Cities around the country are looking to cash in on the market's fast growth with videogame theme-parks and eSports venues. Alisports, which organises the World Electronic Sports Games, successfully lobbied the Olympic Council of Asia to include eSports at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. The raucous crowd, a bigger turnout than most local soccer games, underlined how popular gaming as a hobby and spectator sport has become in China. Ultimately, though, China's gaming giants are the ones calling the shots, he said. Nonetheless, China's youth seem enthralled, prompting some universities to start offering eSports degrees, from professional gaming to eSports commentating and graphic design.

Source: The Star December 12, 2017 07:07 UTC