Esports will make its debut as a medal sport at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, in September.

After a demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, this year's staging will see seven esports awards up for grabs.

The seven medal games are "Arena of Valor Asian Games Version," "Dream Three Kingdoms 2," "Dota 2," "FIFA Online 4," "PUBG Mobile," "League of Legends" and "Street Fighter V."

China's economic development has led to a strong focus on digitalization and new technologies. As a result, the esports industry in China has seen rapid growth in the past decade.

China is now the largest esports market in the world. According to the China Esports Industry Report by China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, the industry's revenue reached 144.5 billion yuan ($21.5 billion) in 2022, an increase of nearly 70 billion yuan ($10.4 billion) over 2017. The report also claimed that China's domestic esports industry generated 75.9 billion yuan ($10.6 billion) in the first six months of 2023.

Meanwhile, the revenue generated from esports games reached 117.8 billion yuan ($17.5 billion) in 2022, accounting for over 80 percent of the industry's revenue. In 2022, there were 108 esports tournaments held in China.

As of the end of 2022, esports players have reached nearly 488 million. Males accounted for 56.4 percent of the users, with female players accounting for just under half at 43.6 percent. Of all the esports users, 38.1 percent are aged between 25 and 34, and 27.9 percent are 24 years old and below.

Shooting games became the most popular game type among Chinese esports players in 2022, accounting for 25.7 percent.