E-sports is growing big, and Japan is apparently willing to acknowledge the modern movements needed to get a piece of the pie.
According to ITMedia, the Japan Pro E-sports Federation opened a press conference today to announce that two PC game players from Korea have been issued Atheletes visa from the Japanese ministry, allowing them to live and compete in the country professionally as sport players, very much the same way as a baseball or soccer player.
The two Korean players, Han Ki Hoon and Youn Sangho, will be joining Team DetonatioN Gaming to compete in League of Legends. This is the first time in history that Japan's ministry has issued Athletes visas for e-Sport purposes.
"This is a historical moment where e-Sports players have been publically recognized in Japan as professional athletes likewise to those in other sports. It is a monumental achievement for E-sports and its professional movement", commented the federation.
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While League of Legends is slowly starting to take off in Japan, the game has been in a huge turmoil during the past months as SANKO, the organization running the Japan league, has been accused of multiple problems including playing favoritism towards certain teams, and inadvertently leaking customer information at its venue
Akihabara E-sports Square where the tournaments take place.
News from: ITmedia
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