Sony and Nintendo corner a big slice of the global video game market. And yet, Japan, the birthplace of both organisations, are incapable of hosting mass video game tournaments because of an old law.
But that’s about to change.
According to Bloomberg reporter, Yuji Nakamura, the Japanese eSports Association (JeSPA) are issuing pro-esports licences to create a clear demarcation between those who purse esports as a way to pay the gas bill, and those that play because they have nothing better to do.
According to reports relating to the matter, Japanese video gaming competitions was big business in the 1980s until the authorities created new gambling laws designed to prevent the Yakuza from money laundering via video poker machines.
Don’t ask, but video games ended up in the fine print.
The first five video games to be issued pro licenses are Winning Eleven 2018, Street Fighter V Arcade Edition, Tekken 7, Puzzle & Dragon, and Monster Strike.