Introduction to Esports: Task 2 – Structure.

In this research task you will explore how esports is organized and structured
in the UK.

Students must fill out each box below to the expected minimum word count, all research
sources should be link at the bottom of each box, Wikipedia does not count as a research
source. Source links do not make up total word count of a question box.

What role does the government play?

The government helps Esports teams and tournaments by providing not only places in which they are able to host
events but also by providing small amounts of funding and security as aid. Alongside this the government also provides
teams with VISA’s that allow them to travel to other countries to compete.

How is esports defined under UK law?

In UK law, Esports in considered a game and not a sport (just like chess and bridge). Due to this it is not practised as a
sport in the UK meaning there are no specific British Esports teams that compete in global games against other
countries. Although there are stand alone Esports teams that are recognised by the British Esports association.

What role do the British Esports Association play?

The British eSports Association is the UK’s eSports national body. It was established in December 2016 to support,
promote and instil good governance for amateur eSports players and teams. A British eSports advisory board and
website provide legal advice, with the current focus on intellectual property and contract law for individuals, teams and
those under 18 years of age.
There currently is not a sole eSports law firm in the UK.
 How does esports fit within the wider video game industry?
Throughout 2020 the idea of leisure changed completely. Due to the lockdowns worldwide lots of people turned to
things that they could have fun with in their day-to-day homelife. Those who had a games console or a PC of any kind
found this the easiest as the uprising of streaming and content creation had been going on for quite some time at this
point. As a result of this many people began to buy streaming equipment. Some people though didn’t like showing of
their gaming ability in this manner and instead decided on playing their respected game (or games) to a professional
degree in either tournaments or the games singular competitive game-mode. These different ways of playing once
relaxed ‘hobbies’ made video-games feel more fun for some but for new or returning players it made them feel near too
impossible to play. This in turn has changed the way that video-games are not only played but also developed and
maintained by the staff and organisations that have created them; these consist of skill-based matchmaking that made
it so that players that aren’t amazing at the game are able to actually stand a chance against people that maybe have
played the game to the point of which they are 1000 times better than the average human. Not only this but weapon
balancing in shooter games is a huge thing that has to be implemented or else the game doesn’t feel versatile enough
and pro players may be able to either win easier or it may be harder due to weapons being made more powerful than
intended. A great example of weapon tuning is in the game Destiny 2. Regardless of how overpowered a weapon may
be and how long it is in this state the developers of Destiny 2, Bungie, almost always fix issues with weapons. They do
this in many ways but one of the great ways is by removing weapons from certain competitive activities to not only give
everyone a fair and balance game but also allowing the experience to feel slightly harder due to the lack of good or
amazing gear. Although all of this may tie into both E-sports and Gaming, the two are NOT the same thing. E-sports is an
and entertainment industry in which many players of many different games come together and play against each other
in a huge standoff for, more often than not, a cash prize and a title that they can bare until they are defeated later down
the line. Gaming on the other hand can be described a hobby in which millings if not billions of people take part in and
play against each other in a non-competitive environment so they are able to have some light hearted fun. Most gaming
experiences aren’t even competitive due to the large amount of people that play video games enjoying single player
games such as The Last of Us or the Call of Duty campaign missions.

What tournaments take place in the UK?

1. Insomnia Gaming Festival
2. Epic.LAN
3. Commonwealth Esports Championships
4. British Esports Student Champs
5. W.A.S.D
All of these tournaments take place in different parts of the UK but they all can take place over different amounts
of time due to how many games are being played or how many teams or rounds there are.

Your lecturer will inform you of how to hand in on Moodle ready for the work to be
checked, this will also need to be uploaded to the Unit 1 page on your WIX website.

Resources

Organisation and structure of esports

www. britishesports.org/
Contains lots of information and resources about esports in the UK and beyond

www.globalesports.org
Home of the Global Esports Federation

www.esportseuruope.org
Home of the European Esports Federation