UK trade body UKIE has published a whitepaper this week that collects some research its done into the potential benefits of a healthy eSports ecosystem, as well as some guidelines for how Britain might be turned into an eSports hub.
Devs who grow drowsy at the mention of a “whitepaper”, take heart: this particular document is worth a skim because it outlines key arguments for investment in eSports — and the video game industry in general — aimed at policymakers who might not be very familiar with where video games are at now and what impact they can have on local and national economies.
Moreover, it lays out some concrete ways eSports as a whole could improve through government intervention — government regulators and industry players cooperating to create a better way of measuring the eSports business in the UK (which encompasses game sales, marketing, events, streams, etc), for example, and instituting initiatives aimed at keeping Britain’s eSports scene sustainable and diverse.
UKIE is also calling on the UK government to incentivize the installation of “superfast broadband” that would make the UK competitive with eSports hubs like South Korea.
“Having a successful eSports sector in the UK would create economic growth and inspire new skills but there are also other benefits,” reads an excerpt of the whitepaper. “We should look to countries like South Korea for inspiration, not just in terms of the immediate benefit to their economy that eSports has brought to them but also in terms of the broader statement eSports makes of a country embracing innovation.”
You can find further comments, data, and a rundown of UKIE’s recommendations in the full whitepaper.
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