TALKESPORT

Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has announced that esports will soon get the status of regular sports. The news comes weeks after his initial interest in Pakistan gaming industry. 

Taking to Twitter, the Minister has confirmed that discussions among Pakistan Sports Board and Pakistan Science Federation are underway, while the memorandum has already been signed. If the action comes to fruition, esports will get official deference as a proper sport. 

“A memorandum has been signed between Pakistan Sports Board and Pakistan Science Foundation after which E-Sports will get regular sports status. If you are interested in video games, get ready and new opportunities are waiting for you,”

PAKISTAN’S FEDERAL MINISTER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FAWAD CHAUDHRY HAS SAID.

The announcement follows Fawad Chaudhry’s previous interview with Waqar Zaka, where the Minister promised to facilitate the investors and players in their esports ventures. He announced that the ministry would be offering certifications in animation and game development in institutes across the country to encourage the youth to be part of the multibillion-dollar industry. The Minister also announced first National esports tournaments in collaboration with Waqar Zaka, which will provide an official stage for striving esports professionals.

“We plan on working alongside the companies (who have job opportunities) to create a syllabus and introduce gaming certifications in universities,” Fawad Chaudhry said.

Also Read | Pakistan’s Minister of Science and Technology promises first ever Esports National Tournament

Pakistan’s budding esports ecosystem gleams with skilled players and esports acumen. The country, however, lacks an umbrella under which esports devotees could unite. For now, Pakistan’s first esports academy is the only training institute counselling the youth. 

The news has elevated esports enthusiasts in Pakistan as the gaming scene is presently on its pinnacle. While Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players continue its legacy, Valorant’s fresh spell has revived the declining gaming community. On mobile esports side, PUBG has become a force to be reckoned with. With the government’s support, esports in Pakistan is close to ripening into a colossus.

Fawad Chaudhry’s efforts to bring esports to the fore could open a gateway to thousands of opportunities for esports players in Pakistan. Minister’s First National Esports Tournament is set to kickstart in March. It is yet to see whether this development of esports procuring an official status would materialize before the first tournament.

Former Spanish League of Legends streamer Ibai ‘Ibai’ Llanos has revealed why he was handed a Twitch ban; and the reason will shock you.

Ibai was handed a twitch ban for at the time undisclosed reasons like it usually is with Twitch . Fans speculated multiple reasons behind Twitch deciding to hand a ban to him, but certain was established, at least not before Ibai himself disclosed Twitch’s reasons.

Ibai, in a Tweet explained what exactly happened, according to him, during a game of country guessing game ‘Geoguesser’, a player joined with a picture of a penis in their profile picture.

"People I'm banned one day from Twitch because a kid decided to join a game of Geoguesser (country guessing game) with a profile picture penis and the name "Ibaibaneado" From here I wanted to thank the kid for this act he had to give me a day off" read his Tweet.  

It is clear that the violation was unintentional was done inadvertently, thus making his stay away from Twitch all the more unreasonable.

Although he took this ban in a cheerful spirit, thanking the kid for forcing a vacation through unconventional methods. Twitch however clarified that the ban will be lifted within 24 hours, before acknowledged the twisted situation.

Its a bit of relief for his fans now that they have a definite return date. However, intentional or not, the ban will be counted while dealing with any future bans thus we are yet to see of Twitch will actually keep this off the record.

Also Read | CSGO Hits 1 Million Concurrent Players Every Day for Two Months Straight

Twitter has established that 2020 was the most successful year for video games. The bird app’s yearly stats have revealed that India was one of the top eight countries that contributed to Gaming becoming a prominent topic on Twitter. 

Video games had a statistically phenomenal year due to travel restrictions that locked people inside their homes. Consequently, video games appeared as one of the most discussed topics boasting 2 Billion Tweets throughout the year. The social media platform had never witnessed such huge numbers before. Compared to last year’s 75%, the gaming genre skyrocketed, gaining 45% traction in social media popularity. The stats saw a significant boost in unique authors throughout the year. 

Video games were meant to dominate a year which was spent on sofas and inside bedrooms. However, India managed to become one of the countries to help gaming come to the fore. A herd of those 2 Billion tweets come from India, as the country ranks on number eight followed by Philippines. 

Streamers, content creators, and PUBG professionals kept the fans on their toes, as fans tapped out those tweets. Prominent collaborations, award nominations, and international brands’ interest in Indian teams kept the scene thriving throughout the year. 

Gaming was trending in India

The world realised the power of Indian esports when PUBG mobile was hit with a ban. Initially, it seemed like a petty issue, but this ban took Tencent’s profits down with 3%. The colossal player base of PUBG Mobile India took to Twitter to showcase the vitality of gaming in the country. Tanmay “ScoutOP” Singh’s collaboration with Herschel “Dr Disrespect” Beahm is a solid proof of the power of PUBG mobile. The major collaboration had everyone talking about the biggest stream of the year. The anticipation leading up to the stream flooded social media sites as both the streamers enjoyed a tremendous following. Total count of the stream hit 238K concurrent viewers, proving what transpires when two big names are in the play. 

Also Read | DR DISRESPECT TO PLAY PUBG WITH SCOUT OP ON FRIDAY

Naman ‘MortaL’ Sandeep Mathur’s nomination in esports awards alongside star streamers Alexandre ‘Gaules’ Borba, Ibai ‘Ibai’ Llanos, Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys, and many more was also a treat for Twitteratis. The streamer made and broke new streaming records, creating a colossal viewer base for himself. Team Vitality’s heroic entry into Indian esports was also a historic moment as they launched a team of content creators. 

Also Read | MortaL ranks second in “Streamer of the Year” category at Esports Awards

On the PC esports side, Valorant revived the PC gaming ecosystem in India. More streamers played Valorant and tournaments like Agni series, and ESPL enlivened the declining PC atmosphere. India’s viewer base finally had a new game to talk about in monotonous times of PUBG mobile. 

Also Read | Registrations opens for ESPL Valorant Power Up India Qualifier #2

Safe to say, Indian esports devotees are taking over. Twitter’s stats testify the dynamism of gaming in India, as the country beats the likes of Philippines and Spain, where esports budded long before. Japan perched on the number one spot, and Spain sat on the bottom. The USA, UK, Thailand, France, South Korea and Brazil also made an appearance in the top 10.