Pakistan to Have Its First National Esports Tournament in 2021
- Pakistan is gearing up for its first-ever national esports tournament next year in March 2021.
- Pakistan to Have Its First National Esports Tournament in March made an announcement on YouTube about the tournament.
- Waqar Zaka has been asked to host the tournament and has been assured there will be no bureaucracy holding the tournament back.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, announced that a national level esports tournament will take place on March 2021. The minister announced the event to Waqar Zaka on YouTube. Zaka is a popular media personality and a TV host. He has worked on initiatives to promote gaming in Pakistan and also was part of the movement that got PUBG’s ban lifted in the country.
Will the Pakistan Government Host the Upcoming Esports Tournament?
The federal Minister requested Zaka to host the tournament and assured him that there will be no bureaucracy holding back the tournament. The minister also informed that the tournament will be hosted privately through sponsorships. It is not the first time that the minister has shown interest in esports in Pakistan. He had previously announced a video game design certification program for students who are talented at games. He talked about how esports is a very big industry, and if students have a passion for video games and want to make it their profession, they should pursue it as a career.
In a recent interview, he talked about how the video game industry is worth 90 billion dollars. He revealed that there is an annual growth of 20% in the industry and there are not enough qualified people to take up the jobs in the sector. The Pakistan government also wants to support esports players who want to showcase their talent in the international stage.
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Esports Is A Growing Industry In Pakistan
Pakistan is home to over 220 million people, and 40% of its population falls within the ideal competitive gaming age group. The country has seen growth in its competitive esports scene with multiple organisations like Portal Esports setting up boot camps, hosting tournaments and promoting local talent.
The most standout player in Pakistan is Arslan Ash, a player who won at the EVO Championship Series Japan and at the main EVO Championship series last year. The game’s fighting game community is notable and has received a lot of international coverage. PUBG Mobile is also extremely popular in the country, with millions of players being a part of the game’s community. PUBG Mobile was temporarily banned in Pakistan for being “too addictive,” and organised protests from all over the Pakistani gaming community got the ban lifted. In the country’s most popular PUBG Mobile event, over 12000 4-man teams participated in it for a prize pool of over 35 lakhs PKR (around 16 lakhs INR).
RELATED: PUBG Mobile Ban Lifted In Pakistan
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