The Deputy Director-General of the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) in collaboration with Thailand’s largest GSM mobile phone operator and the leading source of all tech and business news in Thailand and Southeast Asia organised an online seminar Esports Summit – Pre-Event LIVE which featured a comprehensive overview of the gaming and e-sports industry.
The Deputy Director-General joined hands with the President of the E-Sports Association of Thailand (TEF) and the CEO of the mobile phone operator. The parties will come together to develop a new path for the game industry in Thailand. The partnership aims to increase the number of industry opportunities in the esports, a sector which many people still as lacking potential. Moreover, a case studies of the successful implementation of esports industry initiatives will be done and the results will determine the measures needed to apply them to the gaming industry in Thailand.
The Summit will take place on 28 October 2020 at Samyan Mitrtown, and will include a variety of e-sports-related seminars including those titled ‘How To Drive, Develop and Engage Global Branded Customers with eSports’, ‘Tips from the Developer of a World-Class Streaming Platform’, ‘Bachelor’s Degree of Gaming: Advice For Parents About E-Sports and more.
Propelling e-sports in Thailand
In August 2020, it was reported that mobile phone operator launched the AIS e-sports studio to support Thais training to compete at competitions around Southeast Asia.
Winners of competitions hosted by the operator will be able to practice e-sports at the studio. The studio brings together high-speed internet networks and equipment to support e-sports, primarily for training in preparation for the next regional competition.
AIS uses a caster and production zone with modern production techniques and full equipment to organise live events on high-speed internet networks for e-sports fans.
The company plans to organise two more e-sports tournaments this year beginning with its e-sports Thailand Campus Championship 2020 Season 2, and its e-sports Thailand Open Championship for players of all levels.
More recently, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of a consulting firm stated that gaming is set to emerge as the next dominant technology platform much the way search engines, mobile phones and social networks redefined industries in previous decades.
Some games are transforming into digital hubs that offer people an array of services once only possible in real life. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated gaming’s popularity, with overall time spent gaming rising by 29% during the outbreak, according to the firm.
People are increasingly using gaming platforms to view virtual concerts, for messaging, gambling, dating and even virtual celebrations of weddings and birthdays, the company found. The firm predicts the consumer gaming industry will reach a value of $198 billion by 2024, not including sales from hardware and devices, augmented reality, virtual reality and advertising.
The industry is turning from selling individual games to offering subscription services, with several tech giants offering gaming subscriptions and competing with major players. The consulting firm found that 58% of gamers use or intend to use gaming subscription services, while 38% use or intend to use cloud gaming services.
A wave of mergers and acquisitions involving gaming and tech companies has been predicted. Gaming will also connect industries, the expert said.
About 22% of people who bought their first virtual-reality headsets this year did so during the virus outbreak, the firm reported, with most users intending them for videogames.
