Local esports may be on the rise, with the crop of local competitions and competitors growing larger and having more opportunities to get intertwined with the wider competitive scene.

A few days ago, GMR Concepts, a Malta-based esports event organiser, hosted the grand finals of the seventh edition of the Malta Cyber Series in collaboration with Gaming Malta.

Speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday, Kersten James Chircop, GMR’s Business Development director and vice president at the Malta Esports Association, said that the event, which was set around the game Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, was a significant success, with around 100 international teams participating in qualifying rounds. The final six teams came to Malta and competed in the grand finals for an €18,000 prize pool in a local venue with a live in person as well as online audience.

Chircop noted that the online viewership was strong and attracted a diverse international audience. Additionally, approximately 100 individuals travelled to Malta specifically to attend the event in person. “For some, a hundred people might not sound significant, but for an industry which is still really starting, it is a big achievement for us as a Maltese company.”

He went on to explain that initially, there were no intentions to host an audience for the finals. However, this changed when individuals started reaching out to the organisers directly, inquiring about the possibility. This prompted GMR and Gaming Malta to alter their plans accordingly. “It wasn’t initially in our plans because we still thought there was a lot of growth needed before getting to that, but the feedback we received from the community has been very positive.”

On the matter of the strength of grassroots’ support for esports in Malta, Chircop said that it largely depends on the game, but that there has been a recent rejuvenation of local esports in general with more players and teams being present in a wider range of games. Some of the games with the strongest local presence are EA Sports FC, Tekken, Fortnite, League of Legends and Counter-Strike. These are all games which cover a diverse set of genres, from sports, to shooters to fighting games.

Mention was also made of the Sim Racing genre, which has a significant local following, with the Formula One games being of particular renown and having a healthy presence in local esports.

Chircop said that the growth of esports in Malta throughout the last few years can be partially attributed to two main factors.

The first, he began, is that today’s youths are typically very aware of the appeal of video games and therefore tend to have a keen interest in gaming. Gaming in itself has become a cultural phenomenon, and that interest in one way or another eventually seeps into the esports industry.

From a professional standpoint regarding the second factor, he remarked that the considerable effort, especially from the government, is significantly contributing to the development of the local scene. He continued that initiatives are being made to attract international studios into coming to Malta, which is showing the local population you do not need to go abroad to have a career in the video games industry.

Expanding further on how Malta and local communities benefit from the promotion and success of esports, he said that the video games and esports industry is a high-earning industry which garners interest and participation from some of the biggest companies in the world, such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon.

In addition to offering opportunities for prodigies and talented individuals seeking involvement in the global esports arena as competitors or creators, he said that a healthy local scene can generate more traditional work for game developers, graphics designers, artists, illustrators and other professions.

In other parts of the world, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, esports have been incorporated into the education system in a similar vein to traditional sports, with schools even forming dedicated teams to compete against other schools in organised tournaments just as they do for sports like football and basketball.

The newsroom asked the GMR Business Development director whether there is potential for esports and gaming to be incorporated into the local education system, to which he answered that yes, he believes that there is potential.

With that said, however, he remarked that the perspective from the general public may not be that simple, as there may be a tendency for people to get the wrong impression when they hear that you want to incorporate esports into education. “It’s not just children playing video games, the esports industry is much more elaborate than that,” he commented.

He detailed how nowadays, a professional-level esports setup consists of teams, organisations, sponsors, coaches, managers, analysts and more. “It’s almost like you’re talking about the football industry,” he said. He continued that as the industry moves forward, it is going to become more commonly recognised and better understood, especially with the younger generation growing up with a linked interest in gaming.

He added that since the esports industry requires individuals to occupy executive positions and work in related fields like marketing, further education will surely be needed. He also said that as an industry, one of the things they heavily focus on is for gaming to be associated with video games rather than betting.

The biggest event organised by GMR is PLAYCON, which Chircop said is Malta’s biggest video games industry expo. He explained that three editions have been organised so far and that the fourth will be done this year with the latest rendition having over 25,000 people in attendance, showcasing the strength of the local industry.

He said that there is also an educational element with PLAYCON, as students from primary to university level get involved in the event. He added that the event effectively highlights the opportunities within the industry and promotes exposure for Malta's esports competitions