China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (CMHRSS) has come to recognize esports as a profession. The decision was made official at the end of last month. Now, professional Esports players will be recognized as “official careers”, including the possibility of promotion. That’s because the Chinese government has adopted a five-tier system, with 5 being the lowest and 1 being the highest.
In order to be able to increase your level within the “career plan”, you need to fulfill some prerequisites. For the player to increase from level 5 to level 4, for example, he will need to have played competitively for four years or to have won an international award. The requirements adopted by the Chinese government for the rest of employment levels were not disclosed.
However, the CMHRSS has confirmed that professional electronic sports players are those who participate in Esports events, train with professional players or compete in professional sports tournaments.
There are more than 5,000 Esports teams operating in China, with around 100,000 active professional players and 50,000 active amateur players. Despite this, there is a big gap between these players, as less than 15% of them meet the standards. “We created this system to contribute to the rapid growth of the electronic sports industry” – said the CMHRSS in a note.
