One of the faces of the Maltese e-sports scene has told The Malta Independent on Sunday that e-sports should "definitely" fall under SportMalta's remit. He argues that "there's no reason that e-sports should not be considered a sport".

Nathan Bonello, also known as his gamertag "Zelli0n", spoke to this newsroom to discuss the competitive gaming scene in Malta. Bonello competes in the e-sports scene as an individual and through his e-sports organisation, Project Eversio, though he is arguably best known locally for his dedication to promote the local community by organising tournaments, streaming and "pushing any type of content" towards games played competitively locally.

Earlier this month, Bonello was recognised for his years of "work behind the scenes" by being the inaugural recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Maltese Esports award at the first-ever Malta Esports awards.

He believes that e-sports should be officially recognised as a sport by the government, and thus fall under SportMalta's remit so that competitive gamers can enjoy the same perks that other sportspersons do.

"It needs to be embraced by the government, I would say," he said.

Addressing people who may disagree with his statement, Bonello outlined that if one looks at the e-sport side of things and sees how competitive things can get, then this perception should change.

"It's not just sitting down, playing games, eating chips and wasting time. There is a lot of work that goes on," Bonello commented.

The young man stated that e-sports should be considered a sporting discipline "for the main reasons you'd treat any other sport". He mentioned that while it takes up a lot of time, effort, patience and passion, it's got the physical and mental aspects akin to a sport.

"I think people need to recognise that e-sports is not just 'e-sports', e-sports is a sport. You have to put in the same amount of hours [as any other discipline] to improve," he said.

Bonello observed that he "would be lying" if he compared the physicality of e-sports to a physically demanding sport like football. However, while describing the importance of having rapid hand-eye coordination, he noted that not all sports require intense physical exertion, yet are still recognised universally to be sports, for example, golf.

In addition, Bonello remarked that for a gamer to remain in peak form, one must be physically fit. He said that there are many examples of people who were considered obese, lost weight, and then saw their performance improve afterwards after becoming healthier on both physical and mental fronts.

He added that people who undermine e-sports by labelling professional gamers as just people "behind a computer playing a video game" are haters.

"To me, it's a sport. Unfortunately, I believe that to the government, it's not; there's negatives to that," he said.

Bonello said that the local scene for the game Counter-Strike has diminished significantly over the past few years, to the point that it is "quite dead" nowadays. He pinpointed the main cause to this scene's decline of having between eight to 10 teams in 2018/19 (equating to a range of 40 to 50 regular competitors) to just four teams (down to 20 players) in a recent tournament to a "lack of government funding and lack of tournaments throughout the year".

He believes that the Maltese government could do more to support the local community of gamers who undertake gaming as more of a sporting discipline, rather than simply as a hobby.

He said that the government grants funding towards the "big names" within the scene, namely a handful of organisations, though this assistance has "zero effect" on him and the "actual e-sports community".

"Without government funding going to the grassroots, without having something solidified to push you to improve and get something from it, it is very hard to motivate people to compete and put in the time to actually improve," Bonello said.

Bonello remarked that people require motivation to play, and that direct government funding should be directed to empower the relatively nascent community to sustain itself and grow. He said that this motivation can come in the form of prize money, as well as passion and the prestige of winning.

Bonello also added that funding could be utilised to support the existing couple of teams, such as his own Project Eversio. Payments to fund team kits and pay entrance fees for all team competitions, including some at European level, all come out from the team owner's pockets, Bonello described.

"If it could be funded directly from the government, it could be beneficial - not only to the players but to the owner as well. As it is, there is no room for growth, I would say," he said.

Bonello told this newsroom that to improve at a certain game to win at a competitive level, one may end up playing for four to five hours daily.

When asked if gaming addiction and improving at a game go hand-in-hand, Bonello disagreed. While acknowledging that this element may exist, "too much of something is never good" and that it's important for one to balance their time effectively by maintaining a balanced lifestyle and setting targets for themselves.

Bonello remarked that professional gamers do not simply play their respective game for 10 hours straight every day to stay at the top of their game. He said that over a 10-hour split, a professional will play for around four hours, then watch another professional play for another two hours, then review and analyse their own gameplay for three hours, before then speaking to their coaches for another 60 minutes.

In this light, he advocated for parents to consider letting their children enter e-sports, join the community of approximately 200 active players within the scene, and let them aspire to make a name for themselves through this avenue.

"E-sports is still new, and while there may be some bad habits like addictive behaviour, I think, overall, it's a positive experience," Bonello said.

According to an international study published in late 2024, 19% of school-aged children in Malta show signs of problematic online gaming - the highest out of the 13 countries analysed within this study, with respect to gaming. Additionally, one in four adolescent Maltese boys are classified as at risk of problematic gaming.

Commenting on gaming's continuous rise, Bonello noted that career opportunities are sprouting within the e-sports sector. Aside from being one of the best players a game has to offer, one can also make a living in e-sports by streaming, broadcasting or commentating on live matches.

"I know, in the future, it will grow further - no question," Bonello said. "E-sports will probably surpass regular sports because of the nature of it; it is more accessible, and if you look at the statistics of mobile gaming, it is genuinely insane. The prize pools of some competitions can also be very enticing."

Bonello told this newsroom that Malta's gaming scene is mainly centred around the video games: League of Legends, Tekken, Counter-Strike, Rocket League, and sim racing. Bonello - who considers himself to be an "above average" gamer in general - currently competes in Counter-Strike and Marvel Rivals, and used to compete in League of Legends, Valorant and Rocket League.