How can we revive dying Pakistani eSports?

Pakistan’s eSports scene is struggling, while other countries like India and Nepal have a massive audience. We need to work together to revive our eSports sector.

PUBG Mobile was banned in India in 2020, but the game makers made a new version called Battle Grounds Mobile India (BGMI) for the country because they have a vast audience. Their creators are consistent on social media platforms. I was watching a BGMI live streamer, Jonathan, in India on YouTube, who has more than six million subscribers, and his live stream crossed 136,000 viewers. Meanwhile, there is a maximum of seven to nine thousand live audiences on Pakistan PUBG mobile official channels.

Here are some initiatives that can help us to revive eSports in Pakistan.

1-Building Online Presence

We must encourage eSports players to build their online presence on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. This will help them gain recognition with a broader audience.

2-Supporting Local Events

We need to support our local tournaments and events to create hype. This will attract sponsors and investors and provide a platform for gamers to showcase their skills. In Pakistan, no one is ready to invest because we have a smaller audience. A few events have been organized in the last year, like Gamekey Arena, Gamer Galaxy eSports Festival, and now the Zong Manhunt series 2024.

3-Building a Strong Community

We must develop a strong community that promotes and celebrates our eSports players. We have some minor social media pages like esportsnetworkpk, Tysonesports, Esportsguypk, Instantesport, Gamingnewspk and Soomro, who are helping to promote our eSports.

4-Collaborating with Education

We must collaborate with schools and universities to create eSports programs and teams. This will help identify new talent for the future, and eSports is a significant source of income.

5-Ask the government to help with visa issues

Pakistani eSports players face visa issues in Malaysia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Nepal. In the past, Pakistan’s Tekken star Arslan Ash missed a big event due to a visa issue, while Pakistan PUBG mobile teams i8 and 52 eSports didn’t go to Brazil despite qualifying for Pubg Mobile Global Open (PMGO).

Reviving Pakistani eSports requires a collective effort. We need to work together to create a supportive system that encourages creators and players, attracts investors, and celebrates talent.