Hong Kong can build industry on back of Asian Games esports silver, official says

While the pupils are not yet ready to become the masters, Hong Kong’s esports athletes took another big step forwards in their development at the Asian Games on Saturday, winning a silver medal in Hangzhou.

A podium finish on its own was a special achievement for the city’s competitors with the discipline being recognised as an official event for the first time, meaning it took Hong Kong’s overall medal haul to 38.

The women’s squash team claimed silver in their event, just falling short of defending the title they won in Jakarta in 2018, and the Hong Kong delegation has now enjoyed multiple successes every day since the opening ceremony a week ago.

Underdogs going into their Dream Three Kingdoms 2 clash with perennial training partners China, Hong Kong still gave the hosts a run for their money in the multiplayer game of tactics and cunning.

But China were much stronger overall, taking little more than 80 minutes to win 2-0, adding a second esports gold to the Arena of Valor victory earlier this week.

“The Chinese players know this game inside out, the players on their rosters basically are the best on earth, they’ve played this game for over a decade but we only have four to five months to learn playing this, so you can tell the difference,” Chan Cheuk-kit, the Hong Kong captain, said.

Still, the significance of Hong Kong’s appearance in the final goes far beyond adding a medal to the collection. The industry in the city is still in its embryonic stages and there are hopes the exposure gained this week will kick-start its development, as well as change perceptions of competitors as doing nothing more than just playing video games.

Lawmaker Kenneth Leung Yuk-wai, who has an active interest in youth development issues in the city, said the team’s performance could help change attitudes and grow the industry surrounding gaming.

“I hope the attitude and perception facing esports can change slowly, so people think that it is actually a profession,” he said.

If Hongkongers wanted an example of what is possible then they need look no further than Hangzhou itself, China’s unofficial answer to Silicon Valley and a melting pot of creative technology.

The game used in Saturday’s final was developed in the home of the Asian Games by Hangzhou Electronic Soul Network Technology, and the healthy crowd that packed the city’s specially built esports centre spoke volumes for its popularity.

Eric Yeung Chuen-sing, founding president of the Esports Association of Hong Kong, hailed the silver medal as “a breakthrough moment” that could have an impact beyond improving the sport’s reputation with parents and other doubters.

“The industry does not only mean the player, there are a lot of start-ups, companies and investors,” he said. “So, I believe there will be benefits for all stakeholders, including our competitors.

“But, we need to do better with the ecosystem of esports, including start-ups and support from the government. I hope this medal can bring the attention we need.”

Yeung also hopes by hosting future events and fully embracing esports, the athletes can eventually join the ranks of elite competitors in Hong Kong, and he said one day this week’s medal winners would be seen as pioneers.

“I am telling my athletes that what they are doing is to help pave the road for those coming after them, ‘the better your results are, the easier the path that you or the others following you will walk’,” he said.