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Esports report 2023 : Moving closer to maturity , still room for growth Major Regulatory Updatess
CHINA Stronger regulations have led to the number of youth gamers in the country declining to 82.6 million .
EUROPE The European Union passed a landmark resolution on 10 November 2022 that it hopes will encourage investment and support the growth of professional talent in the gaming and esports industry .
Over a 30-minute debate , 560 members of the European Parliament ended up voting in favour of the proposition , with only 34 voting against . The resolution described video games as an “ integral part of Europe ’ s cultural heritage and should therefore be preserved and promoted ”.
It noted that the video games industry was one of the few cultural and creative industries ( CCI ) to have experienced turnover growth during the Covid-19 crisis . As of 2021 , the European market was worth € 23.3bn , it noted , while the “ video game industry ” employed 98,000 people as of 2020 .
A major part of the resolution is to fund and recognise both gaming and esports .
This could include enhanced access to talent and financing , addressing the shortage of digital skills while providing reliable infrastructure and connectivity to support the burgeoning video games industry .
It also calls for investment in training facilities to support esports , as well as for European member states to support the creation of a visa , specifically for esports personnel , which would work in a similar way to the Schengen visa offered to professional sporting athletes .
CHINA
The introduction of stronger youth gamer protection regulations in 2021 has wreaked havoc on China ’ s gaming industry . The regulations include a
“ three-hour rule ” for those under 18 , limiting them to three hours of online gaming a week .
A July 2022 report from Niko Partners , which included a survey of 1,250 youth gamers in ther country , found that 77 % of Chinese youth gamers have reduced the amount of time playing games each week as a direct result of the new regulations .
Meanwhile , the number of youth gamers in the country has declined to 82.6 million , down 32.3 % from its 2020 peak of 122 million .
However , Niko forecasts a rebound from as early as 2023 that will eventually add 36 million youth gamers back into the ecosystem by 2026 “ as gamers , parents , and developers adjust to the new system ”.
Esports report 2023