Mumbai: The MMRDA Ground in Mumbai is no stranger to vast stages. It is a common destination for concerts or exhibitions. But the platform being set up at the venue on Thursday had a different look.
High-backed gaming chairs lined a wall waiting to be transported onto one stage, while another stage was already decorated with similar chairs placed behind tables. A narrow walkway, marked by the flags of 19 different countries, connected both areas.
At the centre of the main hall, however, a tall, silver trophy sat on a pedestal, glistening under the lights.
On Friday, 19 international teams will take their seats on those stages to compete for the trophy in the fourth edition of the Global Esports Games.
“This is a major moment for us at Global Esports,” Paul Foster, president and chief executive officer of Global Esports Federation (GEF), the tournament’s parent body, told HT. “The trajectory of India and esports and gaming, this is the top of our tree in terms of our IP (intellectual property), this is our flagship. So for us, it’s such a huge honor to be in Mumbai. We select only the most prestigious cities in the world to stage such a Games.”
The competition comes to Mumbai after previous editions took place in Singapore, Istanbul and Riyadh. But for Foster, the tournament being organised in India also marks the start of a 10-year partnership “to develop competitions and the whole ecosystem in India.”
“There’ll be this whole ecosystem approach. We will have (events across) grassroots, we’ll have schools, we’ll have universities, we’ll have regions, we’ll have states and we’ll have national and we’ll have global (competitions),” Foster said. “So really the whole of the ecosystem. And we think that this will also unlock many pathways. And these are very lucrative careers (for gamers).”
The esports movement is well established in East Asian countries and even in the west, with big money events taking place across the globe. India is now steadily becoming a focus of esports.
“It’s natural. India has a very, very rich history in sport and also leading the world of technology and innovation,” Foster explained. “When India moves, the world follows. And so it’s a very exciting thing because a movement, even a small ripple in India will have ramifications globally.
“India is a country that is now really setting the momentum of esports development. Many new games and many game developers and digital transformation, telecom services and financial services… the layers of the ecosystem are very interesting. And I think India has taken some time to get the recipe right.”
A part of that recipe is the advancement in telecommunication services. That, Foster stated, has helped the growth of mobile gaming in particular.
“What we’ve seen in India that is allowing many more people to be connected is the advance of mobile gaming. And this is allowing more people to be connected through gaming,” he added.
“My observation is that sometimes India takes due time to understand the consequence, the policy position, to implement it at a national level, at a state level, at a local level, and then to roll it out. And we feel very comfortable that that’s been done in a very appropriate way, a harmonious way, at the right time. And here we are at the Global Esports Game, our flagship property here in Mumbai.”
Though the previous editions of the competition have featured four game titles, the one in Mumbai includes only Dota 2 and the mobile game Clash Royale.
Once the tournament ends this weekend however, the GEF will gather feedback on how to improve the event.
“We’ll be together again in three months, and we’ll sit together and see what was good, what should we improve, how to evolve it, what to do, how to consider it, what should we do,” Foster said.
“And we want to see Mumbai on the annual map.”