So far, politics and sport have slowed down grassroots Esports development in Germany. The number of Esports fans worldwide is expected to rise to 640 million in 2025. Games.com Cologne 2023 recorded 320,000 visitors - 50 percent German. 58 percent of 6 to 69-year-olds in Germany play games. In Europe, 92 million people aged 11 to 50 currently watch Esports. 60 percent of all Germans know what Esports is or have heard of it. Germany is still considered the market with the largest concentration of Esports development opportunities.

Have our politicians not fully understood this yet? Compared to other EU countries, we are in the bottom third when it comes to dealing with Esports, as well as our digitalization. Scandinavian countries and the Baltics are far ahead of us – not to mention the USA and Asia. Many people simply accept politicians' shrugging of the shoulders. The digitally minded people in our society react completely differently - the 10 to 50-year-olds who play digital games, with Esports proving to be a driving force. “LOL: laugh out loud” and “We want to play!” are heard all the way up to the management levels of Esports opponents, who warn about commercialization or dangers that are not always scientifically based.

Never before in the history of humanity has there been such a game movement across nations and continents, promoted primarily by young people. In just 20 years, a gigantic Esports industry has developed, which, as a sociological-cultural phenomenon, is reinforcing digitalization and globalization. People can play with and against anyone in this world. The Internet makes it largely barrier-free. New social networks between gaming communities in “physical spaces” are emerging with some new rules outside of established structures that are the envy of the established media. Streaming services and portals are used. In South Korea, those interested in Esports can even watch Esports on television for eight to nine hours every day. The youth-driven gaming culture has expanded previous regionally and locally influenced ways of thinking and acting and enriched them with new approaches. It carries evolutionary features: »In evolution, play has the function of increasing ability. Play, or the neural functions and control mechanisms that produce games, are activated whenever something appears that cannot be traced back to something else. The human species can experience, deal with and respond through play," wrote the author in 2003 in "Computer games are culture."

At least the economic potential of Esports is being recognized and games production is being promoted. However, the grassroots' gaming opportunities are being thwarted by German politics with the scourge of not granting it non-profit status, which would help Esports socially. Non-profit status lies within the legislative competence of the federal government, especially the Ministry of Finance, which is currently led by the FDP. Bündnis 90/Die Grünen are generally responsible for games and Esports in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. The attitude of the sport also has a restrictive effect, whose committees insist on “rule sovereignty”, which in Esports lies with the publishers and development studios. In some countries this problem does not exist. After all, experts from the German Esports scene have now put forward a “Vision für den E-Sport in Deutschland 2030” (Vision for ESport in Germany 2030) for discussion. The different developments in Esports in Europe have now called the EU onto the scene as a fellow player. A debate on the future of Esports was already called for in the European Parliament on November 8, 2021. The responsible Committee for Culture and Education (CULT) of the European Parliament commissioned Tobias M. Scholz and Nepomuk Nothelfer to prepare a study. The draft was accepted and published in May 2022. It was praised that all cultural and social uses were illuminated and that regulatory action was required.

The EU subsequently approved the “European Grassroots Esports” project application, which was submitted by Denmark, Norway, Hungary, the Netherlands and Germany. The aim is to promote the sporting values of health, integration, respect and responsibility through the development and dissemination of e-sports grassroots clubs as a concept and model throughout Europe. The International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) is in charge together with DGI, Viken Sport Region, Hungarian Esport Federation, H2O Esports Campus und play-eSHanseSPIEL e. V. Hamburg. Regarding the current discussion: Esport is a grassroots sports! – everyone is invited! The EU working group "European Grassroots Esports" has developed an interview questionnaire as a suggestion, which play-eS is happy to forward to all those involved in Esports in Germany. play-eS draws on 15 years of experience with the "Deutsche Games Schulmeisterschaft" (Germany Games School Championship), the first German Esports amateur championship started in 2006, and its own regional school championships. Over 2,200 schools took part, with the students having the freedom to run the tournament themselves and design the program and accompanying activities.

"Play is culture!" and therefore non-profit - this can also be offered to sports clubs and youth clubs for all Esports activities in cooperation, or they use this argument themselves, e. g. SC Edermünde e. V. 2021. Esports university leagues and Esports company sport competitions already exist. Foundations and independent organizations through to nursing homes are showing interest in Esports, and eSports is a topic in every school. It would be hoped that Esports would fare similarly to football in Germany around 1900, which became really popular when it was included in school lessons. It quickly became clear that the schoolyards weren't enough, so soccer fields were built. This is what Esports in Germany lacks most of all: gaming opportunities. Many sports clubs are committed to recruiting members out of legitimate self-interest, but also to meeting the needs of registered members. Countries like Schleswig-Holstein have set up public Esports facilities with supervision. Sponsors and investors have long recognized the importance of the image, and this is why new constructions such as the collaboration between Telekom and SK-Gaming in Cologne, who are building an Esports center. These examples are representative of many new projects. The external appearance of Esports is primarily shaped by major events such as gamescom and the Intel Extreme Masters. Overall, this includes the huge foundation of organization and personnel without which the entertainment industry and sport cannot survive. This confirms the EU's initiative and the work tasks resulting from it: The volunteers who do an above-average amount of unpaid work out of their passion and enthusiasm for electronic games and competitions make a huge contribution to the success of Esports. Support from the grassroots Esports community is required in every form!

 

Photo: by Florian Olivo on Unsplash