MELAKA, Oct 20 — Social stigma is among the challenges faced by the Melaka government in efforts to develop electronic sports (E-sports) in the state, especially among school students, says State Communications, Multimedia, Non-Governmental Organisations, Youth Development and Sports Committee chairman Kerk Chee Yee.
He said there was a group of parents and teachers who felt that E-sports would have a negative impact on students’ learning, besides causing them to become addicted to playing games and neglecting their studies.
Therefore, he said the government would team up with E-sports associations and industry players in the state, and hold meetings with those involved to provide more accurate information on the development of E-sports in Melaka.
“E-sports is a very new sporting discipline in Melaka, and one of the challenges that we face is the social stigma of parents and teachers who are against this sports industry, whereby they think the government’s effort to promote it is more towards encouraging their children to play games, and not to learn.
“E-sports is not only played by school students but also adults and children of all ages, and this perception needs to be addressed immediately, so that it can be developed well,” he told reporters after inaugurating the National Sports Month celebration at the Melaka state-level in Bukit Serindit here, today.
At the event, he also presented incentives worth RM344,200 to 26 athletes who won medals at the 2018 Asian Para Games and Perak Sukma Para Games.
Kerk said the state government’s effort to establish the first e-sports centre in Melaka was also aimed at showing its seriousness in developing E-sports using a better platform, rather than leaving enthusiasts to engage in such activities at cyber cafes. — Bernama
