Esports are included in multi-sport events, as the Indian government acknowledges
The esports industry in India has received significant support from the Indian government. Esports have been added to the list of “multisports events” by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and “matters relating to online gaming” have been added by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Since the esports industry is now officially recognized by the government, this is a significant development for the industry’s future in India.
This modification, which pertains to online gaming and e-sports, is included as the 370th Amendment to the Allocation of Business Rules of 1961, as stated by the Directorate of Printing’s Department of Publication. The rules’ Part II-Section 3-Sub-Section (ii) will include this modification.
IGN India has contacted the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and we will update this article when we have additional information.
This advancement comes only months after Indian Dota 2 group made history in Indian esports by winning the bronze award at the Federation Esports Title 2022.
Moin Ejaz (captain), Ketan Goyal, Abhishek Yadav, Shubhnam Goli, and Vishal Vernekar led the Indian team, which dominated Wales and received byes against Trinidad and Tobago before losing in the semi-finals to the Malaysian team. In the end, they defeated New Zealand in a best-of-three match to take the bronze medal.
The Indian government also stated that it does not intend to restrict time spent playing online games. MPs Vishnu Dutt Sharma and Bhagirath Chaudhary asked Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, if the government was considering imposing a three-hour weekly time limit on players under the age of 18 like China’s regulations.
Chandrasekhar emphasized that the government has implemented regulations requiring intermediaries to prevent the sharing of harmful information and to comply with existing laws in light of the potential dangers and difficulties associated with online gaming, such as violence and addiction. However, the amount of time spent playing online games will not be restricted.
