Zhang Yunfan, president of Perfect World Games, an online gaming company in Beijing that operates DOTA 2 in China, said e-sports in China are still nascent. "Just like basketball or football, the success of e-sports lies in the huge number of participants."
Given the large player base in China, e-sports are set for much bigger growth, he said.
Again, like in many other sports, e-sports require talent and dedication. "It isn't like traditional sports, but gaming, too, requires players to produce swift muscle response. A good player may need to click the mouse more than 1,000 times a minute. They need to train seven to eight hours a day," said Shen Rongjie, a professional e-sports player in Shanghai.
Comparisons with other sports and sportspeople do not end there. "Very few players win big money from e-sports. A golden career of an e-sports player could last less than 10 years. After the age of 25, many of the gamers tend to lose their touch because they can't respond that fast anymore," Shen said.
That's not all. Most of the professional players are those who had dropped out of school early. After their gaming career, they are likely to face challenges in finding suitable alternative careers and jobs.
According to him, most of the 100-odd professional e-sports clubs in China lack a sustainable business model. "Well-known clubs can make money from advertisers and commissions if their famous players win big games.
"Other clubs depend on the financial support of silver-spoon kids of China's rich entrepreneurs," he said.
