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Comex show to feature e-sports for first time
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A concentrated young gamer in headphones and glasses using computer for playing game. (Shutterstock/ESB Professional)
E
-sports will be featured for the first time in the Comex technology show this year, with the launch of the inaugural Esports Festival Asia (EFA) yesterday.
Around 200 e-sport players from around the region will vie for a total of $35,000 across four tournaments and six game titles at the EFA during Comex 2019, which runs from Sept 5 to 8 at the Suntec convention centre.
Three of the four tournaments will be staged under the EFA's ambit through tie-ups with partners.
The first is the home-grown Female Esports League, founded by local e-sports pioneer Tammy "furryfish" Tang. Two are qualifiers for Chinese properties Extremesland Asia and the China Mobile Esports League, while the last is EFA's own, the new Asia Champions Esports (ACE) League.
The games which will be contested are multi-player online battle arena (Moba) games Arena Of Valor, League Of Legends and Mobile Legends; shooters PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive; and auto-battler Dota Underlords.
Comex organiser Sphere Exhibits, which is a Singapore Press Holdings subsidiary, is investing $1 million in the EFA.
Sphere Exhibits chairman Chua Wee Phong said the company decided to introduce e-sports to Comex due to their increased profile and mass appeal in recent years, pointing to e-sports' impending debut at the SEA Games in November and December.
"Our intention is to help more people understand what e-sports are about. E-sports have become very popular but there is still a lack of understanding especially among parents about what their children might be doing," he said.
To draw more spectators, various booths offering discounted gaming peripherals will be clustered around the competition area.
There will also be community e-sports matches that show visitors can sign up for with their friends to compete against other teams.
About 500,000 visitors are expected at Comex 2019, with Sphere Exhibits setting a target of 20,000 spectators for EFA.
Read also: Are e-sports part of sports?
Unlike traditional sports, e-sports comprise many genres of games which can differ widely from one another.
This is why the EFA features four tournaments and six titles in order to appeal to as many people as possible, said Sphere Exhibits business director Eric Ng.
He added that Sphere Exhibits wants to build off the momentum of Comex 2019 for its ACE League, with the intention of going regional next year.
The first qualifiers for the ACE League will begin tomorrow, while registration for the other three events will open at the end of the month.
This article appeared on The Straits Times newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
