Esport: the "manifesto" for the development of esports in Italy was proposed by IIDEA

Esport

Esports are more than just a fad. They are a real industry within industry, a new growing sector that could create jobs, professionalism and wealth. For this reason IIDEA has decided to publish the "manifesto" for the development of esports in Italy, a series of proposals designed to guide the development and choices of public decision makers to make this key area grow.

IIDEA is the Association that represents the video game industry in Italy and for some years now, in addition to the classic video game publishers, has also begun to represent all operators in the export sector. The goal is to act as an intermediary between the industry and the institutions, in order to try to sensitize them on these not traditional, but potentially very profitable issues.

The esports sector is one of the most innovative areas and rapidly growing globally, it sits at the crossroads of technology, creativity, content delivery and entertainment. The sector generates employment and added value not only for business operators directly involved in the performance of esports activities, but also for those operating in the tourism and hospitality industries, creating a unique economic, cultural and soft power impact for companies. locations that host major tournaments or teams.

According to the video game and esports analysis firm Newzoo, in 2020 the direct revenues of the esports market globally (understood as revenues generated by competitions or esports teams, in the form of sponsorships, media rights or ticketing and merchandising) were € 947.1 million in 2020, while revenues expected for 2021 are € 1.08 billion. These are modest figures if considered to the overall turnover of the video game industry, but even with respect to this segment, Italy is not fully exploiting its development potential, being still in a start-up phase of the sector. local level.

Esports are a very multifaceted field, which can bring Italian brands around the world. To encourage the growth of the industry in Italy, IIDEA believes that an esports-friendly approach, defined in collaboration with the Government, is the most suitable way. For this he has identified five main pillars:

Promote the esports sector. IIDEA hopes that the government can create public opportunities to highlight the potential of esports for the social and economic development of the country. On the one hand, building a strong esports ecosystem locally would result in increased job opportunities, especially for highly skilled young professionals. On the other hand, esports are an activity that promotes sociability, both in digital and physical arenas. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the positive social impact of esports and the ability to bring people together from a distance. At the same time, the effects of the health emergency have highlighted the innovation, flexibility and potential of esports. There has been an increase in consumer interest and engagement along with growing cultural acceptance. Remove obstacles to growth. The obstacles to the growth of the sector should be removed. In particular, the organization of esports competitions should not be slowed down by stringent rules or regulations that prevent the development of esports in Italy and negatively impact its attractiveness internationally. Attract international events. In recent years Italy has hosted some great esports events such as the Rainbow Six Siege Pro League Finals, the FIFA20 eClub World Cup, the Vodafone 5G ESL Mobile Open or the Quake Champions Pro League Finals. However, IIDEA believes that much more could be done, especially to attract important international competitions on the national territory. Therefore, he hopes the government can work with the industry to offer tournament organizers incentives to bring their events to Italy, as well as fans and associated economic benefits. This objective should be seen as crucial above all to build a new strategy for international tourism in our country in the post-COVID era. Esports can also positively impact other industries, including those that do not have a direct link with competitive gaming, such as tourism and hospitality operators, heavily affected by the health emergency that began in 2020. Supporting innovation and innovation. internationalization. The Italian esports landscape is made up of a diversified number of companies with a high rate of innovation, such as esports teams or agencies, tournament organizers, venues and content creators. In order to close the gap with other countries, IIIDEA believes that the Government should promote acceleration programs for esports startups and research programs related to the next national strategy for AI, provide economic incentives for esports operators, expanding the reach existing measures in this sector (for example, the fund of 200 million for startups and innovative companies, managed by the Ministry of Economic Development and the National Fund for Innovation) and take every action to support and facilitate the internationalization of Italian esports companies and the participation of Italian esports teams in global competitions. Leverage esports to foster STEM learning. IIDEA believes that, given the exponential growth in popularity of competitive gaming, the government should consider the impact that esports will have on the education of the next generations. Esports are already being used as an educational tool in several countries. Certainly, the most emblematic case is that of the United States where around 480 colleges across the country have included esports in their educational programs, and several universities offer related scholarships. The reason behind this trend is the proven impact that competitive gaming skills have on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects, whose appeal is strongly enhanced by the appeal of cutting-edge technology. Despite what one might generally think, esports also involve women (42% of the Italian fanbase, in fact, is female). Gaming is pushing women towards STEM studies, areas in which they have traditionally been underrepresented: another great advantage of the phenomenon that cannot be ignored.

In recent years, various sectors have recognized the potential of esports and have launched specific initiatives based on competitive gaming, including the sports sector. IIDEA looks favorably on the development of collaborations between the two worlds, but does not share the idea of ​​recognizing and regulating esports as a sport. Sports regulation is in fact designed for a fundamentally different sector from a creative industry such as video games and does not take into account the fact that video games used in esports are commercial products subject to intellectual property rights. On the contrary, the adoption of some specific measures is the best way to support the growth of the esports sector in Italy.

Marco Saletta, the president of IIDEA. "Our association is convinced that collaboration between government and industry is fundamental for the development of any sector - said Marco Saletta, President of IIDEA. With this in mind, we hope that some form of regular dialogue between the he esports industry and the Government, in order to foster the growth of the sector. Compared to other European countries, the sector is still in an emerging phase and there is still a lot to do to grasp its full potential. the light can be glimpsed at the end of the pandemic tunnel, laying the foundations for taking off a sector capable of feeding the related industries of events, fairs and tourism in a completely new way, is one of the challenges that Italy, at equal to other European countries such as Spain and France - should grasp with courage, promptness and determination ".

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