Esports recognised as multi-sports event under Ministry of Youth Affair and Sports; MEITY to look after matters of Online Gaming

The government of India ended the year 2022 on a high for gamers. Online Gaming has been brought under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. E-Sports on the other hand has been recognised as a part of multi-sports events, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. These amendments were announced on 27th of December, 2022. 

While the two recognitions have been unanimously lauded by the gaming community, following this, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a public notice inviting feedback on the amendment. Therefore it’s now time to dive deeper into the implications of the two amendments in the gaming community. Here’s what we know. 

Draft Amendments to IT Rules, 2021 explained 

In the Draft Notification published by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology,”online game” has been defined as the following: 

“a game that is offered on the Internet and is accessible by a user through a computer resource if he makes a deposit with the expectation of earning winnings”

“Deposit” here would be “the deposit made or committed to, in cash or in kind, by the user for participating in an online game”. Further explaining the term ‘winnings’, the draft notification mentions, “any prize, in cash or in kind, that is distributed or intended to be distributed to a user of an online game based on the performance of the user and in accordance with the rules of such online game”. 

In other words, betting, gambling, and other such games of chance have been classified as “online games”. However, to us gamers, the term ends up being extremely misdirecting when considering “online gaming” under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Does the focus need to be on regulations alone when considering “online gaming”?

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Well since betting and gambling is banned in not just India, but around the world, it only makes sense that it doesn’t get promoted any further online. Which is where the regulations become important. However, at the same time, in video games, the term “online gaming” has a much wider implication. All video games that use the internet, technically fall under the same category including AAA titles, multiplayer games, etc. Therefore when it comes to the government’s regulations in India, these fine lines of what these deposits and winnings are, is what’ll help make the difference. Mr Lokesh Suji, the Director of Esports Federation of India, Asian Esports Federation says “We have been constantly working on establishing the difference between esports and iGaming, and finally, our efforts have been fulfilled.” 

Having said that, the Government of India needs to continue to make sure that the difference is clear and well understood, so that the future of video games and the growth of its multi-billion dollar industry doesn’t get hindered in India. 

Moving on, the recognition of esports under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is definitely a victory for the professionals in the gaming community. Even if we aren’t looking at the far future, it still works towards the legitimation of eSports with other mainstream sports. Regardless, such mini-victories will be working towards the bigger, better future of esports and gaming in India. As put by Rohit, Jagasia, Founder and CEO of Revenant Esports, “This revolutionary decision will not only transform the country's gaming landscape in terms of improved infrastructure, funding, exposure and providing education about the sector but will also put India on the global Esports map as a force to be reckoned with.”