player, Lo Tsz-kin taking home a Gold Medal there. You’d think it would have been reported on around the region. 19% had no knowledge that it would be an official part of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou next September either. Could the government take part, and help the word get to spread? Of course. Through infrastructure, advertisement, and public events, we could see the word get around. 

Chung also pointed out there is imperative to change the perception of esports, and help grow the talent of the youth in it. He wanted to see the government help with funding an esports scene local to Hong Kong. Esports is still on the rise globally, but it seems to be losing some ground in Asia. 

“The government should seize the opportunity to formulate a policy for the development of esports in Hong Kong, and deploy more resources to the upgrading of hardware as well as encouraging educational institutions to offer academic programs related to the industry to cultivate esports professionals.”

An interesting thing about all of this is that a majority (69% of secondary, 63% of university students) of parents support their children’s push to make a name for themselves in esports. There is the HK100 million grant for Cyberport’s esports development back in 2019, but that was a one-time deal. Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the Asian Electronic Sports Federation Chairman, thinks the government can do more than this. 

Esports needs to be taken seriously as a sport and should be represented as such. There’s been a call for Asian-level tournaments for esports as well. It’s still hard to say if we’ll ever see esports in the Olympics, but this writer thinks there’s a serious chance. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) did reveal the Olympic Virtual Series before the 2020 Tokyo Games happen. If it sees a huge viewership, perhaps the IOC’s position could change.

If Hong Kong and others began to support esports properly, it could also go a long way to change the IOC’s mind. It would be very interesting to see if Hong Kong did change its mind, and begin to help the growth in esports in the area. We’ll have to keep an eye on it and see how it develops.