KUCHING: There are 62 e-sports clubs registered with the Youth and Sports Ministry following rising interest amongst millennials in the industry nationwide.
The industry is supported by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman as progress in the development of e-sports blueprint is expected to be ready next month.
In a recent Bernama article last March 19, Sadiq said the blueprint focused on five main strategies, namely, the development of athletes towards e-sports excellence; support for the growth of the e-sports industry; access to better e-sports facilities to attract investors; building public awareness and promoting responsible games; and instilling good governance and administration in the e-sports industry.
In Sarawak, e-sports are growing as told by Sarawak All Star e-sports club (SAS) adviser Noor Nikman Salleh in an interview with New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
“There is a momentum in the e-sports industry as seen on our social media page. There are lots of responses and feedback from the community,” he said.
Noor also mentioned that although there’s interest in the field, it is still limited as the current industry player only prioritised professionals.
“If we look at the patterns in the industry, Sarawak has the potential to progress even further as there are lots of talent here.
He also said that this is based on their statistics in 2018. The latest update this month showed that 400 registered participants came to Old Kuching Smart Heritage Agenda’s e-sports programme.
“That is why SAS is established to provide the community a platform for e-sports and to scout for talents,” he explained.
Meanwhile, E-sports Unimas Club Adviser, Ahmad Alif Kamal said, “This club is to get our extra co-curricular students to be active in e-sports.
“In efforts to expand the electronic sports we are supporting SAS in the technical field. Together, as a community we can strive the e-sports industry in Sarawak.”
The Old Kuching Smart Heritage Agenda organised by Sarawak Tourism, Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) and Sarawak Multimedia Authority started at Kuching Waterfront on March 25 and will end on March 31. The event is from 9am till 10pm each day.
