As a Johorean who'd been working in esports for more than half a decade now, I'm incredibly proud of Malaysia's upcoming direction on the development of esports.
For the past decade we have fought hard to keep esports alive, to alleviate the stigma associated with gaming, to change the public perception towards esports, so that the older generation can view it in a positive light. Through our blood, sweat and tears, all we've managed were just small success stories here and there - yet time and again it always felt like our efforts had been negated by opportunists who were simply looking to exploit the industry for their own selfish ends.
To us, esports is our passion, our love, our reason for existence - we live and breathe esports. And for this reason we were enraged and disappointed by the state of things; we sought to reverse the damage caused by the likes of shady organizers, unpaid prize monies, exploitative contracts and a corrupt governing body but to no avail. We hoped for justice and proper governance, but it seemed like there was no one to turn to.
That is when our incumbent Minister of Youth & Sports YB Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman came to us as a beacon of hope. Through his statements of support towards esports in mainstream media, we could really feel the difference in recognition & awareness of our industry, and that he was one who shared our passion and belief in esports. It gave much more meaning to what we're doing.
With someone in the government spearheading this esports revolution, who's willing to listen to the voices & opinions in the industry, we're making so much headway in such a short span of time. My heartfelt gratitude to KBSMalaysia for hearing us out and helping to grow our industry.
Honestly, it's been a long while since I've last felt this surge of national pride in esports, reminiscent of the time where we all rallied behind TI3 Orange. Throughout my years of esports career in Malaysia, I've never been so hopeful.
Fingers crossed that our plans can eventually be realized, that industry stakeholders can put aside their differences and work together towards a united goal, and we can once again wave the Malaysian flag proudly as our band of top-tier, homegrown athletes ascend the podium on the world stage.
Imagine a future where young students can opt to pursue esports degrees in schools, when parents would tell you off for not spending enough time on computer games, when you can switch to an international news channel and see Malaysian esports athletes making headlines for winning yet another international tournament. It'll truly be the dawn of a new era.
An era named 'Esports'! 💪
